Capricious and cruel

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    vivian chen

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    Every day we seem to be hit with yet more and more decisions by our current administration that are, as a favorite YouTuber called them, “capricious and cruel.”

    This morning I intended to finish a draft I started about being a latchkey kid, but I made the mistake of scrolling through my news and social media feeds first. I couldn’t muster the energy to write about my trivial experiences after what I read. My heart has already been broken several times over and I just don’t know if it can take any more of these capricious and cruel actions.

    These were the first three stories I came across:

    • Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza.

    • Venezuelan migrants were sent to an El Salvadoran prison without due process.

    • Teen musicians who were involved in an organization called Equity Arc had their concert canceled due to DEI executive order.

    It helped to open up some slices and read about RJ’s busy day of never-satifisied cats, Franki’s low-stakes crafting, and Elisabeth’s journey back into reading horror (or not). I’m also thinking about Denise’s inspirational post about taking action.

    I’m sure I’ll be perusing the comments for more therapy later today.

    8 responses to “Capricious and cruel”

    1. Elisabeth Ellington Avatar
      Elisabeth Ellington

      Capricious and cruel are exactly the right adjectives for this deluge. I’m trying to consume significantly less news right now and mostly for the sake of knowing enough to take some action each day. But it’s hard to get the right balance and impossible not to feel broken by all of it.

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    2. arjeha Avatar
      arjeha

      I still can’t comprehend how our country came to this and mor so how some totally sing his praises. I don’t know how we are going to last 4 years. I guess I got to continue having hope that some people will wake up and see what is really going on.

      Liked by 1 person

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    3. Heidi Allum Avatar
      Heidi Allum

      I had my custodian, even though I am not in America, worry about world war three, and tell me so. It is overwhelming the constant barage of choices the leaders of the world are making. Thank you for sharing your feelings around this, and links to what is happening. I hope comments fill you and bring on a positive feeling.

      P.S. – the latchkey kid story does sound very interesting.

      Liked by 1 person

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    4. Trish Avatar
      Trish

      I cannot “like” this post, although I am so very glad to read it. I think we have to be almost split personalities to deal with our lives, still finding joy wherever we can, alongside the “capricious and cruel” behaviors of world leaders and the horrors that they cause, led, unabashedly by our own.

      Liked by 1 person

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    5. mschiubookawrites Avatar
      mschiubookawrites

      This truly sums it up- “My heart has already been broken several times over and I just don’t know if it can take any more of these capricious and cruel actions.” (Sigh) I appreciate your links to slice therapy. I also agree with Elisabeth’s comment about striking the right balance of knowing to take action.

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    6. Glenda Funk Avatar
      Glenda Funk

      Vivian,

      My heart is broken watching the “capricious and cruel” actions of that cabal of cruel people led by the totally depraved, evil, fascist in the White House. I’ve been a news junkie all my life, and even I, a voracious consumer of news, am unable to deal with/ this administration. That said, this morning I told my husband I don’t know why we should be spared pain when so many around the world are suffering and have suffered while we, as the poet says, “lived happily through the world.” I do have theories about how we arrived at this moment in history. Ours has always been a structurally imperfect system built on the backs of enslaved people, a system designed for white men, particularly wealthy ones. We made progress for a time. Then Reagan was elected, and the Moral Majority arose in response to Roe vs Wade. The system failed in large part because as a nation we’ve been distracted for a long time, more interested in entertainment than in learning history and studying the arts. There is no single cause, but we are experiencing the effect of lots of things. I am afraid. For myself. For my adult children who are veterans w/ disability ratings. For my grandson. I don’t think we have a right as a nation to expect we’ll survive this assault on democracy. I only hope and pray we do.

      Liked by 1 person

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    7. rdicarne Avatar
      rdicarne

      Vivian,

      Everything is so hard right now. I keep trying to find the small joys every day. Being part of this group is therapeutic for me. The story of the musicians is both sad and inspiring. The rest is so horrible. I am doing the best I can to strike a balance between being informed and preserving my own mental health.

      Liked by 1 person

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    8. Anita Ferreri Avatar
      Anita Ferreri

      Today, I could not again write again today about anything in the news or about my concerns about the future of our country. I find myself talking to people wherever I go and listening to worries and concerns about so many issues that we cannot even keep straight what is our greatest concern of the moment.

      YET, if we do not talk and write (as you so wonderfully did) we may well find ourselves in a situation where our collective voices and pens are permanently silenced. I am writing letters to politicians again tomorrow.

      Liked by 1 person

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