A Way Forward

I don’t want to dwell on the election much longer, but since I’m going to be blogging a lot more in the near-future (mostly on book-related goings on), I thought I’d just swing in and offer a couple thoughts that I think everyone regardless of political affiliation can use.

1. Be respectful to each other. I can’t stress this enough. Very few human beings are so callous and cold-hearted that they are free of the feelings you have. But remember also that it’s possible to be respectful and at the same time hold everyone to a high standard. With that in mind …
2. Hold everyone accountable, including your friends. Over the past couple days, I’ve called out a couple of friends on Facebook regarding a post they had made that was either misinformed or flat-out bigoted in some way. It’s led to some considerable angst but that’s a good thing. Too often we’re inclined to simply “scroll down” when we see something we don’t like, and that’s not good enough. We need to engage with one another and make sure that our social networks–which we all prize–aren’t simply echo chambers.

I’m going to blog a lot about the environment in the future, partly because my books are intertwined with the fate of the natural world and partly because this subject means something to me. The saddest part of this election, for me, is the fact that a lot of good environmental initiatives are going to be rolled back, and the scientific consensus is that Global Warming is already an imminent threat.

If I’m wrong and Global Warming really is a complete fabrication, then this can serve as a record of all the ways I’m wrong. If I’m right, I hope this serves as a record I can use in kangaroo court to prove that I’m one of the “good guys” who tried to change the world, in the hopes that future generations will spare me the guillotine.

I’m only half-joking about that last part.