This is 56! (In which I apply my bicycling philosophy to the country's descent into authoritarianism.)

Hey, all! It's been a while and damn if the place doesn't look and feel dated. 

Yesterday, Friday, June 6, was my birthday. I only celebrate the milestone birthdays, although I have taken my birthday week off from work in recent years as a present to myself. I also stay away as much as I can from the socials because the last thing I want to do on my birthday is wait for birthday greetings.

Anyhoo, once my birthday has passed, I post a "state of the union" story to mark the beginning of a new solar rotation, about whatever is on my mind at the moment. Here is this year's missive.

The phrase "be the tortoise" alludes to being slow and steady in order to achieve your long-term objectives.

That steadiness has additional benefits. It gives one a broader situational awareness. It allows one to develop humility as a response to setbacks. It nurtures an unassailable work ethic. Most important, steadiness focuses a person on consistent progress — the past is the past.

I've been pondering a tortoise mindset of late. As a cyclist, it's easy to apply that to how I ride. It makes my rides more enjoyable. I see more interesting sights. I'm able to better identify dangerous situations. Incremental progress builds on incremental progress.

Applying the tortoise mindset to life and society is another matter, given the current upheaval happening in the country. I'm definitely concerned, as are most of you. But I'm not shocked by the current events. We knew this was going to happen if Donald Trump was elected; even a born liar has moments of telling the truth.

 

But Trump, his senior advisers and enablers are the very embodiment of the hare in the tortoise and the hare parable; undisciplined, easily distracted, vain and venal. Don't misunderstand me, the damage he inflicted during his first term and especially in the first five months of his current regime are severe and will not be repaired in my lifetime, or yours (if you're an older Millennial).

And Democrats, especially at the congressional level, are not inspiring the best in us. The party's consultant class that contributed to our current situation are more concerned with protecting their turf. Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries and others in leadership are feckless. And you can't hold a record-breaking filibuster or sit-in on the Capitol steps, then vote to confirm unqualified Trump appointees.

This is where we need to be tortoises. We cannot go back. But we can rebuild. The America promised in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution has always been aspirational. Collectively, we as a nation have failed to meet it. But we can, by being slow and steady. Frankly, we have no choice.

We must demand more from our elected officials, at all levels of government. We need to stop voting for politicians whom we can imagine sharing a beer with, and start voting for politicians whose platforms closely align with our concerns and desires and who are willing to expend their political capital and their positions to build a society that is more equitable for all.

This will not be a quick fix. There is a hunger for it; Donald Trump won the 2024 election in a plurality, not a majority. That means more people collectively voted against him than for him. The plans he and his lieutenants are trying to implement can only become permanent if we allow it.

So be a tortoise and do something. Also, live your lives unapologetically and with joy. Fascists hate that. /End Rant