What are you willing to do?

One question I've started asking is, “What are you willing to do?”

There are many battles to fight right now. Homelessness, food security, poverty, an authoritarian government, police brutality, unhappiness, and isolation are just a few. Many of us in the coming months are going to need to shift our careers, livelihoods, thinking, and focus in order to stay afloat. As difficult as this time is, there are absolutely ways to thrive. There are ways to fight against police and conservative terrorism. There are ways to uplift each other and create a better world for tomorrow.

But again, what are you willing to do?

Many people in the Left uphold concepts of love, freedom, and equality. There's a lot of passion and power in that, but up against a corporation, or conservative body which is purely driven by power, greed, and money – can your personal drive for love, freedom, and equality overcome that?

Our greatest asset is also our greatest weakness. As we strive for equality and respect, we feel there are fewer and fewer moral and ethical actions we can take to change the status quo. We also just want to live our lives happily. The Right has an amazing propaganda machine and are willing to do almost anything to gain more power, so where does that leave us?

In the battle for Black Lives Matter, we see protesters exposing the deep need for reforming police and law systems. But these protesters rely on lawyers and government officials to agree to those changes. City councilors, mayors, governors, police chiefs, judges, members of congress, and the president hold the final say. Yes the protests are important for educating and pressuring officials, but we also need people to take an even greater stance and become those changemakers.

This is an invitation to step up, to vote, to run for office, to start a business or corporation, to become a lawyer, to actually take the actions necessary to implement reform.

What are you willing to do?