Agency, near and far

The national election is coming up in just three weeks from today and I posted a missive about how scary and even terrifying the next weeks and especially months will be, and a good friend of mine posted in response that there's nothing we can do about it, so don't worry. I understood where he was coming from in one sense of course, but I also was rankled by his comment, in that it reeked of complacency and even some kind of nihilism. Sure enough, I can't change the outcome of the national election directly. That really is beyond my personal control. But I can and should be active in changing the environment around me, both interpersonally and even beyond that to my local and regional area. I have agency in that regard. YOU have agency in that regard. No flood ever existed apart from the droplets of water. Vote (especially down ballot). Talk to one another. Talk to yourself in affirming and critical ways. And whatever you do, never give into complacency and a defeatist attitude about your own voice and place in this world. You really do have agency in your attitude and actions. NEVER let that go. I know from my own life experiences that one life can make a huge difference, even if on a personal scale. But sometimes those scales can tip the whole world. Make a difference and excercise your agency.