At a time in my life when a lot that I counted on isn’t working anymore, what still makes sense? Lets look at this two part question.

What isn’t working?

My vote didn’t matter in 2020. I don’t know how to accomplish securing our votes as what matters again in American politics.

Jobs aren’t being offered based on who can do the job. Lots of other criteria are being used to pick employees and these other criteria don’t get the best people into the job.

Christmas has changed from a splurge into a holiday of greater financial restraint.

People are considering what changes to make in their lives as 2022 approaches; change is accepted as part of today’s reality.

Media offers less. Internet media sources and broadcast news offers less. Published news matters to people less too. Television isn’t America’s past-time. The fracturing of storylines about our day to day lives has ruined messaging altogether. People are moving away from entertainment and they don’t trust information.

Maintaining ordinary basics of life has become a greater preoccupation for some people. Things like: food, shelter, water, basic quality medical, safety, financial security.

The for profit medical model has failed us during covid. People aren’t trusting that the medical establishment cares about them.

Universities and public schools have abandoned American principles of education. How can a school educate without meaningful discourse?

A lot of people left their jobs when their jobs abandoned basic American values. Fraud has undermined many professionals.

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Despite what isn’t working, I believe the following:

A voting public is a force for better politics. Politics is messy because so many viewpoints come into conflict. But no smaller group of elites are smarter about what everyone needs than the voting public is. When politicians care about voters, better policies result.

Hiring based on who wants to work the job and who can do the job is the better way to hire, far superior to any other method of selection.

It’s ok for Christmas to be less about consumerism or spending. It’s ok for it to be different from one group to another. It’s ok for Christmas to matter to Christians as a special religious holiday. It’s ok to think about beautiful religious art and Christmas traditions from the past. We don’t need to remake Christmas for the now.

Americans sometimes hate change and sometimes like it. They like to know what’s in it for them. In any case, it makes sense to try to make the most of changes as they happen in the hope of improving.

As media begins to matter less, friends and family matter more.

Planting a garden can help to provide extras for your family and your neighbors. It gives you an excuse to have a conversation and to share with others. Exercise is more important than before and gardening is a good exercise.

Learning about how to have better health can be as simple as a trip to the library. No one is more responsible for our health than we are ourselves.

A library at home of references that will help you to understand the world better is a resource that you can turn to again and again. Start seeking out that information. Ask your friends what they trust.

The people who left their job because they experienced a conflict of values with their employers are a resource waiting to be tapped for the better America of tomorrow. Remember them.

Values matter and help us to steer our way along to better outcomes.