Like quicksand under our feet, we’ve been sinking into a dark, dank abyss. Many have drawn attention to this slow, yet steady slide, but their cries for help have mostly been ignored, even dismissed. How did we get here? The list is lengthy…

A lack of common courtesy and respect

The fracturing of our two-party system

Inability to disconnect from devices

Shrinking of the middle class

Improper care of the elderly

Dismissal of climate change

Living beyond our means

Ageism in the workplace

Unaffordable healthcare

Lack of a living wage

Overcrowded prisons

Unhealthy lifestyles

Mental health crisis

Displaced veterans

Frivolous lawsuits

Human trafficking

Animal extinction

Harried lifestyles

Opioid epidemic

Corporate greed

Unemployment

Mass shootings

Discrimination

Homelessness

Pay inequality

Working poor

Animal abuse

Hate crimes

Materialism

Hurricanes

Tornadoes

Wildfires

Addiction

Pollution

Bullying

Drought

Poverty

Racism

Fraud

Virus

I’ve often pondered the questions, “What can I do? What can one person do?” The answer, I believe, lies within the lyrics, co-written in 1955 by the husband-wife team of Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller. (Thanks, Brian, for the reminder.)

“Let there be peace on Earth and let it begin with me.”

We are at a critical juncture in time. Do we continue our downward spiral or do we grasp the lifeline and begin our ascent? I say we take this unprecedented opportunity to save ourselves, our planet, our creatures, our humanity.

We have the power to turn this around, and the time is now. Will you do your part?