These truths to be self-evident.

In case we don't save ourselves now..

I know I'm just 1 person who does cartoon voices, lol..

but I really tried.

I tried as best I could
with my words, clarity..

my heart, my humor, my stark, sometimes relentless pursuit candor
to inspire,
to take stock,
to see what's happening,
to not lose perspective

To act.

I hope we still do.
Act.
But if we don't.
Just know that I wanted everyone to be ok.
All of us.
To live & let live.
To be good to one another.
To stand up for each other.
To better understand one another
And keep learning how to teach the next generation to do the same.

And to recognize when some
wish to end that,
to turn us against each other
to make us lose sight of their even doing it
that they may more effectively hurt & take these things from each and all of us.

It's how I care about all of us--
this side, that side..

from the person who feels alone in the world..

to the ones who just want to protect themselves & their family
whatever their family looks like..

to inspire us to protect ourselves from each other in our worst moments, ones we all have
and what we can be led into doing to each other, to ourselves... when made to be afraid of what happens if we don't, by those who don't care about us enough, to try to help and inspire all of us, within our deepest moments of our understandably human fear and anger... to not be led against each other.. but led to each other, by those whose hearts are in, and committed to helping us, as best as possible, to try to navigate that fear and anger, to feel better heard, and to better hear each other... so that we may get back to living with, learning from, and building up with each other.

I hope we don't simply go limp & watch all of this being taken away from us
including our humanity
without tapping into this humanity the way I sense we all still can,
to choose to protect these things within & amongst ourselves
because we cherish them,
within & amongst ourselves.

But if we don't,
and I'm wrong about what's inside
every one of us,
this side, that side,
if what we can all build together
truly holds... not enough appeal from enough of us,
to protect it and prevent it from being all torn down,
to continue to show the world and ourselves
that we're just getting started...
to say, "Just wait 'til you see how far we're going to go together and what we'll protect and we'll build and we'll, together, share the accomplishments of next.."

If that isn't the part of us that we're going to be able to... reach in... and have power us through
everything we're facing in ourselves and towards each other now..

then for what it's worth
I wish my efforts and my words were more inspiring and able to reach more of that humanity which I believe is still firmly within all of us... this side, that side,
than I was able to... through the faceless written words of some guy who does cartoon voices.

Because I really... really tried.
And I hope others do better
than I was able to.

Independence Day's around the corner.
I also hope it's a good one this year.