I face the year 2025 with trepidation. Not about my personal life and anticipated projects but about the world, inclusive of the USA, and the rights of and respect for the people who inhabit it. Instead of fretting about the erosion of rights and the rise of racism, sexism and fascism, I’ve decided to push back against all of that and actively create the world I want.

 

The world I want serves chocolate for breakfast!

 

 

 

Thanks for weighing in, 9. Somewhere along the way I lost our sweet tooth, so I’m focused on different issues. Like gender equality, and racial equality and a political environment in which all voices can be heard, not just the ones with money. I want women to have a full range of healthcare. I want people to pull back on plundering Earth’s resources for personal gain. I want everyone to be able to practice the religion of their choice, or no religion at all, without being persecuted and/or proselytized to by others.

 

Why is that last thing an issue? Isn’t the separation of church and state somewhere in the Constitution?

 

Right you are, Lily! But for some reason there’s a big wave of folks who believe we should have a national religion. This is in violation of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing a religion. The other clause is called the Free Exercise Clause, which protects peoples’ rights to practice whatever religion they please. From what I’ve read and observed, it seems some people think they are not being allowed to practice their religion of choice if they can’t require everyone else to adopt that religion, too.

 

Even a nine-year-old can see how weird that is.

 

Honestly, I think it’s scary. One way to foster the world I want is to question people who hold this belief. I will share with them my understanding that the right to practice your religion of choice does not include the right to force your religious beliefs and practices on others. What people chose for themselves, given their background, culture and personal relationship with the spiritual world, deserves respect. The USA is a democratic republic**, not a theocracy. At least, so far. . .

 

Given different news sources, not to mention fake news sources- –

 

Is that really a thing?

 

Unfortunately, Lily, it’s a very real thing. In the world I want, fake news would be called out. Anyone can do this by vetting their news sources and there are many websites available that do this. My favorite is Snopes: https://www.snopes.com/

 

What do they do?

 

They fact-check rumors and report on their findings. I personally believe their analysis is credible because they appear to objectively investigate rumors about, for example, politicians, regardless of party affiliation.

 

 

 

In the world I want, if someone runs across a crazy-sounding assertion about a politician or some other public figure they support and it makes their blood boil, or if they hear something equally crazy about someone they revile and it makes them cackle with glee, they would do a little fact checking with the aid of Snopes or whatever vetting website they choose. Some public schools use these types of tools to teach students about critical thinking, not just getting fired up about rumors and biases that reinforce their worldview.

 

In the world I want, everyone would treat all people with respect and dignity. Employers would pay fair wages for the work performed. Women would receive full healthcare coverage, the same as men. Race, ethnicity, nationality and the culture that goes with those things would be respected. All gender IDs and sexual orientations would be treated equally under the law.

 

 

 

That’s a lot of issues, too many to address all at once (not to mention climate change and the continued consumerist plundering of natural resources).

 

What will you do?

 

Call out prejudice, lawlessness and hate when I see it. Defend the right to vote, and mindfully use that right in every local, state and national election. Limit my carbon footprint. Say hello to strangers who are different than me instead of nervously looking away. Defend people who don’t have my level of privilege when they are being bullied or marginalized. Encourage those who are more privileged than me to speak out when I am being bullied or marginalized. Write to my US Senators when those in federal elected or appointed positions seem determined to violate the law and not pay the consequences. Listen to people who have different opinions than me, and learn why they hold those opinions. Support women’s reproductive rights through contributions. Write blogs. Wear my “Thou Shall Not Other” t-shirt.

 

 

 

Note the verbs: Call. Defend. Limit. Say. Defend. Encourage. Write. Listen. Learn. Write. Wear.

 

It’s said that what the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. But achieving the world I want, or for you to achieve the world you want, more than thought is required: it also takes action.

 

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**Some sources say it is a constitutional federal republic