Jane Goodall Was A Queen. No Kings Please
When my daughter told me about Jane Goodall’s passing, I cried. I said, “She is who I want to be when I grow up.” She inspired and led, contributing profoundly to our understanding of the world. Jane Goodall was royalty – metaphorically.
However, no queens or kings are allowed to rule this country literally. If you paid attention in history class, you know this. America was founded on the premise of William Waterway
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0NO KINGS.
(If this is unclear, and you prefer your history lessons with music and humor, there is a bit about this in Hamilton, which is now streaming. Jonathon Groff is hilarious as a devilish King George III.)
No Kings
No Kings should be a unifying premise, regardless of how far we fall on either end of the political spectrum. One person and their loyalists should not be allowed trample the laws of our republic and erode the power of our democracy. That has happened and is happening more dramatically every day. No Kings is a simple concept patriotic Americans should be able to get behind.
The Power of Ceremony
For good or evil, there is great power in deliberate ritual and ceremony. Some organizations and people understand this and use it. The current administration does. We all can use it too.
Saturday, October 18th, is a ceremony to support the foundational premise of No Kings.
America has No Kings.
All over the country, people will gather in big and small groups, to make a statement in support of our democracy and against authoritarianism. You don’t have to yell or make a fuss. You don’t have to carry a sign or be angry. You can make a difference simply with your presence. Find a No Kings event near you.
Let’s Take Jane Goodall’s Advice
Jane Goodall left clear guidance for us to be shared only after she died. In some of her final words, she urged us to remember that collective action matters:
“I want you to understand that we are part of the natural world. And even today, when the planet is dark, there still is hope. Don’t lose hope. If you lose hope, you become apathetic and do nothing. And if you want to save what is still beautiful in this world – if you want to save the planet for the future generations, your grandchildren, their grandchildren – then think about the actions you take each day. Because, multiplied a million, a billion times, even small actions will make for great change.” Jane Goodall
She also had blunt thoughts about some current leaders. You can watch these in full on the Famous Last Words interview on Netflix if you subscribe, or on YouTube, where others have posted clips online.
I wish you and everyone in our beautiful country, and on this exquisite planet, safety and health.
Mara
I do custom ceremonies and will share about this soon. Visit the Sessions page for details.
