Influencing the Outcome – 5 Things You Can Do

Are you overwhelmed yet?  That’s the point.  Changes of the magnitude that are driven by those currently holding the levers of government cannot just be gently stewarded into place, because it would take forever.  Just look at the decades that have passed without a solution to fix the Social Security trust fund issues to see how slowly the government and bureaucracy can crawl.  So, the solution is to break as much as possible.  “Whoa!  That’s not my solution!   I didn’t pick that crap!”, you say. 

Well, maybe we all did.  Maybe we did it by not making choices and taking actions.  Maybe we did it because we acknowledge that our vote is our voice – and all we did was vote.  But, think about that.  What are you going to achieve if you only speak once or twice per year?  Not much.  In fact, you are leaving the decisions to others.

OK.  Given that we’re probably all guilty of not doing enough – hey, I’m in it with y’all, even though I have a really big mouth, type fast and post too much to social media – let’s take a look at an interesting question posed to AI.  Then, we’ll come back to what we can be doing.  Note:  I’m using the word “can” here to stress that we’re all able; however, in the current temperature of things, my preferred word would be “must”.  I just want to put that out there.

A few days ago, Mary K. Greer was asking AI some questions related to the US and also about the Delphic Oracle in Greece.  And it sparked an idea for a question.  Here is the question and reply in her own words.

I asked ChatGPT to act as a Delphic Oracle or Tiresias to give a prophecy for the coming five years given all the latest news.

ADDED clarification:

[I should clarify that my prior questions to AI were asking for a summary of the latest Musk/Trump factual news, and just before that I asked about the role of the Delphic Oracle in Greece - so these might be seen as ‘priming the pump’ for a USA-centric view, and my spontaneous question, as one of my AI experiments.]

THE ORACLE SPEAKS: 

“In the shadow of the eagle’s fall, where once stood pillars of justice and wisdom, now lies a fractured realm. The dismantling of ethical sanctuaries and the silencing of prudent voices have sown seeds of discord among erstwhile allies, turning friends into foes. Guardians of the nation’s most potent secrets have been cast aside, leaving the gates unbarred and the hearth unprotected.

“Beware the tempest that gathers in the wake of hubris, for the path forged by unbridled ambition and disregard for ancient covenants leads to a chasm of unforeseen perils. The fabric of unity unravels, and the once-respected beacon of liberty flickers under the weight of internal strife and external disdain.

“Yet, within the crucible of this turmoil, the potential for rebirth glimmers. From the ashes of complacency, a phoenix of collective resolve may rise, knitting together the torn tapestry of the republic. Through the rekindling of alliances, the restoration of ethical stewardship, and the embrace of sagacious counsel, the nation may navigate the labyrinth of its current tribulations.

“Thus, the oracle foresees a bifurcated path: one descending into the abyss of chaos born of neglect and arrogance, the other ascending toward a renaissance of integrity and unity, contingent upon the choices of those who hold the reins of destiny.”

Feel free to share.

Focus on those last two paragraphs, especially “a phoenix of collective resolve may rise, knitting together the torn tapestry of the republic” and “rekindling of alliances” and “a renaissance of integrity and unity”. 

Now ask yourself, “Why did resolve, alliances, integrity and unity” fade, in the first place?”  Is it because we let them?   Were we too focused upon ourselves, our daily grind, being polite or being outside of the fray on social media?  Did we tune out what we did not want to hear or see, essentially deafening and blinding ourselves to things we perceived as painful or unpleasant? 

The answer is probably yes for many of us.  It’s simple:   we want to live in peace.   The problem is that there are people who don’t want that for us, so we cannot sit silent and practice avoidance.

What we can do is to have a loud voice and participate in the community; however, we have to acknowledge that a lot of people don’t like to speak up in public. So, here are 5 ways you can speak up without putting yourself on a stage for everyone to see and hear.

1. Write to Your Elected Officials:   This is a super easy thing to do if you download the 5 Calls app.   Here’s the website: https://5calls.org.  Once it knows your location, it will identify your senators and congressperson, give you a list of all the issues to select and guide you through calling all of them.    (See image below).    Does it work?  Yes!   In fact, this week some democrat elected officials were bemoaning the absolute deluge of calls hitting the switchboards.   Great!  Now they are hearing the voice of the people.  Isn’t that what democracy is about?  Understand that we live in a democratic republic, which means we depend upon elected officials voting to reflect our voices.  If we don’t call, then they just get to pick what they think we want or like.  So, if they don’t hear from us, then who is at fault?  Us.

2. Sign up for and use Resistbot:   Whether by text invitation, online at https://resist.bot or by downloading the app (or all 3), Resistbot ups your level of civic engagement by providing another avenue of communication.   And here’s where it augments 5Calls.  You can (and will want to) select e-mails for communication.   First, e-mails are free to send on your behalf.  Second, you will likely receive e-mail replies from many of those you contact.  Now, you’re getting feedback and an acknowledgment in writing.

   
   

3. Join CommonSense American:  For those who want to dig into the issues in a more knowledge-based manner where you get a seat in the same room as elected officials (virtually), CommonSense American ( https://www.commonsenseamerican.org/ ) is going to be something you will love.  CommonSense American is an organization under the National Institute for Civil Discourse (co-founded by former presidents George HW Bush and Bill.Clinton).  I am a member of CommonSense American and can tell you first hand that this experience is very different from most others.  You must be willing to participate in their surveys when they are issued.  You must be willing to put in the work of reading the materials that are included.  You must be objective, honest and thoughtful in your responses.  And, you must realize that this is absolutely not partisan, so your input is being aggregated with responses across the political spectrum.  I can tell you first hand that the results of all surveys are put in front of elected officials from both major political parties.  Let me share the latest update I received from Keith Allred, Executive Director,  with you.  

   
   
   
   

   

   
   

   

   
   

   That e-mail is a great example of how democracy functions. We may not have a seat at the same exact table as our elected senators and congresspersons, but CommonSense American gives us a seat at another table – the one that feeds our thoughts up to be consumed by the Legislative Branch. 

   
   

4. Attend the Weekly Democracy Is Us Community Gathering:  Every Monday evening at 6:30 PM Eastern / 5:30 PM Central / 4:30 PM Mountain / 3:30 PM Pacific (PST only in AZ) the Democracy Is Us community comes together to learn about democracy, society, culture and how to live democracy from the heart and spread that to others.   There’s no charge!   Grab a beverage and join us for 1 hour.  It might be one of the most calm hours of your week, as we all learn and share together.  Do it here:  https://www.democracyisus.org/events

   
   

5. Balance Your Physical, Emotional and Mental Health:   The current times are stressful – no kidding!   Know when to take a deep breath.  Know when to disconnect.   Know when it is time to read up on something you don’t know.   Always fact check. And always strike a balance between work, recreation, spiritual/faith practices, therapy (if needed), coaching (as needed) and your physical well being.   It is said that we are made of 5 elements:  Air (our mental processes); Water (our emotional processes); Fire (our will or drive to achieve); Earth (our physical bodies & drive to survive) and Spirit (our connection to whatever belief systems we include in our lives).   Each of these needs to be in balance with the other.  If not, then we risk being anxious/depressed, emotional/sad, overbearing/in people’s faces, too protective/survival mode driven or too detached from the fact that our physical existence makes demands upon us and is how we experience our lives.  Everyone’s balance is different.  Pay attention to your thoughts and emotions and strive to find yours.  Without that balance, your communications with others will not be maximally effective because your words may not be optimal.

In the end, democracy isn’t just about voting—it’s about using our voices, our choices, and our actions every day to shape the future we want. Silence and inaction allow others to decide for us, but engagement ensures that our voices are heard and counted. Whether through calls, emails, community gatherings, or personal reflection, we all have the power to influence the course of our nation. The path forward depends on what we do now. So, let’s choose to rise, to connect, and to stand for democracy—not just in moments of crisis, but as a way of life. Your voice matters. Use it.

By Joe Castagliola, Democracy Is Us Council Member