Ronald Reagan, Sustainability, and Happiness

Dear Ronald Reagan,

Yeah, what a great job you did. You created a great model for the Republican Party: Cut taxes, cut social programs, beef up the military, and make people feel good about themselves. Once the economy is revved from the tax breaks and deregulation you brag about it and get yourself and other Republicans reelected.

Except that the federal deficit is soaring each month and you're driving your country deeper into debt. And removing regulations harms the environment and the working class. But the deficit is an abstract that most Americans don't understand or care about. What everyone cares about is that they are enjoying prosperity NOW. Thanks, Reagan, for harming our country and setting a bad precedent for future Republican presidents.

I'm not sure why so many highways and airports are named after you, but I guess it's because you made people feel good. And now, 30 years later, I'm still waiting for that trickle-down wealth you talked about to trickle down to me. What really happened is that the 1 percenters kept it to buy more second homes and yachts, while the working class struggles to pay their bills.

Introspection

My epiphany for the week is that facts don't matter (even though they really do). You can bury people in facts but they will still believe what they want to believe because it's comfortable for them.

I'm amazed by the people who believe the Earth is flat. They will go to great lengths to justify their belief and nothing can change their mind. Are they just trying to attract attention? Do they really believe the absurdity?

Religion is no different. There is a website that lists the 1,000 gods invented by men, yet Western Civilization decided to choose some god invented by Middle Eastern goat herders 3,200 years ago. A massive amount of money, time, and resources are wasted on this god at a time when we all could be working on environmental sustainability. Instead of elaborate Christmas Eve musicals, that time and energy could be better spent planting trees.

Roadmap

I'd love to find a web site that teaches us all how to live a better life. Just because you inject "the Lord told me" into every other sentence doesn't impress me at all. What impresses me are the people who recycle, plant urban gardens, and take reusable bags to the grocery store.

Trying to live a sustainable life is difficult for most of us because the economy has been engineered for most of us to exist at the subsistence level. We are just struggling to pay our bills and many of us don't have much time to do volunteer work.

But here's the path I try to follow:

• Recycle, use reusable shopping bags.
• Live a simple lifestyle.
• Minimize driving and meat intake.
• Repair things instead of buying more junk. 

For the people who feel the need to drive luxury cars and horde wealth, screw you all. I have no respect for you. Except if you need the luxury car for your job, like to impress your real estate clients, okay, I grant an exception.

In addition to having good personal habits, I try to help in two other ways:

• Volunteer for good causes that help other people, animals, or the Earth. For instance, I do volunteer work for the Sierra Club, foster dogs, and financially support my three favorite organizations — Sierra Club, Population Connection, and Planned Parenthood. I feel these three organizations do the most good with my limited dollars.
• Engage in advocacy. This is best done by emailing and calling politicians and government agencies on the local, state, and national levels. I subscribe to email lists that let me know when important legislation is coming up and who to contact.

The other thing I try to do is be a good person and a peacemaker. If I am perceived as "meek" or "weak" for doing this, then so be it. I'm not going to change who I am.

Visionaries

My two favorite books are "Ishmael" and "The Story of B," both written by the late Daniel Quinn. One of my favorite quotes from "The Story of B" is: 

"If the world is to be saved, it will be saved by people with changed minds, people with a new vision."

When I see middle aged white men attacking Greta Thunberg and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez I know these two visionaries are on the right path. I guarantee you that anything a bunch of old, overweight white men resist has to be good. And if I see anyone attacking these women on social media, I unfollow them immediately. Why? Because big white dudes shouldn't be attacking young women, especially when they are trying to save our earth. So, dudes, go back to your Fox News shows and potato chips, and leave the good people alone. I know you think everything is "just right" in our world, but it is not.

Happiness

Before there were Hebrews there was the city-state of Canaan, and, honestly, I'm telling you, they are the ones who invented your god. So when you sing hymns to Yahweh from your tattered green hymnal book, remember that he doesn't really care because he doesn't exist. You are singing to the legacy of goat herders who spent a lot of time gazing at stars and needed something to worship.

To those of you who worship money, I tell you that it won't buy happiness. Rich people are just as jacked up on antidepressants and drugs as the rest of us. The wealthy folks can just afford the better drugs without having to steal, although they typically steal in different ways.

But, getting to the point, happiness for me comes from doing the right thing and being with the right people. I am told that happiness must come from within, which is partly true. But when I look my grateful foster dog in the eye or when I'm with a woman who completes me and energizes me, then I am truly happy. Happiness really is a warm puppy. And happiness is being at peace with yourself, and being fulfilled and content. Happiness is a form of completion.

Conclusion

Okay, Ronald Reagan, I actually did like you and enjoyed your thoughtful speeches. Even on your worst day you were a trillion times better than the current buffoon we have in office. You had an impressive record of activism and public service before you became U.S. president. You were extremely qualified for the position and even though you financially torpedoed the country you claimed to have loved, and even though you took credit for ending the Cold War (and thus stealing the credit from Mikhail Gorbachev) I still think you were a great leader. You just simply led us in the wrong direction.

  Photo: Nghia Le