The other night Ryan was feeling a bit down (we all are, here) and reached out to go for an evening bike ride up to the star on the mountain, lit up now to honor the 10 innocent good humans murdered this week in our Boulder.

I had just settled down to chill, after a long day, a long week.

So of course I said yes—I needed to get out, too, to honor the murdered, not to merely stew in my own frustration.

Frustration that we don’t change, as a society, because the GOP (pick an issue, any issue) doesn’t like voting rights for black and brown people or poor people, doesn’t care about climate change, doesn’t care about murder sprees when there are clear facts and solutions on the table, doesn’t care about our Constitution (cough cough Merrick Garland vs. Amy Coney Barrett).

Doesn’t care.

So we rode up. We looked out on the starry sky, and the twinkling community below, and we talked life and love and death and frustration.

Today, every day, I see such meaningful conversations occur in person—but rarely on twitter, or instagram, or Facebook, bc those are run by Big Tech (which prioritizes quarterly profits, and therefore an algorithm that prioritizes invective and cancel culture over deep, changing conversations). Of course, there are many exceptions–instagram and twitter and Facebook have at times helped me in my anti-racism education, in my vegan empathy. But those exceptions are due to the strength of mind and heart and character of those offering wake up calls, not the algorithms. And so I would ask simply that you leaders–and you are all leaders–invest in what little is left of independent media before it’s too late. I see Yoga Girl, Seane Corn, and many other truly dear friends essentially boycott Elephant, while feeding Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…every single day, many times a day.

Elephant is not here magically. As we have seen with mom n’pops vs. Amazon, this year, independent business is here only if we decide to actively participate in it.

You in? Inspired? Share through: elephantjournal.com/post if you would like to share instantly or work with an editor, or, if you have a meaningful community you are willing to share to and would like to work with an editor,

…or, if you have a meaningful community you are willing to share to and would like to work with an editor, elephantjournal.com/feature. Where we have our conversations matters to how we have our conversations.

PS: I use social media. So does Elephant. So should you. But we should use it, not merely be used by it. Invest in the wolf (or, Elephant) you wish to see create change in our society.