Write for the Loop!
We've become accustomed to the idea that one must have credentials, or be authorized, by an external, superior power, before one can "legitimately" do many things. With writing, this is not the case.
Saturday, January 28th, 2023
Dear Readers of The Vashon Loop,
Throughout human history - including modern times - there has been a tug and pull between our innate sense that we are capable and the nearly endless, omnipresent messaging that says, we are not enough.
This is not new. Nor is the natural result - self-doubt and hesitancy - a problem for those who wish to rule. A weakened and compliant populace is a desirable outcome.
Across the vast landscape of antiquity, entire societies, city-states, nations and empires were ruled by a select few who presented themselves as “anointed by the gods.” If Pharaoh said, “Cows are fruit and dogs are birds,” who would argue? Much like Hans Christian Andersen’s book, The Emperor’s New Clothes, it’s disturbingly easy for people to shut their mouths and stay silent about what’s right in front of them.
Rather than deny this innate human trait, let us see it, explore it, understand it and, ultimately, overcome the compulsion to follow along. If a fully aware person chooses to give authority over their life, thoughts and actions to another, that’s fine. But, let it be a conscious choice.
Of course, modern societies are not free from this human foible. Atheists are still human, and the desire to seek out an authority figure above and beyond ourselves remains a force to be reckoned with. Secularism has replaced nature spirits, gods, and magical powers with experts, charismatic figures, and technology.
Alan Greenspan (born 1926) was a dominating force over U.S. Financial Policies and the Federal Reserve System, just as Anthony Fauci (born 1940) exercised unrivaled control over U.S. and Global Healthcare Policies and Institutions that fell under his purview. Both were born in New York, both enjoyed the support of multiple American Presidents, both ruled supreme over their field of interest, and both have been revered to the point where only loyalty or apostasy exist, with nothing in between.
Begging the question: “Are we doing any better, today, than the people of Egypt’s Middle Kingdom?” And if not, how can we?
This is where YOU come in.
There is a saying amongst authors: “Write the novel you’d like to read.”
The same can be said for news stories, opinion pieces, family recipes, gardening advice, and so on. Figure out what you’d like to read in The Vashon Loop, and then write it! Illustrate a sardonic cartoon. Compose a poem. Share a favorite gardening trick. Come up with fifteen clues/words for next month’s crossword puzzle! And so on. You have value to share, to write, to express. Consider doing so with us.
Please visit The Vashon Loop’s website page: Write for The Loop!
Make sure to review our Vashon Loop Editorial Guidelines.
Disclaimer. Articles submitted to the Loop in no way express the opinions of the publisher, editor, staff, or advertisers. Likewise, we reserve the right to edit or decline to print submissions.
