Tom, I’m really glad it reached you when you needed it...and I want to reflect the steadiness in what you’re saying while gently keeping the frame grounded.
What matters most there...isn’t the image of a dam breaking; it’s the commitment to keep showing up. Real change...almost never comes from one dramatic rupture. It comes from sustained presence...pressure applied patiently...and people refusing to disappear or disengage when it would be easier to do so.
That kind of resolve...steady, lawful...and clear-eyed...is far more powerful than anger. It’s also what actually holds things together long enough for accountability and correction to take place.
So yes: keep showing up. Keep your footing. That’s not giving up...that’s how things actually move!
Jack, I don't know how you do it, but I was literally feeling such despair today after reading so many pundits and journalists -all of whom I admire - all but saying we're past the point of no return. I can never thank you enough for sharing your strength, courage, intelligence, and grit with the rest of us to make us stronger, braver, wiser, and more resilient. You are the BEST!
Alison, thank you for trusting me with that...and I want to respond in a way that strengthens you...not replaces your own footing.
What you felt today makes sense. When thoughtful people you respect...start converging on “point of no return” language...it can feel suffocating...like the air is slowly being taken out of the room. That kind of despair isn’t weakness...it’s what happens when seriousness ...meets overload.
What I try to offer isn’t optimism or bravado. It’s orientation. A reminder that history is rarely as linear...or final...as pundit consensus makes it feel in the moment.
The people who declare inevitability....are often responding to EXHAUSTION...not evidence.
And I want to be very clear about something you said...I’m not giving you strength...courage...or resilience. I’m helping reflect...and organize what’s already there.
You don’t keep showing up...thinking carefully...and caring deeply because someone else is doing it for you....you do it because it’s who YOU are.
If this space helps you steady yourself when the noise gets loud...then it’s doing its job. But the resilience...is yours. The bravery...is yours. I’m just helping keep the signal clear enough...that you can hear yourself think.
I’m really glad you’re here, Allison...and I’m grateful you said this.
Barry, I appreciate you telling me this. It's comments like this one...that I keep in my head...and that fuels me to keep doing what I do. So...thank YOU, Barry.
Jack, as several people have described the calmness and uplifting ways you bring us good, helpful news just at the perfect, most needed times, so am I finding your message that way tonight. I have seen numerous emergencies tonight and still am waiting after hours on end of having brought a friend for medical help.
The hour finally is quieting,but adding to it at this time when the over-crowded situation has been reduced, and there has come a time for much contemplation over several emergencies, your uplifting analysis is the absolutely perfect gift! Thank you.
Thanks for the breath of fresh fortitude, Jack! After the idiocy of the start of the day and the stock market tanking and Davos disaster....one begins to lose synapses because they are burnt out. Thanks for a fresh glimpse of perseverance and #HoldFast!
Jo, I’m glad it helped when everything felt like it was piling on.
Days like that burn people out...not because they’re uninformed...but because the noise never lets up. A little fortitude and perspective....go a LONG way in moments like this... just enough to keep your footing and keep going.
That steadiness matters more than reacting to every swing.
You're welcome, Pamela. What a day indeed. Keep your eyes open for more articles like this one. We're going to give our attitudes and mindset the RE-boot that is much needed.
Thank you Jack for a very timely message that we all needed to hear! I attended a small protest in honor of Renee Cole Good last week. Compared to the No Kings rallys and the Visibility Brigades that I have also been to the the crowds keep getting bigger! More people honk as they drive by and the MAGA groupies are dwindling in number. Keep the encouragement coming! #HoldFast!!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I vacillate between “fight” and flight, and “fight” is winning! I had a long conversation with a dear friend about this today…both of us have ancestors who’ve fought in every war in our country’s history since the Revolution, and today he told me that he believes we are a people who have never been subjugated and are not going to buckle under now…Trump thinks we will capitulate like the Russian people have done under Putin, but that country’s population has a long history of being dominated and ruled over the Czars and then the Soviets, the short taste of freedom wasn’t enough to cause them to resist what happened once Putin took over. You have given me hope…much needed hope!
Thanks Jack for the clear minded way of putting things into perspective.We have to remember it is just putting one foot in front of the other and not letting them break us. We have always been a strong country and the majority of the people want to keep America a democracy. Drumpf's appearance everywhere he was today was like watching someone disintegrate in slow motion. From Davos to the White House hemmed less sense than he ever has. I am surprised his handlers allowed him to have that much freedom. He will do more damage but will not completely destroy America. It will take time to regain respect from the rest of the world. I believe they know we are not in the same circle of thought that drumpf is. We must keep plugging along an be like the "little Engine that could"
Jack, thank you so much for this encouraging analysis! It is most welcome as I sit here tonight, away from home, awaiting news of a friend, and as I am sitting, it definitely is with that RESOLVE!
Jack, I really needed this uplift today. We will never give up. We will keep showing up every day until the fucking dam breaks. Count on it.
Tom, I’m really glad it reached you when you needed it...and I want to reflect the steadiness in what you’re saying while gently keeping the frame grounded.
What matters most there...isn’t the image of a dam breaking; it’s the commitment to keep showing up. Real change...almost never comes from one dramatic rupture. It comes from sustained presence...pressure applied patiently...and people refusing to disappear or disengage when it would be easier to do so.
That kind of resolve...steady, lawful...and clear-eyed...is far more powerful than anger. It’s also what actually holds things together long enough for accountability and correction to take place.
So yes: keep showing up. Keep your footing. That’s not giving up...that’s how things actually move!
-Jack
Jack, I don't know how you do it, but I was literally feeling such despair today after reading so many pundits and journalists -all of whom I admire - all but saying we're past the point of no return. I can never thank you enough for sharing your strength, courage, intelligence, and grit with the rest of us to make us stronger, braver, wiser, and more resilient. You are the BEST!
Alison, thank you for trusting me with that...and I want to respond in a way that strengthens you...not replaces your own footing.
What you felt today makes sense. When thoughtful people you respect...start converging on “point of no return” language...it can feel suffocating...like the air is slowly being taken out of the room. That kind of despair isn’t weakness...it’s what happens when seriousness ...meets overload.
What I try to offer isn’t optimism or bravado. It’s orientation. A reminder that history is rarely as linear...or final...as pundit consensus makes it feel in the moment.
The people who declare inevitability....are often responding to EXHAUSTION...not evidence.
And I want to be very clear about something you said...I’m not giving you strength...courage...or resilience. I’m helping reflect...and organize what’s already there.
You don’t keep showing up...thinking carefully...and caring deeply because someone else is doing it for you....you do it because it’s who YOU are.
If this space helps you steady yourself when the noise gets loud...then it’s doing its job. But the resilience...is yours. The bravery...is yours. I’m just helping keep the signal clear enough...that you can hear yourself think.
I’m really glad you’re here, Allison...and I’m grateful you said this.
-Jack
I listen to Martin Luther King’s speeches on his birthday. It’s amazing how calm I become after a couple of hours of listening.
We need to keep showing up and telling the truth.
Kevin, you're damn right. And that's exactly what we'll do!
-Jack
As always, you leave me feeling better than when I walked in. Thank you, Jack.
Barry, I appreciate you telling me this. It's comments like this one...that I keep in my head...and that fuels me to keep doing what I do. So...thank YOU, Barry.
-Jack
Jack, as several people have described the calmness and uplifting ways you bring us good, helpful news just at the perfect, most needed times, so am I finding your message that way tonight. I have seen numerous emergencies tonight and still am waiting after hours on end of having brought a friend for medical help.
The hour finally is quieting,but adding to it at this time when the over-crowded situation has been reduced, and there has come a time for much contemplation over several emergencies, your uplifting analysis is the absolutely perfect gift! Thank you.
#Holdfast
Thanks for the breath of fresh fortitude, Jack! After the idiocy of the start of the day and the stock market tanking and Davos disaster....one begins to lose synapses because they are burnt out. Thanks for a fresh glimpse of perseverance and #HoldFast!
Jo, I’m glad it helped when everything felt like it was piling on.
Days like that burn people out...not because they’re uninformed...but because the noise never lets up. A little fortitude and perspective....go a LONG way in moments like this... just enough to keep your footing and keep going.
That steadiness matters more than reacting to every swing.
#HoldFast
-Jack
Calm. Sustained pressure. We are not lost. We get it. I love it—we are living through a stress test, not a funeral. Resolve. Hold the line. #HoldFast
This hit the spot in the best way! Didn’t know how much I needed it. Thank you, Jack.
I LOVE to hear this, Deb! Expect more. I'm going to increase the number of similar articles; we need reasons to be STRONG.
-Jack
Hooray!
Thank you! Jack
Whew! Needed that.
🗽🇺🇲🇺🇦
Happy to hear it, NK. Glad it came along at the right time.
-Jack
Thank you Jack. I needed this after the batshit crazy of today.
Shannon, you're welcome. Batshit crazy is right. More articles like this on the way!
-Jack
Thank you, Jack. Whew, what a day. It is hard not to be exhausted
You're welcome, Pamela. What a day indeed. Keep your eyes open for more articles like this one. We're going to give our attitudes and mindset the RE-boot that is much needed.
-Jack
Thank you Jack for a very timely message that we all needed to hear! I attended a small protest in honor of Renee Cole Good last week. Compared to the No Kings rallys and the Visibility Brigades that I have also been to the the crowds keep getting bigger! More people honk as they drive by and the MAGA groupies are dwindling in number. Keep the encouragement coming! #HoldFast!!!
THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!! I vacillate between “fight” and flight, and “fight” is winning! I had a long conversation with a dear friend about this today…both of us have ancestors who’ve fought in every war in our country’s history since the Revolution, and today he told me that he believes we are a people who have never been subjugated and are not going to buckle under now…Trump thinks we will capitulate like the Russian people have done under Putin, but that country’s population has a long history of being dominated and ruled over the Czars and then the Soviets, the short taste of freedom wasn’t enough to cause them to resist what happened once Putin took over. You have given me hope…much needed hope!
Thanks Jack for the clear minded way of putting things into perspective.We have to remember it is just putting one foot in front of the other and not letting them break us. We have always been a strong country and the majority of the people want to keep America a democracy. Drumpf's appearance everywhere he was today was like watching someone disintegrate in slow motion. From Davos to the White House hemmed less sense than he ever has. I am surprised his handlers allowed him to have that much freedom. He will do more damage but will not completely destroy America. It will take time to regain respect from the rest of the world. I believe they know we are not in the same circle of thought that drumpf is. We must keep plugging along an be like the "little Engine that could"
#HOLDFAST
Teri
Search on: Mass formations, and on Wetiko (collective psychosis). Combined, they offer a great deal of perspective. #holdfast
I’m so pleased to find myself nestled comfortably among all the lovely members of this community.
Feel like friends.
Feels like home.
#HoldFast, my dears.
We’ve a republic to defend and nurture.
Jack, thank you so much for this encouraging analysis! It is most welcome as I sit here tonight, away from home, awaiting news of a friend, and as I am sitting, it definitely is with that RESOLVE!
#Holdfast