We invent meaning, including all the meanings that keep us stuck in our current dysfunctional politics.

In my article What IS Possible?, I said:

Too often, we confuse the facts and what they mean.

Let me illustrate.

Many Americans say they don’t care about politics. That’s a fact. Then we make up, we invent, that this means they won’t participate in a PeopleCount.  What if they don’t care because it’s painful to care?  What if they don’t care because the system is broken and too frustrating? What if they don’t care because the media seems to ignore their burning issues, or because despite attention, nothing seems to change?

Most Americans think a big problem with politics is the huge amount of money that is poured into it, and that almost always, the campaign with the most money wins. These are facts. Then we invent, we make up, that this means we need to overturn the Supreme Court decisions that money is speech and corporations should have the same rights as people. And we invent that we need to enact tougher campaign financing laws, or give each citizen a voucher to spend on the campaign of his/her choice.

Yes, these might help. But thinking these solutions to how money is supplied to campaigns blinds us to the possibility of a solution on the demand side.  PeopleCount‘s proposal is to  make effective campaigns inexpensive- and not as the only  solution, but as an easy first step.

Another fact is that there are lots of web sites that have tried to improve politics, and none have made a qualitative difference in the main problem areas. Many of them involved answering multiple choice questions. Many investors then invent that a difference isn’t possible. They also invent that they must not invest until a solution proves itself.

In my post, A Life-Changing Experience, I told of how when I was three years old, for a moment my mom was busy with a new baby, and I invented that I wasn’t wanted. It wasn’t true. But it was the same kind of invented nonsense as all the rest.

In 2011, I discovered I was resigned about politics and realized it was due to more invented nonsense. Society mostly agreed with me that politics is a hopeless mess, so it seems more like a reasonable adult reaction than a childish mistake. My point is just that both conclusions, that I wasn’t wanted and that I should be resigned about politics, are simply logical mistakes.

PeopleCount has not taken off. Worse, I have a tiny team, and no full-time partner beside me, much less any traction. My brain invents daily that it has failed and I should quit. It’s all made-up nonsense. I have two part-time partners, a few people helping here and there, and many more rooting for me.  Almost certainly I’m simply using them poorly, not making effective requests.

I suggest you do what I do, and do what I say. Accept the meanings as invented, not true. And as many others have said, be the change you want to see in the world. Ignore the reasonable thoughts that tell you real change is only possible by fighting. Join me by supporting PeopleCount, or don’t. Either way, create the future you want for yourself and the coming generations.