The world seems to be righting itself. Or maybe that is only my view.

I do heavily monitor my media content. I’m only following a few subjects and I  jump over the rest. I have no idea what is going on with Iran nor the election so if the world is about to blow up, please forgive my ignorance.

I only see good. Or at least the deconstruction of bad deals. Bad deals going down everywhere. 

THIS video was affirming. Knowing that a 16-year-old can understand science and shame those whose motives are greed-based was uplifting. This made me smile. 

And just when I announced my war with vaping companies, so did the government. I guess we do remember. The world does remember all the lives lost.  We have been here before with big tobacco. We won’t let people do this AGAIN. Look HERE. 

I do think there will be a day of reckoning here. Those involved will go to jail as they should. I have a friend serving time for far less. This friend did not commit MASS murder and walk away with billions. How is that legal? This friend did not create a product that kills and then plays ignorant. Fruit Punch vapes?! Come on.

But I do question why it takes a 16-year-old yelling at adults or even the government for the world to right itself. How doesn’t the community allow this to begin with? Why do we not call each other out? Why do we not “ice out” those who make BAD DEALS? 

We are all bystanders.

We have the power.

We can stop this.

The definition of being powerful requires someone less powerful. People define power. We define each other’s status, and yes, money can help people rise in the world, but if no one wants to be near them…that money will feel empty FAST. Money without the social “power” is meaningless. What good is a private jet if you have no one to visit? And what can you do with that money if no one will take it? That person wouldn’t be able to put that money to “work.” And if they feel that at the beginning before it spirals…we just saved that soul and all the other souls that would be hurt by his/her actions.

We need to hold each other accountable, but I recognize it is not that easy.

I remember. 

My freshman year of college there was a “rape.” I put rape in quotes because it was never determined by the school as rape, but honestly, knowing the bit I know, I have no idea what else you can call it. I believe that if this happened in 2019 opposed to 2003 it would have had labeled rape.

The men accused were my “friends.” They were ring leaders in our social group. They were part of the “cool” fraternity that we all hung out with. And quickly everyone denounced the girl. What an “idiot.” I even heard girls saying she “deserved it.” All of a sudden everyone was talking about any boy she had ever been seen with. All of a sudden she was a “slut.” 

In my friend group, I was the only one to take her side. When called by one of my guy friends involved early on, it was clear, that if I wasn’t with them, I was against them. All of a sudden I was “out.” No longer welcomed. 

I wish I could say that I found new friends. I wish I could say that my girlfriends walked out with me or stood up for me. That was anything but the case. And all of a sudden I was an outcast all in the name of a girl I didn’t know that well. And I felt homesick. I felt alone.

So I folded. 

I just crawled back.

It’s true.

Looking back now as an adult, I’m a bit proud that I was even a dissenter among all the sheep, but I also see an insecure girl just wanting to fit in. Even when fitting in with BAD DEALS. 

It’s hard to hold each other accountable, but bad deals are bigger than you, they will affect your kids and their kids.

I bet if I had just one more person on my side I may have a different ending. Maybe the guys would have be outed. Maybe…or possibly wishful thinking.

We shouldn’t need to wait for a 16-year-old from Sweden to show up or for congress to attempt to get anything done. We can stop it from even occurring if WE acted.