From the present vantage point, shelter-in-place seems kind of mundane and easy, doesn’t it? Most people appear to be accustomed to it now. How much of that is because we now understand our much more significant problems? How quickly we adapt and reset our expectations. We must remember that.

I see a lot of calls to make our voices heard at the polls—to vote for the change we want to see. That’s a good start, but effective democracy doesn’t work like that in reality. Just think about the low voter turnout rates in elections. Just think about the way most people vote (making their decisions on the spot at the polls), how unaware most people are about public policy. Ever seen one of those old Jay Leno clips where he asks basic civics questions to random passerby’s? It’s not pretty.

We can also look at previous examples of how “real change” was accomplished, as it is being advocated for in current rhetoric.

The American Revolution. Did the formation of the United States come about through voting? No, it came about through the Boston Tea Party and the treasonous Declaration of Independence, and eventually the fight for freedom. It came about through resistance.

The Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. Did Black Americans vote to end slavery? Was it voting that ended the war on slavery, or was it people’s refusal to accept it?

Women’s Suffrage. Did women get to vote to grant themselves the right to vote? Or did they petition and protest the injustice until the right was extended to them?

The Civil Rights Movement. Was it diligent voting that resulted in better treatment for African Americans? Or was it the boycotts, the protests, the marches? Was it the powerful words of the likes of MLK who appealed to peoples’ souls.

The Vietnam War. Did the politicians in Washington pull out of Vietnam because they fortuitously got up from the other side of the bed one morning? No, they were convinced by their constituents. Protests and peace rallies, marches and widespread condemnation forced the US government to listen and end the war.

How about the increased acceptance of LGBTQ+ people and their rights? Was it a groundbreaking voter turnout that changed peoples’ perceptions? No, it was the sustained effort of millions of people. Now people see them.

And what about now—the protests against racism, the call for justice reform—is this receiving attention because it got put on a ballot and many people voted for it?

Voting is a basic civic responsibility. But “real change” happens when large numbers of citizens take real action. When they use their bodies and their voices, not their pencils.

Real change happens when people act.

I will address the violence aspect another time, but for now, I think it’s suffice to say there is a narrative being pushed that we are divided. We are not. Millions of Americans, the vast majority of our populace, Black and White, police officers and citizens, want justice reform in this country. The looters, the anarchists, the white supremacists, they cower in insignificance compared to the masses of people who have demonstrated civil resistance the past week.

We are an ailing nation right now. But we are doing the right thing. We are doing what will bring about the change we all so desperately seek. We are taking action.