democracy | The Direction of Intention

The Same But Different [David’s blog on DR Thursday]

Posted on October 29, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

Walking toward the channel we passed two women engaged in an intense conversation. “It’s this unexplained exhaustion!” one said to the other. Kerri leaned in and whispered to me, “There’s nothing unexplained about it, living each day in this political nightmare. We’re all exhausted!” Amen.

We’re counting down the days to the election though we’re not naive enough to believe a blue wave will end the crazy times. Initially, if what we read is true, it will open the floodgates to the mayhem. Authoritarians do not go down easily since accountability for their corruption will come with the loss of power. We’re fastening our seat belts.

It had been months since we walked the southern segment of the trail. It’s been flooded much of the summer. Or too hot. And, with all the water, we feared the legions of mosquitos would carry us away. After several cool nights and a series of clear fall days, the trail called to us, “Give it a try!” Dogga was having a good day so during his afternoon nap we took the window of opportunity, strapped on our sandals, and drove to the trailhead.

It felt like years since we’d walked this path. It was like strolling the halls of elementary school after graduating college. Known but weirdly altered. The path was the same – but somehow different.

We reminisced. “Do your remember! This is where we saw the bobcat.” And, “Remember when this was underwater and we walked through it anyway.” After several memories I realized what we were doing: touching back to stable times. We were revisiting the time before the devastation of our democracy, before the ICE terror, before the kakistocracy destabilized our nation and the world.

We’ve always walked these paths when we needed to sort through difficult questions or to reclaim our center when we felt off balance. This time was different. With the reminiscence came some angst. And some grief. And some anger. This walk was not about regaining our calm or finding a simple solution, it was about taking a breath before stepping back into the turmoil.

We surprised a grey heron. It was enormous and flew just far enough away to feel safe. A turtle sat on a branch above the water sunning itself. It plopped into the the pond when we walked by. We stopped in a well-known stretch of trail lined by tall reeds. It always inspires a photo or two. The autumn sun was intense, “We should have worn our hats!”

We were silent as we returned to the trailhead and the car.

There is a before and there is an after. The trail we sought lives in the before. The trail we walked this day was solidly in the after, the same but different. And, we realized, it’s not the trail that has changed – it is us. We are more wary now. Less trusting. Disconnected from some family members. Shocked at the ugly underbelly of the nation. Knowing that there is no way to repair what is broken but certain that, if the democracy survives, there could be a new and better chapter though it will take decades to achieve.

We’d caught our breath. We’d glimpsed a distant hope. We felt the exhaustion in our bones. We began a new relationship with our old friend, the trail-going-south, the same but now remarkably different.

read Kerri’s blogpost about THE REEDS

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Filed under: DR Thursday, Edges, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistry, balance, center, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, kakistocracy, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, out of balance, relationship, story, studio melange, the melange | Leave a comment »

Make A Statement [David’s blog on Merely A Thought Monday]

Posted on October 26, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

A week and a day until election day. It is an election that will either save our democracy or end it. The stakes could not be higher.

I have been encouraged by the line of early voters at City Hall. A local told me that he’d never seen lines like this before.

I have been discouraged by the pundits who expect that the political races across this land will be close. I wonder how that is possible given the depravity and disappearing act of the republican congress. The economy is in shambles. Our allies are abandoning us. Our food chain is soiled. We are embroiled in another endless war. The corruption is in plain sight. The republican candidates are as vile as their leader. How is it possible that any of these races will be close?

The common wisdom is that the democrats must win by a mile since we know that the wannabe-autocrat will contest the results. He has done almost everything in his power to undermine our free and fair elections. He has done almost everything in his power to undermine his own party. He knows that a democratic congress means accountability-for-his-corruption-is-coming. The Epstein Files will come out. Putin will no longer have full control of his puppet strings.

And so the people must come out to vote en masse because it cannot be close. We’ve slipped this far. This election cannot merely be won. It must be a statement.

Let’s make a statement. I will vote. I will protect our right to vote. Will you? The stakes could not be higher.

read Kerri’s blogpost about VOTE

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Filed under: Merely A Thought Monday, Perspective, Possibility, Uncategorized | Tagged: accountability, artistry, corruption, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, election, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, story, studio melange, the melange, vote | Leave a comment »

A Well Known Truth [David’s blog on KS Friday]

Posted on October 23, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

I’ve been thinking a lot about truth lately. What is true and what is not – and in this age of technology how do we know? A photograph is no longer proof that something happened. Neither is a film or a voice recording. All can be manufactured and manipulated. The legacy news outlets are partisan at best: narratives are manipulated for ratings or some other less palatable agenda…but only loosely related to truth.

How do we know what is factual when there is a concerted effort – from every direction – to spin the truth?

If truth is a coherence that emerges when facts are lined up and stitched together, then the best way to undermine the truth is to deny the facts. In this age of rampant gaslighting and cries of “fake news”, indisputable facts are daily obscured by clouds of deceit and tsunamis of nonsense.

How do we, as a nation, as a community, expect to debate best paths forward when we are incapable – or unwilling – to acknowledge facts? At the No Kings rally I had a conversation with a man who perfectly captured the challenge we face. Playing devil’s advocate, he said: “Who needs facts! If I believe it is true then it is true.”

These are facts:

~ Election fraud in our system is statistically zero.

~ In 2020 a mob incited by the current president attacked the Capitol.

~ He lost the 2020 election. He is a felon. He’s been found libel for sexual assault.

~ He’s a pathological liar.

~He wants us to believe that voter fraud is rampant in our elections.

Based on a plethora of facts, when stitched together, it is impossible to escape this truth: he is waging a war on our Constitution in order to install an authoritarian state. To do it he needs us to divorce ourselves from the facts. He needs us to be afraid.

Water freezes at 32 degrees. Fact.

Truth: The horizon calls us to the unknown. It invites us to ask, “What’s beyond?” It’s why we build ships, sail to the edge, seek religious freedom, play with fire, build roads, seek cures and imagine and strive for a nation governed by the people and not a king. It’s why we seek truth and rely on facts to get us there.

This is a well-known truth stitched together from facts: Democracy dies in darkness. “Without reliable information, the public cannot make informed choices, leading to the gradual erosion and collapse of democratic institutions.”

Kerri’s albums are calling you from iTunes and Pandora

read Kerri’s blogpost about THE PATH

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Filed under: KS Friday, Language, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, facts, gaslighting, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, story, studio melange, the melange, truth, vote | Leave a comment »

The Jetty [David’s blog on Flawed Wednesday]

Posted on October 21, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

I am surrounded by so much beauty that I sometimes forget. I take it for granted. And then, walking the paths that hug the lake, I suddenly see again. I stop because I am overwhelmed by the enormity of it all, just as I was the very first time I walked these paths. “Look where we live!” I say.

“I know,” she replies.

Our loop takes us along the lake, through the marina and around the point to the channel, the jetty and red lighthouse. The jetty serves as a stalwart guardian at the mouth of the channel. When the lake is raging it absorbs the force of the waves. On any day it keeps silt from collecting and clogging the channel. On calm days it is an excellent spot for the seagulls to gather and confab. When the salmon are running the fishermen in their small boats gather at the mouth of the channel and take advantage of the jetty’s protection.

Kerri and I are a jetty for each other.

I’ve decided that everyone needs a jetty.

It’s one of the things we take for granted about our democracy – about the idea that is a democracy. It is meant to be a government made up of regular people who serve their neighbors. People protecting people from exploitation and persecution, striving for “a more perfect union”. At least that is the idea. Of, by and for the people. In a democracy, the law is the jetty.

I suppose autocracies are a jetty too, but serve a purpose that is the opposite of a democracy. It establishes a barrier that protects the privileged few from the majority who are exploited for private gain. In an autocracy, brute force is the jetty. ICE. The SS.

So, I must amend my thought: everyone needs a jetty and everyone needs to be a jetty for others.

I recently heard an interview with Maria Ressa, a Noble Peace Prize laureate. She said something that reminds me of the democracy-jetty that we’ve lost and need to rebuild: facts make truth and truth makes justice. Without equal application of the law, law that serves facts that illuminate truth, there is no justice. Where there is no justice there is no liberty.

I have been surrounded all my life by liberty and I have taken it for granted. Rights and freedoms. The sitting president just announced that the courts have no power over him, that he need not follow the law. The protective jetty has been breached and I am overwhelmed by the enormity of it all.

Our vote in a few short weeks will not restore the jetty but will serve to slow its dismantling. It will take some time to rebuild our stalwart guardian jetty. That process will first necessitate a grounding in fact so we might be able to restore shared truth which will revivify the respect for the law.

I look forward to the day* – I hope for the day – that we can look at each other, recognize our hard-earned good fortune, the beauty of our democracy, a nation of equal justice under the law, honestly striving for a more perfect union, and once again say to each other, “Look at where we live!”

*(restoration begins now with your vote. Vote. Help your neighbors to vote)

read Kerri’s blogpost about THE JETTY

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Filed under: Edges, Flawed Wednesday, Identity, Metaphor, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistry, autocracy, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, equality, government, justice, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, law, story, studio melange, the melange, truth | Leave a comment »

Flat Feeder [David’s blog on Two Artists Tuesday]

Posted on October 13, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

If I need a reason to never trust driver-less cars, the difficulty I currently experience placing images in this blog gives me the excuse. My WordPress, without warning, flips images to the left. It only glitches with images from Kerri’s camera and only some images, not all. My reptile brain generalizes the instability across all technology: if a simple task, like importing an image, can make a sudden unwanted and unexpected left hand turn, then a driver-less car is capable of doing it, too. It’s a simple matter of survival.

It’s not like people are incapable of sudden unexpected left-hand turns. They are. The difference is that people have, at their stem, reptilian brains. Irrationality is expected. It’s in the fine print. Our cemeteries are filled with people who thought they could split their focus and text while driving. It’s possible to see human error coming, not so much when the steering wheel has nary a hand upon it. Besides, with the recent showing by the tech-bros, I don’t trust them to create anything that doesn’t have nefarious intentions. These are the minds that produced the phrase, “Democracy is inefficient,” as justification to support a despot. I’ll drive my own damn car, thank you very much.

And that brings me to flat bird feeders. It is an old technology used for attracting and feeding birds. One employs a flat feeder in order to sit in a chair and marvel at the birds snacking on the seed. “Don’t you love it!” we exclaim.

We did not have a flat feeder. It’s a simple box with screen at the bottom and filled with safflower seeds. The cardinals and house finches love it. We looked at several versions of flat feeders before deciding that we – even we – could build a simple box and staple screen to the bottom. We had wood in our scrap pile. We had screen rolled up and stored in the ceiling of the basement. We have a chop saw, a drill and a staple gun. We have jute. We have an old shower curtain hook for a hanger. We had all of the necessary ingredients for concocting a flat feeder. All are, in fact, old technologies. And, I know exactly what they are capable of doing or not doing. Sometimes the saw blades need changing or the staples need refilling. I respect them but I do not fear them. If they glitch I can generally comprehend the reason. I can also honestly assess my carpentry skill level which is basic. I am a theatre carpenter which means it needs to look good from a distance and only has to last as long as the production.

If you come to our house and find yourself in the backyard, you are welcome to admire our new flat-feeder from a distance. You won’t be permitted to get close enough to see the truth of the construction. I’ll make up stories that make you leery of stepping on the grass. Actually, I’ll confess my ineptitude but point out that the birds haven’t left a single bad comment in the comment box. It may be that they do not recognize the comment box as a comment box since I built it. No matter. The birds are not leery at all to dine at our flat feeder. Something I cannot say is true about stepping into a driver-less car or trusting the tech-bros to ethically police themselves. They would have us sit in the backseat of an immoral system, frightened, with no ability to take the wheel.

read Kerri’s blogpost about THE FLAT FEEDER

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Filed under: Metaphor, Perspective, Two Artists Tuesday, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistry, control, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, driverless car, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, story, studio melange, survival, tech bros, technology, the melange | 1 Comment »

Shadow and Substance [David’s blog on Two Artists Tuesday]

Posted on September 22, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

“Even in the valley of the shadow of death, two and two do not make six.” ~ Leo Tolstoy

When I am stuck or empty of thought, when I do not know what to write about, I sometimes jump into quotes to get me moving. The quote is like a pebble that starts an avalanche. This quote assures me that there is sense to be made, that there are universal rules that apply to all. We are born. We all die. Gravity keeps our feet on the ground even though the ground is a ball spinning through space. Two and two make four, even if the current occupant of the White House insists that it is six.

“A false friend and a shadow attend only while the sun shines.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

I have a theory about maga republicans. They are false friends, keeping close to their dear-leader as long as the sun shines. Sundown is coming, if not already here. They are already fading. Some have stopped attending but they have already rendered themselves as substance-free, nothing more than shadow. The question becomes, “Will we believe them when they claim to be thought-full, 3 dimensional, independent, caring and well-intended representatives of their constituents?” I hope not. I hope we-the-people have more substance than that, a higher expectation of the people who are meant to represent us.

“There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death again and again before we reach the mountaintop of our desires.” ~ Nelson Mandela

There is a dial called “If they gain, we lose,” that the wealthy twist every time this nation actually approaches equality. It’s a very old dial, installed at our nation’s inception. It has been extremely useful for protecting privilege when the greater rabble question the inequities in a nation purportedly based on the ideals of equality and freedom-and-justice-for-all. The current lot have been cranking the dial. Despite their fears and repeated efforts to divide us, to demolish democracy and enrich their holdings, the mountaintop of our desires remains. Perhaps this will be our last pass through the valley? Perhaps we will finally be willing and able to disconnect the dial, erase the concocted divisions and, together, reach the mountaintop?

“Beware that you do not lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.” ~ Aesop

Growing older, stacking experiences, is a great teacher of shadow versus substance. Our nation has just passed its 250th year though it seems locked in a cycle of shadow-grabbing. Separating substance from shadow is a skill that comes from an honest review of history. The good, the bad, and the ugly – all of it – is necessary for clarifying what matters and what does not. Is a ballroom essential while the people starve? Is a president profiteering from his office an official duty that betters the community and advances our society? It begs two related questions: How long are we will to pretend that shadow is substance? How long can we enable shadow-grasping before we lose our national substance, before we become nothing more than a shadow?

“When virtue is lost, benevolence appears, when benevolence is lost right conduct appears, when right conduct is lost, expedience appears. Expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder.” ~ Lao Tzu

A pebble starts an avalanche.

read Kerri’s blogpost about THE SHADOW

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Filed under: Identity, Perspective, Two Artists Tuesday, Uncategorized | Tagged: Aesop, artistry, Ben Franklin, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, equality, freedom, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, lao tzu, Leo Tolstoy, Nelson Mandela, shadow, story, studio melange, substance, the melange, truth, virtue | Leave a comment »

The Basic Action [David’s blog on Merely A Thought Monday]

Posted on September 21, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

“In a democracy, dissent is an act of faith.” ~ J. William Fulbright

Are you as confused as I am that people in a democracy choose not to vote? How is it possible to believe that your vote does not matter? That is the equivalent of saying to yourself, “I have no voice.” Or, it is an embrace of root rot, to uphold the victim-belief that the democracy is already gone and the act of voting is a sham.

To this day I am gobsmacked that in our last election more people decided not to vote than those who voted for either candidate. In one of the closest presidential races in our history, a race that was by all accounts the most important in our lifetime, 90 million Americans stayed home. 90 million people chose voicelessness. 90 million people thought that their voice did not matter.

Surrounded by the wreckage of our system, demolished over the past two years by an authoritarian regime, I challenge anyone to convince me that their vote did not count, that their voice does not count. In this case, silence is not dissent. It was surrender. Going forward, silence is conformity.

And here we are again only this time – this time – is not only the most important vote of our lives, it may be the most important vote in the life of our democracy. We are voting to fight for the life of government of, by and for the people – or to pull the plug and let it die.

Each day I read appeals to get out the vote – essentially an appeal to convince people in a democracy under siege – that they have a voice, that their voice matters. Given the utter corruption, the selling-out of the people to enrich the privileged few, it confuses me.

Standing in the rubble – and the wave of devastation of social safety net still-to-come thanks to the Big Ugly Bill, another forever war, The Epstein Class cover-up…I wonder why anyone would need convincing to speak up.

A vote is either an act of approval or it is an act of dissent. It is the fundamental, the basic action defining our system: the people have the power to choose their path by voting to stay the course or to change it. It is an enormous power and with power comes responsibility. In our government, it is sometimes hard to remember that we have the power – by design. Our democracy can only collapse if we allow it to happen.

The ongoing all-out-assault on our right to vote, waged by the president and his feckless party, is meant to render us voiceless. It is a power grab. They would squeeze us into conformity and if they succeed, the 90 million will have proven themselves as authoritarian-first-adapters, selecting voicelessness en route to a rotten system, modeling itself on Putin’s Russia or Orbán’s Hungary, a system of control that relies on a complacent and silent citizenry.

We have the opportunity, perhaps our last, to dissent. To speak. To uphold our responsibility. To vote.

“Has there ever been a society which has died of dissent? Several have died of conformity in our lifetime.” ~ Jacob Brownoski

read Kerri’s blogpost about DISSENT

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Filed under: Merely A Thought Monday, Perspective, Power, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistry, authoritarianism, conformity, corruption, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, dissent, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, responsibility, story, studio melange, the melange, voice, vote | Leave a comment »

There’s Hope [David’s blog on KS Friday]

Posted on September 11, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

25 years ago a friend called and told me to turn on my television. Like the rest of the nation, I sat in disbelief for hours, glued to the screen, watching the terror unfold in NYC, at the Pentagon, in a field in Pennsylvania. In many ways I’m still trying to wrap my mind around what I witnessed; people leaping into space, the towers collapsing.

I remember it like it was yesterday. This morning, the moment that haunts me, a moment that haunts me every September 11th, is the moment I turned off the television. The early morning existed in a “before”. I found myself standing in an “after” and I knew that this world, this “after” would be more devastating than I or we imagined. The lid had popped off of Pandora’s box.

There is a direct line from that day to this. Playing on our wound, the nation has now twice elected a xenophobe, a unapologetic racist and misogynist who wants us to see enemies everywhere, exploits the fear of “outsiders” while promoting a fanatical isolationism and stoking our ugliest impulses. He thrives on our division. He’s managed to turn our fear on each other. We need not fear foreign terrorists since we are passionately destroying ourselves. He – and his party – feed our anxiety so they might feed on our angst. They profit mightily from our discord.

They are no different than the men who flew airplanes into our twin towers. That is not hyperbole: they intend to bring down the nation. They work to make the tower of democracy collapse. They corrupt and dismantle our Constitution. They rob the poorest to profit the wealthiest. They spew misinformation and spin propaganda to keep us distracted while they destroy our system of checks and balances. They would have us become a an autocracy or worse, an extremist Christian theocracy.

My other memory from the initial days following 9/11 are of people coming together. A memorial spontaneously appeared at The Seattle Center. People checked in with their neighbors. People checked in with strangers on the street. For a moment we existed in a unified story. We came together. The assault on our nation brought forward our humanity. We cared for the well-being of others.

That is my pie-in-the-sky hope for what happens when the horror of this administration crumbles. We see each other again. We stop each other on the street and ask, “Are you okay?” We prosecute and hold accountable all those who assaulted our system, who betrayed their oath to the Constitution, who robbed from the poor and gave to the rich. We return to our humanity and our senses.

As the story goes, after all the ills were released on the world, only Hope remained in Pandora’s box. Hope: wanting something good to happen and – more than wanting – expecting that it will happen.

There will be an “after” to this era. Change is the only constant. Maybe, just maybe, the “after” that follows this “before” will be more restorative, more healing and constructive than we – or I – can imagine. Maybe a return to our senses will bring revival of our humanity, recovery of our moral compass, rejuvenation of our spirit of generosity.

More than want it, I expect that it will be so. There’s Hope.

(do yourself a favor on this 9/11 and give yourself 3 minutes to rest and breathe-in Kerri’s HOPE)

Kerri’s albums are available on iTunes and streaming on Pandora

read Kerri’s blog post about THE FULL MOON

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Filed under: Perspective, Possibility, Uncategorized | Tagged: 9/11, artistry, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, generosity, hope, humanity, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, Pandora's Box, possibility, story, studio melange, the melange, theocracy, unity | Leave a comment »

A Great Paradox [David’s blog on Not So Flawed Wednesday]

Posted on September 2, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

“Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.” ~ Pierre Teilhard de Chardin

It’s a great paradox, is it not? We have the capacity and desire to send telescopes into deep space. The James Webb telescope captures miracle images, exploring the origins of the universe while also searching for other inhabited planets. At the same moment, we have the capacity to pour so much carbon into our atmosphere that we endanger life on our own planet.

Humanity.

Just so, we are capable of curing diseases that have plagued humankind for eons while also ignoring the gains of medical science and allowing deadly viruses to run rampant throughout our community.

Reality.

I suppose the reality-disparity depends upon which story we choose to embrace since we are, after all, a storytelling mammal. The daily flood of “information” contains wildly conflicting points of view, conspiracy theories, propaganda, AI videos and images…It’s enough to make a story-brain want to retreat to a simpler time of firelight and paintings in a cave.

Progress.

Out of the fire light of the cave came stories of our beginning. We emerged into the light from all manner of darkness. We’ve since storied ourselves with an abundance of spiritual teachers who deliver surprisingly similar messages though their respective followers can’t seem to get along. Love is the message though it seems who delivers the message is a point of contention.

Power.

We are certainly capable of telling stories of division and threat. We are also capable of telling stories of service and sacrifice. And what is the point of progress if not to improve lives? All lives. We serially confuse two concepts that appear to be related but are actually opposites: Power and Control.

Power is a group sport. It is relational and created between people. Power is given. It is shared. Powerful people empower others.

Control is the opposite. It is the dream of the individual. Control is taken from the many. It is hoarded. Controllers disempower others.

Democracy is progress. It is based on a fundamental belief in empowering people. Government of, by and for the people.

Authoritarianism is a throwback. Feudal. It is deeply-rooted in the need to control. Control rests with one person or a small elite. Government of concentrated control demanding blind obedience from a powerless people.

What is the point of progress? Power or control? I suppose it depends upon which story we choose. Adherents of power-stories send telescopes into deep space for the betterment of humankind. Adherents of control-stories pour carbon into the atmosphere for personal gain.

Power created together leads to expansive love, inclusion. Control generates reductive hate, exclusion.

Which story will win the day? It’s a choice. It’s a great paradox, is it not?

read Kerri’s blogpost about DIVERGENT PATHS

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Filed under: Flawed Wednesday, Identity, Metaphor, Uncategorized | Tagged: artistry, autocracy, community, control, david robinson, davidrobinsoncreative.com, democracy, division, humanity, Kerri Sherwood, kerri sherwood itunes, kerrianddavid.com, kerrisherwood.com, love, paradox, power, story, studio melange, the melange | 1 Comment »

Who We Are Not [David’s blog on DR Thursday]

Posted on August 27, 2026 by davidrobinsoncreative

For a few short weeks, peeking from beneath the tall grasses in the front yard, we had a single yellow flower. A volunteer. A bright yellow visitor that perked up our days. The question of what type of flower remains. “It’s definitely not mules-ears,” Kerri said, comparing the results of her Google search to the photograph.

We do not know what it is but we do know what it is not.

I’ve often heard that in our democracy, we must redefine ourselves every day. Democracy is a living thing. It is a relationship. Governance of, by and for the people is, well, dynamic. We rarely know with certainty who we are – by design. We are, by design, a diverse nation, fluid in our aspirations – not fixed as is the case in authoritarian regimes. However, in these times, it is increasingly apparent, and vitally important, to know who and what we are not.

We are not maga. We are not a cult of personality.

We are not supremacists, white or otherwise.

We are not fully conservative or wholly progressive.

We may currently be lost in the woods but we are not arsonists who would burn down the forest.

We may be gullible but we are not stupid.

We pride ourselves on our individualism. It is high time that the party of red, those who tout themselves as the guardians of individual rights, recognize what they have become. They no longer know who they are. They most certainly have become what they claim that they are not. Afraid of speaking truth. Afraid of acting independently. Followers of a man rather than stewards of a nation of laws. They followed a liar into the swamp but are they lemmings who will follow him over the fascist cliff?

Those wearing red hats with hearts full of fear have helped me know who I am by showing me unequivocally what I am not. I believe they are doing the same for the majority of this nation. At this juncture, amidst the wreckage and global humiliation, we may not know who we are but we are rock-solid certain in knowing who we are not.