Dear friends, citizens, fellow “passengers,”
In a world of need that often pulls our gaze far and wide, let’s pause for a moment and remember the simple wisdom of the oxygen mask: we put it on ourselves first not out of selfishness, but so that we can breathe well enough to help others.
Right now, that means calling on our leaders – our representatives – to come back to the table and simply talk.
We are the employers here, and if our employees – those we elect to represent us – are not doing their job, it’s on us to remind them. This isn’t about dictating outcomes. It’s about insisting on a conversation. Let’s write to our representatives, let’s raise our voices as citizens, and let’s urge them to come together to end this shutdown. By doing so, we put that oxygen mask on our own democracy, ensuring we’re strong enough at home to be a force for good in the world.
Right now, many of our own are waiting for that breath. Government workers who keep the lights on, families who rely on essential services, the vulnerable who depend on our shared commitment to care. Before we reach out to rebuild the world, let’s make sure we’ve tended our own hearth and home.
This isn’t about turning inward or forgetting our global responsibilities. It’s about honoring the truth that we’re stronger helpers when our own roots are watered and our own people are heard. Let’s not ignore our own log while trying to pluck a splinter elsewhere. Compassion begins at home, and from that grounded place, we can embrace the world more fully.
So here’s our radical love letter: let’s fix our gaze first on the promises we’ve made to our own people. Let’s breathe life back into our own democracy, our own workers, our own truth. Let’s not ask, but order, our representatives to get back in the room and start the conversation – get the oxygen flowing.
In doing so, we’ll be better friends and allies to the world. Let’s put on that oxygen mask together.
In solidarity and action,
The Radical Left