A black screen overtook the internet on the morning of June 2, 2020
Today I experienced one of the wildest sights in my life: the Internet went black. Yet at the same time I couldn’t help but feel like a moment had been superficially claimed by the same social media “activists” who failed to show up to the polls in 2016. And no, this isn’t coming from another Forbes contributor that likes to write about the world from his high perch on society. This is coming from someone who decided three years ago to commit his life to political activism and takes actions in real life every day. What did I do and what gives me the right to make such a claim?
1. I left my job and sold all my investments
Unlike the “unnamed” Senior White House official, the thousands of Big Tech workers assembling for one-day walkouts, and other employees at big companies or government organizations who complain but stick around to soak up the benefits, I left my job. I also sold all my investments to avoid any conflict of interest. And in doing so, I committed to not perpetuating the machine and did so knowing I was risking my status in life—potentially risking my career in technology—by pushing back on giants.
Why does this matter? Because no matter what you say or how you feel about the current state of the world, we chose this reality. And we make choices every day that could change things, yet most of us choose not to because we’re too comfortable. I put my money where my mouth is and if you really believe in change, you will too.
2. I left my bubble
It’s easy to “fight the good fight” from the cozy beaches of San Francisco, the brunch deck in New York or the hills of Los Angeles where everyone believes the same thing, speaks the same way and feels the same feelings. I decided to do the opposite. I went home, to Nebraska, one of several rural areas I’ve been working to change over the past few year. I did this to provide knowledge, skills, and resources to the people who need it most—the people in the middle of the country who rightfully feel left behind. I did this because I believe the best way to soothe anger is not to point fingers and lay blame, but to extend a hand and ask how you can help.
Change takes patience, openness, and trust. It takes engaging and compromising with others you might not be aligned with 100 percent of the time. It takes standing up for those who don’t have a voice. Both sides of the political divide have their nasty characters but from my experience doing this on a global scale, the overwhelming majority of people are well-intentioned, quiet people who sit somewhere in the middle and just want the basic rights and freedoms we’re all promised at birth.
3. I changed myself
I cut my hair. I cleaned up my wardrobe. I started making less statements and asking more questions. I let those who were angry yell—even when it wasn’t me they were mad at. Making these changes has been a spiritual experience that is hard to put into words and I have come to realize that if I really want to see the change I’m hoping for, it’s probably never going to stop.
After getting chased, taunted and called homophobic slurs throughout various cities throughout the ... [+]
The leap of faith I took required serious internal reflection and blind faith in the fact that tomorrow will be a better day. It is this same leap of faith that prevents so many of us from actually doing anything meaningful in life. Yet however scary it may feel, I will say that making that leap and helping communities heal has been the most heart-opening experience of my life. I’ve never felt more connected to the pulse of society or the people in my life. I believe we’ve all forgotten that feeling and could use a strong dose of it right now.
4. I gave up my “freedom” for freedom
To fund myself I broke my lease in San Francisco, I sold almost everything I own, and I lived out of my car for months on end. Over the last 3 years I’ve spent more than a year living directly out of my car. When I wasn’t sleeping in my car or camping outside, I was sleeping on friends’ couches. When I wasn’t on the road, I was at my parent’s house in my childhood bedroom. My decisions were opposite everything I had been told to do growing up.
What I learned was that in reality the American Dream was built on, and still requires, interdependence. That is why we are called the United States of America, not the Disjointed States of America. True freedom takes compromise. It’s messy. It’s not linear. Not everyone is always going to agree with you and that’s just how life is.
Only by releasing my mind from the “freedom” we’re sold and embracing the idea of interdependence did I find true freedom. I’d be nowhere without all of the people who have helped me along the way. It is in our reliance on each other that true strength is found. Yet today too many of us are unwilling to give up our independence for interdependence. That needs to change.
6. I followed my principles.
I could have kept a cushy job in Silicon Valley making a fat six figure salary with more benefits than most people would ever dream of. I could have kept all my investments in the stock market and I would have doubled my money—I kept track. I could have used all the free couches to take advantage of others. I could have. But I didn’t. I made a promise and I followed it. I paired my words with decisive actions and didn’t allow my focus to be broken by anything that wasn’t going to get me closer to where I wanted to be.
Immediate Impact Opportunities
When I left 3 years ago to start my work people asked me why I left. I found it hard to put the systemic dangers into one or two sentences but what I always end up was that I was afraid of war. Not a world war, I would tell people, I was afraid of many Civil Wars—nations imploding within themselves all at the same time. Why? Because of the internet. And here we are today, on the brink of it happening in real time.
As someone who took a stand three years ago to start working to prevent exactly what’s happening in the world today, I can share with you a list of very simple things in your control that will make an impact for little or no money. These are all things I’ve done or others have done for me that have helped and should now be extended to those who need it most.
1. Donate to a non-profit with a history of action
Are you one of those “I’m tired of my taxes going to a corrupt systems” people? Well, good news, you can mitigate some of those taxes by donating to non-profits. Since leaving Silicon Valley I’ve donated more than 3 percent of my annual income to non-profits, despite making less than $40,000 a year. Most of you reading this are making well over that and probably didn’t even drop a penny. But you made a social media post, right?
If you really care about change, you’ll put your money where your mouth is and give it to those efforts making the most change. If each of us gave one percent of our salary to charity each year (average $310 per US citizen), there would be hundreds of millions of dollars flowing through non-profits that weren’t there before. Start taking control of where your money goes. Donate today.
2. Lend your time and skills to efforts you care about
Oh, but you work a 40 hour work week? So do I. Often times much more. On top of work I was also traveling 40-60 hours/month before the Coronavirus hit. Stop with the excuses. If you care, you’ll make time in your life, even if it’s half an hour a week or a couple hours a month.
Are you good with your cell phone? Help set up a livestream. Are you connected in the local community? Help an event get press and attendees. Are you good at organizing events? Coordinate logistics. Don’t fit under any of these categories? Grab a friend and take them with you. Spread the word. Action matters.
3. Donate space for peaceful assembly
Do you own a business? Does your office host events? Do you have a roof over your head? Many of the people crying for change don’t. And even if they do, many don’t have the access to the larger-scale opportunities that some of us do. Giving people a safe place to organize is often just as meaningful as giving your time or money.
4. Clear the airwaves for the most essential messages
The way the internet works is that the things that get the most clicks, likes, shares, comments etc, rise to the top. This means that if the internet were a highway and on the side of the road there was an accident that everyone kept looking at, the internet would think we need more car accidents. Unfortunately, this is exactly how we’ve gotten into the car accident we’re in.
This is how Russians and other foreign actors disrupted our last election. This is how they will do it again this year. It was not ads, no matter what they tell you. But what they forgot to mention is that we can do the same, in the opposite direction.
Do you run a talk show? Podcast? Are you a popular blogger? Feature the people that need to be heard. Just an average Joe? Leverage your social media pages, the world’s largest collective megaphone, to amplify only the most essential voices. And quit clicking, liking, sharing, commenting on, etc, posts that don’t deserve the attention.
5. Donate your time driving people to the polls
It doesn’t matter whether the election is national, state, or for the local school district, it’s clear that voting matters. In 2016, people didn’t show up. Some of it was lazy people too privileged to care, some of it was people who literally couldn’t find a ride. Let’s make sure this year there are no excuses for those who want change. If this election really means something to you, get people to the polls.
6. Reach out to the undecided
There are clear divides in this nation. The people that are the most deeply entrenched on either side of this divide aren’t changing their votes come November. But what goes unattended to is a large majority of the country that swings back and forth between elections. Reach out to these people. Don’t preach, make friends. Don’t point fingers, give them a hug. Share stories from your life and listen to theirs. Get to know each other and each others’ values. Listen with an open mind. You’re not going to get someone on your side by telling them how dumb they are. Be human and recognize their humanity as well. Help them see a better vision of the future.
Making Change Sucks
Want to know the truth about change? It sucks. It doesn’t happen in a social media post. It’s not pretty. It’s not easy. It takes daily commitment over years, sometimes lifetimes—ask black people. Following through on that commitment will change you. And that’s scary. This is why most people never change, they just post a black screen on social media and claim they made an effort. But this year, we need change.
After the 2016 election I called my mom, a woman who went through terrible sexual harassment at work throughout my childhood, to ask how she felt. Despite our nation electing a blatant womanizer to office, my mom responded by saying, “I don’t like it, but you have to keep in mind that what we’re feeling today is how the people who voted for Trump have felt for the last 8 years.” And she was right. True freedom allows all opinions to be heard. The ballot box allows those who want to be heard to make a statement. In 2016 those people wanted it more. And my fear is that they still do.
While today’s blackout was cool to see and momentarily inspiring I hope you keep in mind that your post is worthless and superficial if it doesn’t result in action on November 3, 2020. You have five months to follow through. Time to get to work.
