Summary

The little things matter in our lives. The little things matter for American Politics. Take time to make every interaction positive. Every interaction with another person is an opportunity to connect and to share your perspective. Your interaction may even affect how they see things. We, The People, have power. We will save our democracy from the ultra-rich and the technocrats. We, The People, are strong together.

Wellbeing: The Little Things Matter

The little things we do matter in our daily lives. The little things matter for our wellbeing. Let’s explore wellbeing through the little things we do.

What Do I Mean by ‘The Little Things Matter’?

The little things are the links between you and me.

Yes, the macroscopic perspective holds as well. I am connected to a human being in California because I buy citrus fruits grown in California. A person in North Carolina is linked to me when we both experience a Nor’easter. My connections to people in Washington state may be a result of our membership in a professional organization. And, in the USA, we share the American experience of life.

But, it’s the little things that matter the most. How we communicate with our neighbours when we engage in any number of mundane activities. Sharing space with people in our local parks. Navigating the aisles of a grocery store as we make our food purchases. Standing shoulder to shoulder at a graduation ceremony. Cheering our favourite sports teams at a local field. Waiting on line to cast our ballot during elections. Parking our car in a parking lot. Walking along a neighbourhood street.

And, it is the how of these encounters that really matters. Again, how we communicate sets the stage for an emotional valence to the encounter. What we do, the words we choose, our tone of voice, our body language, our facial expression, and the direction of our gaze create the opportunity for a positive or a negative emotional valence. All those components contribute to our ability to share our perspective with another person so perhaps they will change their mind.

The Little Things Matter in American Politics

The little things matter to American Politics. They really do. The little things matter to our future as a democracy.

Recently, in the context of my professional relationship with someone, we landed on the topic of the Halftime Show during the Super Bowl on February 8, 2026. Bad Bunny was mentioned and the other person said that they did not like the performance. I asked an open-ended question as an opportunity to stay connected in this conversation. I had already seen the rhetoric from the opposition to Bad Bunny and I was not going to feed into stereotypes and hate mongering. “What did you not like about it?”, I asked. All the person could think to say, after a long pause, was the shaking behinds. My first thought was ‘Really? That’s the worst thing about the show? I see a lot worse when I read the news or walk down the street’. Instead, I turned the question around, to the positive, “Well, did you like the beat?” as in the rhythm of the music. To this, the reply was in the affirmative. I shared my perspective, that I speak Spanish and that I loved the joy and the artistry and cultural references of the performance. I acknowledged that some people may not like the music. That’s all. Pretty lame for a conversation. But, I had a goal: to remain connected to the other person. In the end, I cannot say that our assessments of the show mirrored each other’s. I can say that we landed on a positive note. They liked the beat and I loved the joyousness, artistic qualities, and cultural information conveyed by the performers.

Isn’t that what life is all about? Joy, happiness, inspiration, learning, creativity, and communication.

That is certainly the core of politics. Communicating with each other. Politics in a democracy is about sharing not about dictating. In order to take back our democracy from techno bros who have amassed inconceivable riches and political power, we have to communicate with each other. We may as well start practicing, with the little things.

The Little Things Matter Except for the Wealthy

It is my observation that the little things matter for most of US, but not for the wealthy. For the wealthy, their life trajectories are impacted more by wealth and access to power. That is not to say that people who have money have no appreciation for the little things.

What I am saying is that the prospects of the wealthy glide on a patina of appearances and access to power. The Pretty Privilege and the Money Privilege and the Circles of Influence impact their lives far more than a host of things which can literally devastate some of US. The following mishaps are inconveniences for the wealthy: a furnace shutting down; an expensive car repair; the increasing cost of public transportation; a lost cellphone; a medical bill; a rise in electricity prices; an illness in the family requiring you to take time off work without pay; a snowstorm hindering your commute to work; whether you can afford heat or AC in the under insulated rented trailer in which you and your family live and which becomes an oven in the Summer and a refrigerator in the Winter; or even the cost of renting an apartment. For some of US, any of the aforementioned misfortunes can cause financial disaster.

I think many people feel silenced because money is power and many of US do not have the money to have power. The victims of the Epstein Class are being silenced and disparaged (this is my opinion) by the likes of Pam Bondi. People living in poverty are silenced, just in the way they are treated very differently for traffic violations and a host of other crimes as compared to people with money. People living in poverty get a rap sheet; the rich receive pardons, clemency, at most public exposure with no consequences. Yet, I believe that We, The People, do have power despite not having wealth.

We need to remind each other that we are more alike than dissimilar. We are the American People. The differences amongst US create for a strong and resilient and creative people. The difference which truly divides US is the socioeconomic disparity between the very wealthy and the rest of US. One percent of the population in the USA has more wealth than the bottom 50 % of the population. The top two percent of the population has more wealth than the bottom 98 % of the population.

We, the People, are far stronger than we realize. We, the bottom 98 % of the population, can and will oust or convert the top 2 % of the population. The elites may try and they cannot kill all of US. There is no doubt in my mind that we will not be vanquished.

Action Plan for Wellbeing: The Little Things Matter

Remember that each one of US is but a speck in the universe. That means that the technocrats, taken individually, are but specks as well. There are many more of US than there are of them. We have creativity, joy, inspiration, collective knowledge and skills, and the aspiration to save US. The technocrats and the Epstein Class cannot stop US.

Take stock of the interactions in your life. Take time to make each interaction count, each interaction an opportunity to connect with another person and expand your social network.

Share positivity within your social network. Connect positively for our collective wellbeing- and, for our collective future in a democracy.

Learn about how you can influence the passing of legislation in your state. In my state, I have signed up to receive a weekly newsletter which highlights the upcoming legislation. I try to review this newsletter every week and then I sign into a government website and place a comment to oppose or support the legislation, as a member of the public. Check out your state’s legislative actions and how you can actively participate in the process.

Smile. For the love of God, smile. I spent too many years not smiling, allowing myself to be affected by the moods and words of other people. Then I realized how ill it was making me feel. Smiling helps me. Smiling helps you because it is infectious, through our mirror neurons.

Manifest your hopes.

Reach out to your elected officials. Remind them that they may not consider themselves to be part of the Epstein Class but they are certainly in a class apart from most of US. The influence peddling in which they engage and to which they have access separate them from US. And, we can vote them out of office. Remind them that they represent US, not the Political Action Committees from which they accept large donations.

Let’s be grateful for our blessings. Take action by giving voice to those whose voices are silenced.

Take time to ensure that the little things matter in every single interaction in your life. Because, our very democracy depends on you, on US.

Always, surround yourself with music to inspire you to be kind, grateful, generous, compassionate, peaceful, and truth seeking.

Four Choirs in Genoa, Italy, performing Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Streets of Minneapolis’

Jon Ossoff Speaking on the Identity of US: Americans are not a race. We’re a people.

Please give generously to your local food pantries. Your neighbours will thank you.

Disclaimer: The content of this post is not meant to substitute for a consultation with your healthcare professional team.

If you are thinking of hurting yourself or of hurting someone else, please CALL 9-1-1; CALL 9-8-8; or GO TO the nearest emergency room.

Selected References:

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Nota Bene:

USA Government websites are being purged by the current Trump Administration to align the website content with the regime’s political agenda. Please note that any government website cited in this and other posts on this website may no longer contain evidence based or historically correct information. Thus, I am trying to avoid including any references or resources which derive from a USA government website. This is not bias; I take this action in an effort to maintain a factually sound content in my posts.