As you may know, on his first day in office, the new/old president of the United States issued multiple executive orders. Some, like declaring that children of unauthorized immigrants born in the United States are no longer citizens, have already been challenged in court; Many others will be as well. While outrage, fear, protest, and donations of time and money may all be appropriate responses to these acts, what if we also were inspired to issue our own executive orders contrary to all perceived authority and precedent? Never has a convicted felon who orchestrated an attempted coup been elected President before, yet it happened. That means all things are possible, not just the things I fear, but the things I hope for.
Hear me out (and not, as the TikTok generation uses that phrase to mean, consider the sexiness of an unlikely character, although, ick, there’s a way in which that’s close to what I mean here–gross):
I’m not just talking about people like the Governors of blue states issuing bold proclamations (although I hope they do), I’m talking about people like you and me. Where are we limiting our own authority?
After all, it is the People of the United States who are considered sovereign not the President. Indeed, one online dictionary actually defines sovereignty this way: “supreme power or authority– ‘how can we hope to wrest sovereignty away from the oligarchy and back to the people?'”
Since We are sovereign, We are not amused. So let’s get inspired to issue our own executive orders without regard for legal, historical, or other precedents.
Here are some of my orders, what are yours?
“By the authority vested in me as a member of the Sovereign People of the United States by the Constitution, and God, it is hereby ordered:
- That the United States is now a country that works for everyone, including:
- That every person in this country is henceforth guaranteed a living wage, safe and habitable housing, cradle-to-grave health care coverage, clean air, clean water, and a sustainable environment
- That the civil rights of every resident of this country to free speech, liberty, voting, and the pursuit of happiness are strengthened and guaranteed up to the point where they infringe on other people’s rights to live.
- That my book is published this year and over one million people buy it.
- That my webcast The Conscious Reality Show goes viral.Â
- That my husband and I are even happier this year than we were last year.
Now these last three orders may seem trivial compared to the first, but I can assure you they are not. Just as our (new) President has plenty of personal motivation for his orders, I have mine. The point is that by his behavior and his success, he is perversely giving us permission and example to ignore all precedents, ignore constraints, and reach for the stars.