I had the opportunity to speak with some old friends this week. Many who reminded me that bravery and truth still matter to a whole lot of people.
But, it sometimes is infuriating to me because I feel as though many don’t have the courage to stand up and speak the truth, which sure makes life more difficult for the ones who do. There is also a concerted effort to deplatform, delegitimize and outright get rid of people who hold conservative values.
The other side finds us difficult to manage.
But that becomes more difficult to do when your friends don’t call you like they used to. I’ve watched people lie with a straight face, not out of convenience, but as an act of war against me. Some of these people, I’ve never even met.
Then I also see Christians being attacked as hypocritical. As though any of us aren’t “Exhibit A” for the fall of man, seeking to improve and survive, trying to be worthy of a prize already bought for us.
So, the fight is on. In more ways than one.
I look back at my professional life with many lessons, regrets, and perspective. I believe we can all grow and change for the better, if we make a conscious effort to embrace failing, publicly. Often we receive affirmation and praise for our most toxic traits. Like a continuous feed loop, the ego is fed on a drip, always falling short of satiation.
Where does that leave us? Certainly, my life would be a lot more carefree if I kept my mouth shut. But I can’t seem to do that. In fact, when I try to for practical reasons, I feel myself being pushed toward not a career, but a whole way of being.
A calling, if you will. For some reason, I can’t seem to help myself from looking up at the bully and saying, “Enough.” Am I speaking for the voiceless, fighting my own trauma, or simply being egotistical? That is a question we must continue to both ask, and answer.
Having backroom meetings about how to dethrone those in power doesn’t interest me. Protesting in the streets, being the center of attention and controversy similarly don’t draw me. But the little Sandhills girl rears her fighting spirit when the voiceless need one. I don’t say “send me” because I have a savior complex. But, some things are worth fighting for no matter the cost. That’s a hard pill to swallow, even for me – and undeservedly to those who love me. But it’s how I feel and I thought you should know. If you care more about how I’m saying things instead of what I’m saying, maybe you could reflect too.
State Reps. John Bear and Ken Pendegraft this week discussed the temperature change in Wyoming politics. Let's have conversations not vendettas. Come to the table willing to learn and having the freedom to change your mind.
The deterioration of Wyoming politics is a fallacy. There’s been an uprising. There are no big, dark money forces holding someone’s hand when they cast a vote. To argue otherwise is to say that Wyomingites are so incompetent that they take a spicy mailer at face value. That theory presupposes that Wyoming is so large that we don’t already know who these people are and how they vote.
It also incorrectly assumes that citizens don’t engage in reading the news, speaking with candidates who door knock, and attending town halls. We know that’s not true. The coordinated effort to make you believe otherwise shows how fearful some are of people in power.
They’d have you believe that the fear stems from a loss of the life they’ve known as Wyomingites. But, the other side would argue that freedom from government restrictions and monetary demands will allow you to live the Wyoming life you want. If detractors were that interested in dark money in Wyoming politics, they’d pull the votes from the Emergency COVID Legislative Session and compare that list with those who received donations from Big Pharma.
They won’t do that though, that doesn’t fit the narrative.
Wyoming should not use the tactics of national politics. We should never stop talking to one another. As an example, when I write this column and speak on election forums with Cowboy State Daily, I discourse with giants, undeservedly. People with depth and breadth of experiences and knowledge far different from mine.
We don’t always agree, but we have mutual respect. I read them all and I learn something new every time. Our ability to do that is what makes us Wyoming.
Cassie Craven is a University of Wyoming College of Law graduate who practices law and lives in Wyoming. She can be reached at: longhornwritingllc@gmail.com
