| Hi John, If you’ve been following along, you know I’ve started unpacking something close to my heart: activism. Parts 1 and 2 should be in your inbox already! When I start pulling on a thread, I usually can’t stop — I dig deep, ask big questions, and wrestle with the uncomfortable. That’s where growth happens. I go all in, not just for myself but because what I bring back, I hope, is real, relevant, and resonates with where you’re at, too. I know you’re feeling overwhelmed and stuck, so I put together this YouTube video just for you! A little something to bring some hope and encouragement to your day! Cartoon: Seed of Love 🌱 Dad Joke: ICE 🧊 Quote: Liberation ✊ Original: Deconstruction 🧩 |
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| Activism can be anything from the smallest kind word or act to speaking truth to power. This is a cartoon version where she's planting a question mark. It's the same when you plan even the smallest seed of love. More love less hate! |
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| A Penguin on Tariffs: “What are you going to do? Deport us? We’ve been dealing with ICE for centuries!” |
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| Have you ever read a quote that was like a huge light turning on and making sense of so much? Please share such moments with me. I respond to every response to my emails. Promise! The following quote, a little longer than normal, had that very effect on me. It made sense, and so many other things made sense. “Another basic characteristic of liberalism which constitutes a formidable obstacle to an oppressed social group’s emancipation is its concept of human nature. If selfishness, aggressiveness, the drive to conquer and dominate, really are among defining human traits, as every liberal philosopher since Locke tries to convince us, the oppression in civil society — i.e. in the social sphere not regulated by the state — is a fact of life, and the basic civil relationship between a man and a woman will always remain a battlefield. Women, being less aggressive, is then either the less human of the two and doomed to subjugation, or else she must get more power-hungry herself and try to dominate man. Liberation for both is not feasible.” -Mikhailo Markovic’s essay, “Women’s Liberation and Human Emancipation”. |
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| Take responsibility. Take Action. |
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| Let me just ramble for a minute of your time: The reason the above quote smacked me clear into another paradigm is because I was definitely taught from a very early age that I was a sinner from birth. No! Even from before I was conceived! I got deeper and deeper into that theology until I landed firmly in Reformed Theology (which includes John Calvin, etc.), eventually even winning the Reformed Theology Prize when I graduated with my theology degree at McGill University in Montreal. It’s taken me many years to relieve myself of that belief. What’s weird, though, is that this toxic belief is less like dirt and more like tar — sticky and stubborn. It’s hard to get rid of it. And sometimes, you can detect its residue in the recesses of your mind. Hard to get to cracks and wrinkles where it can hide and pop up later when you don’t expect it. The quote made me realize I need to take responsibility when I do something wrong or hurtful and not blame it on my spiritual genes. Neither should I excuse the harmfulness of others’ actions as them just being human and unable to change their course of action or destiny. The quote also pulls us down or lifts us up to the same level where we can all work together for the benefit of all. And quit blaming it on fate, race, gender, class, or whatever else we can invent to convince us to feel divided. This picture was taken at the Black Lives Matter march in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, hosted by the New Brunswick Black History Society. I have no idea how effective it was. But at least we raised our voices and our signs! |
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| Another thing I do is donate to organizations that are trying to make the world a better place. One of them is Amnesty International, because they care about… get this… even cartoonists who are being arrested and imprisoned around the world for speaking truth to power. I can’t give much, but the little bit I give helps because it lets victims know they are being thought about, other people know where I stand, and I keep informed. That’s activism without leaving my living room. Every. Tiny. Bit. Helps. And. Makes. A. Difference! |
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| Of all the work I’ve done, my Sophia series is the most popular I think. 59 of the drawings are compiled into the popular book, The Liberation of Sophia. |
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| Deconstruction Surprisingly, out of all of the drawings, there are only a few left in my portfolio. One of them is Sophia, “Deconstruction”. Maybe you’d like to own it, or maybe a print of it instead. |
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| During this tumultuous political season, we are talking about activism. What can each one of us do? As you can see from the activism letters I’m sending out, you can do big things or little things because they all matter. But don’t be intimidated by the big things. Think of Sophia facing a huge wall of cold stone separating her from her freedom. All she has at her disposal is a sledgehammer. One might think, “What’s this going to do to THAT?” Well, having worked with sledgehammers myself, I know for a fact that with one sledgehammer, I’ve taken down an entire house, right down to its foundation. Big things start with just one step! Or just one hammer — be that hammer! Much love my friend, David |
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| P.S. If you haven’t already, sign up to join in the Activist Series journey. If you’ve missed them, sign up here for Parts 1 and 2. Send this to your loved ones and get them involved, too. Let’s keep on growing this inspiring community! P.S.S. Another Activist Act: Preorder my children’s book, The Rainbow Sheep! |
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