dear reader,

it’s been a while.

i took a well-deserved break to take care of my mind, soul, and body, and think through a question i got after my last email.

a long-time reader asked, “you went from writing about creativity to politics. what’s with the switch up?”

you can blame the handmaid's tale by margaret atwood.

i won’t spoil the read for you, but in it, the narrator uses the frog-in-boiling-water metaphor to explain how the tyrannical regime of gilead came to power — the idea that if the temperature rises slowly enough, the frog in the pot doesn't notice it and cooks to death.

since i put the book down a few months ago, i haven’t stopped thinking about the high cost of staying silent — that damned frog.

even though politics is a constant topic among friends and colleagues, i never thought i'd be writing about it on the internet. most of the content out there is rage-bait, misinformation, and fear-mongering. plus, the country is so divided it appears we've lost the ability to engage in productive political discourse — or maybe we never had it.

either way, my intention isn’t to become another political commentator, but i feel a responsibility to use my tiny platform to speak out more directly about the current state of our declining democracy.

talking about creative work and business while our democracy flirts with tyranny feels out of touch — like pretending the house isn't on fire. if we remain silent, does that make us complicit in the damage being done? i'm afraid so.

i want to be upfront about where i stand. fundamentally, i’m a progressive. i'm a former public school teacher who believes all people deserve equal access to high-quality education, healthcare, and housing. i believe in equality of opportunity.

but i don’t feel like the current democratic party accurately represents my values — i don't think any party run by billionaires ever will. plus, the american bipartisan system is a joke. it's a disservice to democracy, and likely the reason why we are in this simmering pot.

i weigh each issue independently rather than automatically aligning with what my side of the political spectrum tells me i should believe. i don't have clear answers, and i use conversation to dig deeper.

this is my attempt to make sense of what's going on around me. this isn't an effort to find a solution. my hope is that these emails start conversations that move us toward deeper understanding — without hate or fear.

sidenote: my struggles

the thing i’m struggling with most is balancing this tension of being a creator who shares ideas online while also being a responsible, engaged citizen who gives a damn about liberty, safety, and well-being. i recognize this struggle is rooted in fear — two specific fears to be exact:

1. fear of adding fuel to the fire. i don't want to trigger anyone or make things worse or contribute to the noise. i don't want to enrage people. but i also understand the fire is already burning and silence isn’t water.

2. fear of saying the wrong thing. we live in an over-sensitized society where meaningful conversation is almost impossible because feelings get hurt, and that fear of hurting someone's feelings is silencing, or worse, it leads us to find comfort in our echo chambers — robbing us of growth, development, and the ability to course-correct through dialogue, which is fundamental to a healthy democracy.

i know i will say the wrong thing. i probably already have in this email and haven't realized. but i have to remind myself that i’m not here to be perfect. i'm here to engage honestly and openly.

once we let the fear of speaking out silence us, we've already lost.

so, to the reader who asked about the “switch up,” i hope this answers your question.

and quick reminder: i have no niche. my intention with these emails is simply to share what i’m thinking, learning, making, and liking. if that’s not your vibe, i make it super easy to keep me out of your inbox ↓

talk soon,

<3 santi