"One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."
Martin Luther King Jr.
Today we’re walking back time.
Back to moments in history where people stood up against unjust laws…and mandates.
Civil disobedience is not new, but history shows us that it can be effective.
Like women’s suffrage, Gandhi’s salt march in India, and the refusal to give up a seat on a bus in Alabama by a young girl named Claudette Colvin — and then a few months later more famously by Rosa Parks.
These 2 women simply sat down to stand up, affirming Martin Luther King Jr’s assertion that everybody can be great...
“Everybody can be great...because anybody can serve. You don't have to have a college degree to serve. You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
The fact that the first person to refuse to give up her seat is all but forgotten, and the second is remembered, is in and of itself an interesting lesson.
In an interview with Liam Sturgess, the author of A Citizen’s Hearing: Examining Canada’s Covid Response, he explained to me the concept of the “first follower.”
As an example, the first person to get up and dance by themselves at a party is often ignored or even ridiculed.
But the next person, the first follower, validates the first and cues the rest that it’s okay to join in.
It’s not the person in front that creates the tipping point.
Each one of us has the potential to be that follower and make that difference.
Walking back just 2 years, a Canadian veteran put on his uniform and publicly declared that he could no longer stand by and do nothing.
After serving his country, James Topp knows what it is to sacrifice and to obey orders.
And so it was with great forethought that he made his decision to oppose medical mandates in uniform — a decision that came at great personal cost.
James announced that he would march across the country to raise awareness about unconstitutional mandates.
And so it was that on February 20, 2022, James started walking — and thousands followed.
On the final day of the first part of what became Canada Marches, I joined many others and walked into Ottawa to peacefully protest.
My experience shifted my understanding of those who serve in the military.
James and his fellow veterans set the tone for the most dignified demonstration I’d ever experienced.
On one of our stops, he spoke to the growing crowd of marchers.
“You will maintain your dignity, because that’s what Canadians do. Calm, quiet dignity and inner strength. That’s what we have. That’s what we share. And it’s not easy, but I believe in you.”
Today, we walk back to July 2022, when I was still figuring out what TruedUp would look like, but feeling the reserved but buoyant energy of marching with James Topp and his group.
Here’s our conversation…
When I started putting together the first season of TruedUp, I considered whether I should include this nearly 2 year old interview.
But I realized that it was just as relevant — and possibly more important than ever.
We are still administering, promoting, and in some places even mandating a known dangerous medical treatment.
In some places, we are once again mandating the use of the thoroughly debunked protocol of masking to stop a virus.
In the mainstream media, they are still selling a dying narrative that, unfortunately, many people are still buying.
And those responsible for causing so much suffering have still not been held to account.
Meanwhile, James Topp has been courtmartialed.
His personal and professional life was subjected to the harsh spotlight of public scrutiny.
He was reprimanded and given a $5000 fine.
But James understood what Edward Snowden said.
"It’s not enough to believe in something. You have to be ready to stand for something, if you want change."
My top 3 takeaways from James Topp were…
If you let fear stop you, you will remain stuck. There is no growth without courage.
We cannot respond to injustice or upset in a way that just perpetuates the cycle. We can’t use bullying, shaming, violence or any other authoritarian tactic to fight authoritarianism. Because the means are always contained in the end.
Nothing good comes about by listening to endless podcasts — unless you use them to do something. Start small and put one foot in front of the other.
One small step you can take is to vote with your dollars.
Stop shopping in big box stores and supporting the billionaires behind the destruction of our rights and freedoms, as well as our health.
Start moving the money you’re already spending to small businesses making non-toxic products that support the health and well being of your family.
Please join me in The Switchaway Initiative.
Contact me HERE and find out how to take this simple step.
This is an easy way to true up our values with our spending.
And for those of you who would like to earn extra income while supporting this podcast, I am gathering a small team of ambassadors to help others make the switch.
There has never been a better time for us to come together as a community.
I’d like to hear your key takeaways from my conversation with James Topp.
Please share in the comments section.
Stay tuned.
Be true to yourself.
And remember that we are the ones we’ve been waiting for.
🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏 🙏
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