“This Is Just How It Is” — Said No Economist With Integrity Ever

Welcome to the land of economic gaslighting, where you're told to drive less to save money... while living in a city with no buses, no sidewalks, and rent that costs more than a small yacht. Welcome to the world where billionaires launch themselves into space while you’re launching GoFundMe campaigns to cover dental work. Welcome to the narrative that whispers, “This is just how it is,” like a lullaby designed to keep you quiet.

But guess what? That lullaby is off-key. And we’re not singing it anymore.

---

Fun Fact: Wealth Doesn’t “Trickle Down”—It Gets Hoovered Up

Let’s talk history. Wealth concentration isn’t new—it’s been the elite’s favorite pastime since feudal lords were collecting grain from peasants and calling it “taxes.” Fast forward to today: the top 1% owns more wealth than the bottom 90% combined. That’s not a glitch in the system. That is the system.

But here’s the twist: groups like The Institute for Policy Studies, Economic Policy Institute, and Demos are out here doing Great works—researching inequality, exposing corporate loopholes, and advocating for policies that actually serve people, not profit margins.

They’re the economic nerds with spreadsheets and soul. And they’re helping us imagine a world where justice isn’t just poetic—it’s practical.

---

Staying Prayerful

You can be holy and fed up. You can pray for peace while demanding justice. You can light a candle and also light up your city council’s inbox with policy demands. Staying prayerful doesn’t mean staying passive—it means staying rooted while you rise.

Here’s what a human can do:

- ✊ Educate Yourself: Follow groups like Inequality.org, Color of Change, and United for a Fair Economy. They break down complex issues with clarity and fire.

- 🗣️ Talk About It: Normalize conversations about wealth gaps and housing injustice. Silence is complicity.

- 🧾 Document Everything: Keep receipts. Your story is data.

- 🧘🏽‍♀️ Stay Prayerful: Meditate, journal, pray, breathe. Spiritual grounding is your armor in a chaotic world.

- 🎤 Create Loudly: Blog, speak, post, perform. Your voice is a tool.

---

🚗 “Just Drive Less” — The Dumbest Advice of the Decade

Let’s be clear: telling someone to “just drive less” when they live in a transit desert is like telling someone to “just eat organic” when they’re choosing between ramen and rent. If your insurance is sky-high, your wages are low, and your job is 20 plus miles away with no bus in sight, driving isn’t a luxury—it’s survival.

The real question isn’t “Why are you driving?” It’s “Why is the system designed to punish you for trying to live?”

---

🌍 Imagine A Better Way

Spreading knowledge about economic inequality isn’t just educational. It helps us reject the myth that suffering is normal. It helps us see that poverty isn’t a personal failure—it’s a policy choice. And it helps us imagine a world where dignity isn’t reserved for the wealthy.

So next time someone shrugs and says, “That’s just how it is,” you can smile, sip your tea, and say:

“Not for long.”