Work with shredded paper.

So many possibilities. I have a paper shredder right here by my desk. I could have simply lifted a few strips from the box and woven or curled or bent or crumpled or painted or some combination of any of these.

But considering all I’ve been reading and watching in the news recently, one phrase kept echoing in my head when I read today’s make something prompt:

A shred of human decency.

I’m so frustrated by my country, its leaders, and its citizens. So annoyed by the way we manipulate laws and push agendas. Without listening. Without empathy. If we’re striving for “equality,” why are we so pathetically incapable of moving the needle on poverty, hunger, unemployment, domestic violence, health care, education, racism, women’s rights, homophobia …

I have to stop. I can’t possibly list every problem. No doubt I’ve already offended someone by the apparent prioritization in the way I ordered these few issues. (Rest assured, the order is random … and as I look back at it now, I have no idea how I would prioritize this list. Each one is important. I want them all set right.)

I am discouraged. I am not convinced that we have enough shreds of human decency to address even one of the issues we face.

So today’s creation—a 15-second video clip—was a bit dark. Was it therapeutic? In some small way, maybe it is helpful to speak my own truth. But a radical change of this country’s collective heart (if there is such a thing) would bring so much more peace of mind …