🖋️ The Lioness Journals | January 26, 2026
There’s a lot of noise right now in the United States of America. A lot of tension, frustration, anger—just a mess of emotions everywhere. And even if you’re trying not to absorb any of it, it’s almost impossible not to.
A few years ago, I intentionally pulled away from watching the news and listening to commentary about current events. Not because I didn’t care, but because the chaos in the world—wars, murders, violent crimes, the aftermath of natural disasters—all of this was placing my nervous system and my empathetic state on high-alert, and it became almost toxic for me. My inability to fix things, to change the outcome, to heal the pain people were experiencing—it was too much for me to manage. I had to disconnect for my own sanity and well-being.
This weekend, in the aftermath of United States citizens being killed in our streets, I found myself being immersed once again in that chaos and turmoil. I was fact-checking, digging for the truth, trying to understand meaning in what I was seeing, hearing and reading. And I couldn’t find the meaning I needed. I couldn’t find the “why”. And the more I traveled into the rabbit hole of news and information, the more anxious I became.
Why am I sharing all of this? Because, if I have that knot in the pit of my stomach, that feeling and that knowing that something isn’t right here, I know I’m not the only one. If you’re feeling it too, then I want you to know I’m standing with you.
If you’re not feeling it, if you’re justifying what is happening, or if you are able to disconnect from all of it—then this blog post will read very differently for you. And that’s ok. I hope you will still derive some reminders of humanity from what I have to say.
I am very uncomfortable right now with what is happening in our country. And I know others are as well. I want to remind you that behind every headline, behind every strong opinion, there is a human being—someone who is trying to make sense of the world, just like you and me. And they are likely uncomfortable, too.
Because what we are seeing unfold in front of us is the unraveling of human compassion, kindness, and empathy. We are seeing that being replaced with judgment, criticism, disrespect, and, in some cases, hate. That shift in behavior should make everyone uncomfortable. Regardless of where we fall politically, I hope we can pause long enough to ask whether this aligns with the values we believe we’re defending. That should not be the bar that we accept as appropriate behavior towards our fellow humans.
I didn’t want this post to turn political—because my political views have absolutely no bearing and no place in a discussion about humanity and compassion. No human being in the United States of America (citizen or non-citizen) should have to wake up in the morning and wonder if they will be snatched up because they don’t look like they belong, or be afraid that someone will shoot to kill first and ask questions later.
Math matters, and when fear and biases cloud the facts, that’s when problems arise. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer years ago, I would share my experience through speaking engagements. Part of my speech was to provide statistics, and the one statistic that always seemed to stop everyone in their tracks, is that 1 out of 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.
If we extend that math to the diversity of our United States population, out of 340 million people in this country, about 5 out of every 100 people legally hold a temporary visa (student, specialized worker, etc.) or a green card. But they likely do not look like they “belong”.
So, when you don’t look like you belong, but you actually DO legally belong, that creates unnecessary fear and anxiety. This isn’t about politics—it’s about what fear does when facts and humanity get lost in the noise. Because our process now is to assume someone doesn’t belong here until they can prove that they do. It’s no longer “innocent until proven guilty.”
I am upset right now at the direction we are heading in our country. I am disturbed at the lack of compassion towards other human beings. And I won’t get too into the weeds with the religious side of things, except to say WWJD? And I struggle to reconcile much of what we’re seeing with the compassion we’re taught to lead with.
I will continue to keep a pulse on what is happening in our country, but for my own sanity, I am going to have to pull back a little bit. There are things I can do to “help”, but it’s not going to be through doomsday scrolling. I personally cannot manage that at the moment.
What I do know is this: In uncertain times, compassion is not optional—it’s essential. As events continue to unfold in our country, I encourage you to remember that behind every statement is a human being trying to find their own way through the chaos and turmoil. And you don’t have to harden your heart to survive what we are experiencing in our streets.
I cried while rereading this before posting it. Because people are dying. Because truth feels fragile. And because this is not the country I want us to become.
Let’s remember who we are as human beings, even when everything else feels divided.
If anyone needs a friend to talk to, or someone to lean on through all of this, I am here for you. You don’t have to walk through this alone.
May we all continue to strive to be better humans.
— With Gratitude,
Ronda 💛