The First Best Option

by Dave Bonta, co-founder of Rah Rah Community

Jul 27, 2025

I read in our local free weekly paper, lately, that due to an increasing amount of calls that involve Mental Health Crisis, a situation has developed that renders a local police force in a nearby town challenged in its effectiveness... It simply can't keep up with all the calls and call backs. There is no money to hire the services that deal with these kinds of problems. This cannot be considered surprising, when we have funding cuts to health care and mental health services at the same time as an economy starting to go into its own crisis.

People are scared. They are afraid about what might happen. They need to "do something" to "act out". Fear produces stimulus that promotes action, sometimes violent action.

This administration is living up to its promises as advertised. So we have insecurity, and fear that we may lose the very foundations of our lives of liberty and equality in the opportunity for the so-called "American Dream".

Personally, for my own Mental Health, I have had to take a sabbatical from the news. I've limited my exposure lately to about 15 minutes in the morning. Instead of "Doom Scrolling" I've taken to a 3 mile walk in the nature trails around here, and I am beginning to get my "MoJo" back. I am starting to get past the dread of learning of the latest atrocity, while feeling helpless as to an ability to do something about it.

Am I "Hiding my head in the sand?" Yeah - for a little while. But I needed a break. We all could use a break. A lot of people don't get the chance for that break, and their anxiety is feeding their discomfort, to the point that they can't even think straight.

So here is the message for this blog. We have to take our agency back. We have to be able to get a handle on things again. We can't let the bullies take control. They can't be allowed to take over. It may look like they have the upper hand, but it is really just an illusion that they need to project in order to dominate and "Flood the zone". Stop paying attention to them. We give them the agency to have it their way when we give up ours.

As soon as you look past the smoke and mirrors and the latest distraction you will begin to see things as they are. Take your ownership of your life. Take a good hard look around. What is the game that is being played? How are you supposed to Win? Question why you have an automatic visceral reaction to the idea of living in an intentional community. Why is it not the First Best Option? What is wrong with living simply with others and sharing our possessions, along with our skills, labor and talents? A number of folks have visited Rah Rah over the summer. Some report that when they tell their family and friends about the experience, they are warned about joining a Cult, and losing their freedom! HAH!

Friends, when the hotator bangs the anvil and you jump, you have already lost your freedom. When the Billionaires say "Dance" and you are forced to as fast as you can, what kind of cult is that? Of course there is a Mental Health breakdown out there! There is no sense of security, of support, of cooperation. Only angry people on the highway, following each other too closely and driving aggressively, flipping the bird at each other.

Stop looking at the train wreck for a minute. We won't be able to fix anything until we fix ourselves. That involves taking agency. That involves making good decisions. Not just for ourselves, but for others as well. The way to clean a room is to start in one little corner. Here, at Rah Rah, we are in a little corner, doing what we can, but our eyes are on the whole room.