Today I want to share my thoughts on two things, technology and the attention shift I received from members of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation. Before we get to that, I need to provide some background and a starting point.

Background: It’s hard for me to write these things sometimes because I’m letting the outside world view what feels like parts of my soul. Writing is basically a window to my soul people. That’s dramatic, but I see it as my expression in its most natural form.

I’ve expressed myself through drawing, painting and digital art sometimes, but writing for me has always had a natural flow.

One thing I like about my job is that I get to share other people’s stories, but I tend not to share my own.

Background continued: Each story I take in and write is personal. I know it’s probably not supposed to be that way, but it is.

Normally when I wrote things geared more toward myself I would put that work into something called Livejournal, which was protected and guarded under a digital lock and key.

I erased everything related to my online journal years ago, because of my personal struggle with technology (particularly dissociation) and the need to pull myself away from it.

So, I tend to not want to write in a setting for people to read.

Starting point: Fast forward to last week and I still find it easier to write about other people and hear their stories.

The difference is, I find myself gravitating more toward finding feature stories that represent authenticity, brazenness, unity, integrity, community and courageousness.

To backpedal, I recently spoke to some of the tribal members of the Southern Sierra Miwuk Nation and I listened to their struggles about something as simple as recognition.

Across the pond from them, I took in the voices of an entire room of people that say they want to change the framework of an entire school district. I listened to so many voices and that was only last week.

For me, I thought it was the most fascinating thing. There are so many people in the small community of Mariposa that I admire.

I admire them so much that it’s probably a conflict of interest to communicate at this point. That notion becomes even more apparent to me when I read what Greg’s writing about three doors down.

I’m reporting what I’m being told, what I’m observing and what’s being said to the public.

If there is truth to what is being shared with me when I gather information, then that’s a powerful thing.

If what I’m gathering and being told falls along the lines of being a lie or found to be performative, I’ll probably throw up in the trash can beneath my desk.

Getting back to my point about technology and the Miwuk tribe, I asked the members a question about technology being a struggle for them.

My bias toward technology made me expect to hear the word yes. I was expecting them to join in and rally with my opinions on technology because of my own personal struggle.

I was surprised to hear the complete opposite and it changed my viewpoint in a wonderful way.

The vice-chair of the tribe, Waylon Coats, celebrated what technology has done for his people.

He spoke about how it helps them preserve their lan- guage, their communication and culture. He said it even helps with mapping, so the tribe can designate where they are and where they’ve been.

That’s basic stuff folks, but I found it to be fascinating and it made me realize how privileged my perspective was in that moment.

Ending point: Processing all of this around the holidays is also hard as well, because I feel like I don’t share the same views as a lot of people. I don’t value the holidays like my parents, relatives and the people in my circle do.

I feel like I’m carving to the truth this holiday season, not the turkey. I don’t want to say I despise the holidays either, but I’ve just grown up witnessing a divide more than the happy occasion that is advertised on television and marketed through feel-good movies.

To conclude: I will take this holiday season and be thankful that another perspective about technology has come into my life. I’m grateful for that and I will cherish it always.

I’m not saying my battle against tech- nology has come to an end, no way. I still strongly support people detoxifying their minds and carving their way to- ward some sort of healthy mental space that is free from all the Santa and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

I will always advocate for and encour- age people to participate in events that think outside the box, like the Adbusters “Buy Nothing Day” and #BUYNOTHINGXMAS campaigns.

Visit www.adbusters.org/campaigns to learn more.

Note: This editorial was originally published in “The Mariposa Gazette” on 10-11-2022.