My recent Facebook posts about the Palisades fire have been called “insensitive” by a few, and I own that they are provocative. My intention is not to diminish the suffering of those impacted by these fires — my heart goes out to everyone affected. Instead, I aim to highlight what these tragedies continue to show us: we increasingly cannot rely on government systems to protect us, even outside of LA.

For me, leaving LA was about taking responsibility for my own safety and well-being, rather than depending on systems that are increasingly failing under the weight of poor governance and mismanagement. My message is not meant to be insensitive, but to challenge all of us to think about how we can cultivate greater personal sovereignty — taking steps to reduce our dependence on systems that clearly aren’t meeting the challenges we face. To learn to depend more and more on our own, more reliable internal guidance.

• Stop participating in things you don’t agree with. Things I have stopped participating in include the stock market, the COVID vaccine, voting in elections, the pharmaceutical industry, wokeism, to name a few. Do your own research.
• Examine your conditioning. Most of the decisions you make are likely driven by conditioning you are not even aware of. It is uncommon (and extremely powerful) to look at the source of your habits and beliefs and stop operating on default.
• Take the time to recognize and align with your values. Not your parents’, family’s, friends’ or society’s values. YOURS.

I know this is a painful time, and I don’t take that lightly. But it’s exactly these moments that remind us why it’s so crucial to take ownership of our lives in ways that empower us, especially in the face of systemic failure.