A few days ago, I thought to myself, you know, our planet is on the brink of destruction. I should stop naval gazing and devote every last thing I write (not to mention every last thing I do in the real world) to the cause of our planet. Maybe it will do some good in some corner of the world. It’s the defining crisis of our times.

And then I was reminded that children are being shot and killed in their classrooms on a regular basis in this country too. And that my own son has his own a-bad-guy-is-trying-to-get-into-the-school drills. And I thought to myself, I need to devote every last thing I write (and do) to the cause of preventing children getting murdered at school. Can you believe I just wrote that sentence?

There’s so much wrong right now. It’s hard not to feel helpless.

So, here’s Artemisia Gentileschi’s Judith Beheading Holofernes as an expression of my own impotent rage. In my dreams, I am Judith and the problems of climate change and gun control (and, and, and…) are Holofernes.

Three cheers for the Greta Thunbergs and Parkland School shooting survivors of this world who are actually picking up that sword and fighting the good fight against these ills. They are proof that we aren’t helpless. That if we let our voices be heard, we can effect change.

I’m gonna try to do my part. I really am.