Let's talk about Lyndon B. Johnson and the Civil Rights Act for a moment.

History books love to show that photograph – LBJ signing the Civil Rights Bill into law, his pen creating equality. It's a nice story. A comfortable story. A completely backwards story.

Here's what really happened:

Black Americans had already claimed their rights. Rosa Parks wasn't just physically tired when she refused to give up her seat. She was tired of sitting in the back of her own life. She was done letting others dictate where she could exist, how she could live, who she could be.

The truth about change:

• LBJ didn't create civil rights

• His signature didn't grant freedom

• The bill didn't start the movement

The people did that. They did it by:

• Refusing to accept less than they deserved

• Standing up (and sitting down) for their dignity

• Creating change through direct action

• Making the current system impossible to maintain

That piece of paper LBJ signed? It was just catching up to what people had already decided for themselves. He didn't lead the change – he followed it, and reluctantly at that.

Why This Matters Now

Look at what's happening today. I'm watching people melt down over election results as if their rights, their dignity, their very existence depends on who sits in an office miles away.

Have we forgotten the real lesson of the Civil Rights Movement?

• It wasn't about who was president

• It wasn't about what bills got signed

• It wasn't about waiting for permission

It was about people deciding they were done waiting. Done asking. Done hoping someone else would serve them their dignity on a silver platter.

Which brings us to that essential question:

"Are you hungry, or do you just want something to eat?"

In the wake of another election cycle, this question cuts straight to the heart of our societal indigestion. I'm watching capable adults spiral into despair not because the world is ending, but because they're suddenly facing a terrifying reality: they might have to actually do something themselves.

Let's get uncomfortably real:

• You're not devastated because of who won

• You're devastated because your outsourcing strategy failed

• You're facing the reality that change requires more than a vote

• You're realizing keyboard activism doesn't actually feed anyone

This isn't about politics. This is about the difference between being hungry enough to create change and just wanting someone else to serve it to you.

What's most revealing isn't the disappointment – it's the paralysis. People aren't just sad their candidate lost; they're having meltdowns because they might have to get up and actually cook their own meal. They've spent so long outsourcing their power, they've forgotten they have any.

Here's the truth that's hard to swallow:

• The world isn't falling apart

• Society isn't doomed

• Democracy isn't dead

What's actually happening is far more personal: People are facing the consequences of outsourcing their power for so long.

The Real Fear

They're not afraid of who's in office. They're afraid because they’ve:

• forgotten how to make decisions without polling their social media followers

• delegated their children's education to strangers with titles

• surrendered their health to a system that treats symptoms, not causes

• waited for "someone qualified" to fix problems in their community

Let me be clear: The world isn't awful. But the choices we're making? Those can be pretty terrible.

For well over a decade, I've abstained from this outsourcing game. No voting, no waiting, no hoping someone else will handle it. And you know what happened? Everything got better. Not because the world changed, but because I stopped waiting for permission to change my piece of it.

The Uncomfortable Awakening

When you realize you've always had the power, two things happen:

1. Initial panic: "You mean I have to do EVERYTHING?"

2. Ultimate freedom: "I get to do EVERYTHING!"

Most people are stuck in phase one, throwing tantrums because they're realizing:

• No one is coming to save them

• Their keyboard activism changed nothing

• Real change requires real work

Here's what I know: 90% of what people are panicking about won't actually affect their daily lives unless they choose to let it. The remaining 10%? That's where your power lies – in the choices you make, the boundaries you set, the life you build.

When you stop outsourcing your power, you start:

• Making decisions without needing consensus

• Taking action without waiting for approval

• Creating change without government permission

The Empty Plate of Political Promises

You know what never shows up in those Civil Rights photographs? The countless meals missed during boycotts. The endless hours of planning at kitchen tables. The real, grinding, daily work of people who were hungry enough for change to cook it themselves.

Instead, we get served the sanitized version: One man, one pen, one moment. As if freedom comes from signatures rather than sacrifice.

Fast Forward to Today:

• People sharing hashtags instead of sharing resources

• Communities waiting for government help instead of helping each other

• Citizens expecting elected officials to solve problems they won't even name in their own homes

The Fast Food Approach to Freedom

People are scared because:

• They've been conditioned to believe change comes from the top down

• They've forgotten that real power has always come from the ground up

• They've traded their Rosa Parks moment for a retweet button

Here's what passive consumption looks like in 2024:

• Angry posts about systemic racism while crossing the street to avoid your brown neighbors

• Demands for environmental action while waiting in the fast food drive-thru line

• Calls for educational reform while outsourcing your children's learning

• Screaming about healthcare while ignoring your own wellbeing

The Bill Never Comes First

Remember this: LBJ didn't wake up one morning and decide to be righteous. He was pushed by people who were done waiting. People who understood something we've forgotten:

• No politician creates your rights

• No law grants your dignity

• No election determines your worth

These things are claimed, not given. Created, not granted. Lived, not legislated.

Ask yourself:

• Are you waiting for permission to improve your community?

• Are you expecting someone else to solve problems you won't even name?

• Have you replaced action with activism?

When The Kitchen Gets Hot

Let's talk about what happens when people get truly hungry for change.

Rosa Parks didn't file a complaint through proper channels. Martin Luther King Jr. didn't wait for an invitation to march. The Freedom Riders didn't ask permission to board those buses.

They got in the kitchen and started cooking.

Now look at what passes for activism today:

• "I can't even function because of this election"

• "I'm literally shaking right now"

• "Moving to Canada if [candidate] wins"

The Uncomfortable Reality Check:

• Their grandparents faced fire hoses

• Ancestors built businesses under Jim Crow

• Communities survived redlining

• And people are "literally shaking" over a tweet?

The Real Cost of Convenience

When you outsource your power:

• You start believing your voice only matters every four years

• You convince yourself change requires permission

• You forget how to feed yourself

And the system loves this. Loves watching you:

• Beg for crumbs from the political table

• Fight over pre-packaged solutions

• Mistake social media rage for real action

The Temperature is Rising

You know what's actually terrifying people right now? Not who's in office.

It's the creeping realization that:

• The system was never meant to save you

• Your retweets won't feed your family

• Real change requires real work

• You might have to actually do something

When the Black community decided segregation was over, they didn't write strongly worded letters to Congress. They sat at counters where they weren't welcome. They walked instead of riding buses. They built their own schools, businesses, and support systems.

They got hungry enough to cook their own meals.

Cooking Up Real Change

Let me tell you what happens in communities when people get tired of waiting.

A group of parents look at the school system and decide: We're done waiting for someone else to educate our children properly. No committees. No petitions. No permission slips. They just start teaching their own kids.

That's what real hunger looks like.

The Recipe for Personal Power

Here's what I learned from abstaining from the political fast food diet:

• My children's learning potential soared when I stopped expecting schools to "get it right"

• My family's health flourished when I stopped outsourcing it to a backwards system

• My community strengthened when we collaborated on what mattered to us

Think about it:

• Rosa Parks didn't have a Twitter following

• MLK didn't need a viral hashtag

• The Montgomery Bus Boycott wasn't trending

They had something better: Real hunger for real change.

The System's Secret Menu:

• They want you dependent

• They want you scared

• They want you waiting for permission

• They want you blaming others for your inaction

But here's what they don't want you to know: You never needed their permission. You never needed their systems. You never needed their approval.

You just needed to get hungry enough to stop accepting their pre-packaged, processed version of life.

The Menu You Won't See on CNN

Want to know what actual power looks like in 2024?

1. In Your Home:

   • Teaching your own children

   • Growing your own food

   • Building your own businesses

   • Creating your own opportunities

2. In Your Community:

   • Supporting local businesses

   • Creating neighborhood solutions

   • Building support networks

   • Solving problems without permission

3. In Your Mind:

   • Unlearning dependency

   • Rejecting manufactured outrage

   • Choosing action over anxiety

Time to Feed Yourself

An actually empowered life looks like:

While people are crying about walls being built, you're building foundations. While they're sharing posts about rights being taken away, you're exercising the rights you have to create change. While they're stress-eating over election results, you're cooking up solutions in your own kitchen.

Here's your recipe for real power:

1. Stop consuming manufactured outrage

   • Unfollow the fear-mongers

   • Delete those "breaking news" alerts

   • Step away from the social media drive-thru

2. Start creating real value

   • In your home

   • In your community

   • In your own mind

3. Feed your real hunger

   • For growth

   • For impact

   • For genuine change

Time to Set Your Own Table

The day I stopped voting wasn't the day I gave up. It was the day I fully stepped into my power.

Here's what happened when I got hungry enough:

• I took full responsibility for my children's education

• I learned to be my family's primary healthcare provider

• I built communities wherever we lived

• I created opportunities instead of waiting for them

And you know what? Not a single politician helped. Not one bill made it possible. No election changed the trajectory.

Your Kitchen, Your Rules

The system wants you believing you're powerless without them. But ask yourself:

• Did Rosa Parks have permission to keep her seat?

• Did the lunch counter sit-ins wait for legislation?

• Did the Underground Railroad apply for permits?

The real power has always been in your hands:

• Your children's minds

• Your family's health

• Your community's strength

• Your personal growth

The True Feast

Real freedom looks like:

• Not needing to check the news to know if you're okay

• Not waiting for permission to improve your life

• Not expecting someone else to cook your meals

Your Daily Menu of Power:

1. Wake up and create instead of consume

2. Build solutions instead of sharing problems

3. Feed your community instead of feeding your fears

4. Take action instead of taking sides

The Final Course

LBJ's signature didn't create civil rights. Rosa Parks' refusal to move did. MLK's dream wasn't realized in Congress. It was realized in streets, homes, and hearts of people hungry enough to make it real.

Are you hungry enough to create the life you want, or are you still waiting for someone else to serve it to you?

The kitchen is yours. The ingredients are waiting. What will you create?