Jack Gould: Woman writing numbers on blackboard] (c. 1950)

We Must Embody It Now
Imaginary Enemies might be the most virulent kind. There’s no physical way to defeat them. They can only ever be conquered by other means, often through cognitive means. This means that those most likely to conjure up Imaginary Enemies usually prove to be the ones least able to vanquish them. They escalate defensive measures far beyond reasonable levels instead, often inflicting greater damage upon themselves than any enemy, imaginary or actual, could ever manage. Failure to deflect the imaginary only rarely uncovers the illusion, for only clear victory could convince the thoroughly deluded, and Imaginary Enemies wickedly withhold such clarity. It seems as though a clever conspiracy prevents unambiguous evidence from emerging. The afflicted slowly suffocate in their own ambiguity, chasing shadows of their own activity, unable to distinguish between actual and imagined.

A grave injustice might prove to be the only means by which Imaginary Enemies are ever vanquished. An unwanted impeachment. An apparently unwarranted warrant for the arrest of someone who honestly swears they’re totally innocent. Nobody will convince the imaginer that they committed the infraction, that they were just as guilty as charged, if not even more so. A period of chaos ends such eras. The truest of the true believers will prove to be the hardest to convince. The clueless will muster a spirited defense. The honest will struggle to employ necessarily heavy-handed tactics. They dare not blink.

We seem ever closer to some brink previously beyond our meager imaginations. Our incumbent, proclaiming himself the most popular in history, curiously also appears to suffer from the largest number of Imaginary Enemies. As his performance slips beyond parody and into calamity, we dare not forget about Decency. If we still believe in good, we must embody it now.

——

Weekly Writing Summary

FollowingChapters: Series_Recap
This FollowingChapters Story acts as a comprehensive series summary by gathering the introductory sections from each weekly writing update and providing direct links to every story in the ninety-some-part series. I employed this summary to reflect on my writing routine and question its purpose and outcomes, acknowledging that these questions did not yield clear answers.

I began the FollowingChapters series as a continuation of work that previously explored future predictions and hope during our political transition. This series documented personal observations and the challenges faced during a turbulent introduction. While I remain skeptical about our leadership’s stability, I hold a cautiously optimistic belief that society’s inherent, if aspirational, decency and justice might ultimately prevail.


Utagawa Hiroshige 歌川広重: Asakusa Ricefields and Torinomachi Festival (Asakusa tanbo Torinomachi mōde), from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (Meisho Edo hyakkei) (1857 (Ansei 4), 11th month)

—

Revisiting
“…genuinely inept actors.”
This FollowingChapters Story, the final one in this series, attempts to identify “the best” story in this series, and even finds a nominee without definitively deciding which story was really “the best.”

I question whether I can meaningfully name any one FollowingChapters story as “the best,” noting that writing and revisiting my work often proves noisy. I am often surprised by which stories attract the most audience appreciation. I usually resist ranking my pieces, preferring, instead, to write as a way to reflect on life. My process feels disorganized, with stories filed away and rarely remembered. One story, “Unamerican,” though, stands out for disclosing an overlooked aspect of American identity, suggesting that true threats to American ideals come from those who undermine inclusivity while striving for mediocrity. Ultimately, I see my work as ongoing, driven more by a search for authenticity than for accolades or scores.

Corita Kent (Sister Mary Corita): give the gang our best (1966)

—

Decency
"I will be investigating this notion between now and just before Christmas."
This Decency Story marks the beginning of a new series, which I’m calling Decency. Many have been wondering where Decency has disappeared to since this obscene administration took office. I will be investigating this strange disappearance in this series.

I introduce my new series: Decency. In this first installment, I critique how public officials’ claims of decency sometimes clash with their actions, such as deporting people without due process. I argue that genuine decency might be rarely found in grand gestures or public spectacles but most often exists in unseen private interactions between individuals. While the current climate seems dominated by cruelty, I insist that decency persists on small scales and remains essential. I commit to further exploration of the topic of Decency, emphasizing the enduring necessity of it regardless of presently prevailing public behaviors.

Follower of Jan Massys: Two Peasants Looking at a Mirror (c. 1550)

—

D-Scrolling
“Curious how there’s so much more effort expended trying not to do something than there ever is to simply repeating it.”
In this Decency Story, I propose replacing my Doom Scrolling with something less focused upon catastrophe, D-Scrolling. Maybe I could do DecencyScrolling instead?
I describe doom scrolling as a compulsive online habit of consuming overwhelmingly negative news, which proves addictive due to the way our brains respond to catastrophic content. While social media algorithms tend to feed more dramatic stories, uplifting content seems rarer and less satisfying. I compare this addiction to my experiences quitting caffeine and nicotine, highlighting the effort required to abstain but also the benefits, such as greater self-esteem. I conclude the story with the idea of seeking more positive online experiences, while acknowledging the difficulty in breaking the doom-scrolling cycle.


Sebald Beham: Little Buffoon with Scroll (1542)

—

ReWired
“…it might take such work to set the circuits straight again.”
This Decency Story describes how I suspect that the indecencies around me have rewired me. I re-dedicate myself to more explicitly representing my previously underlying Decency to everyone around me.

I discuss how pervasive ideological influence—whether through direct exposure or conscious avoidance—seem to have affected my thinking and behavior, leading to an involuntary shift in perspective, or “ReWiring.” This mental shift incurred emotional costs, as vigilance against harmful ideas becomes burdensome and reduces personal enjoyment. I criticize modern ideological evangelism for its arrogance and coerciveness. My self-censorship, spurred by fear of judgment, damaged social trust and undermined Decency. Ultimately, I urge openly standing for Decency and warns that correcting societal norms may require disruptive action, referencing a personal alignment with Antifa as a symbol of anti-fascism and principled resistance.


Lee Russel: Trailer of itinerant electrician near Pharr, Texas (1939) Farm Security Administration Photographs — The Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs: Photography Collection, The New York Public Library. “Trailer of itinerant electrician near Pharr, Texas” New York Public Library Digital Collections. Accessed September 24, 2025. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/8e15f900-c4fb-0136-ce6e-438981b45b1b

—

SearchingForDecency
“It seems likely to be taken down by defensive friendly fire.”
This Decency Story finds me searching for Decency and experiencing great difficulty finding it in the news. It was much easier to find articles mourning its absence and demise.

I searched for examples of Decency but mostly found commentary on its decline, especially in online and political contexts. Despite news coverage focusing on the erosion of Decency, few sources define or showcase Decency itself. Attempts to highlight positive actions, like the Good News Network, exist but attract relatively little attention or seriousness. I compare decency to healthy eating—people endorse it in theory but often abandon it in practice, especially in restaurants.. Ultimately, decency seems too-often overlooked, hard to define, and seemingly practiced, lost amid a cultural focus on negativity and conflict.


Antonio Tempesta: Canens Searching for Picus (1606)

—

This was a transition writing week. I completed my FollowingChapters series and initiated a new series focused on Decency. It seemed to me that Decency had become scarcer and that focusing my attention in that direction might help me see what had recently appeared to become less present. I might be encouraging nothing more than my imagination, but I sense that this exercise might well constitute a significant improvement in the quality of my experience. On my way away from FollowingChapters, I slowed long enough to nominate one of those stories for special attention. Then I began my Decency exploration. I started tentatively, as has become my practice. Decency will be my 34th series in this series of series. I see no end in sight yet. I considered trading in my Doom Scrolling in favor of DecencyScrolling in D-Scrolling. I next suggested that I might have been ReWired by the explosion of indecencies I have been trying to avoid. Avoidance might not serve as an inoculation from their effects, but instead induce some of the disease. I ended this re-initiating writing week searching for Decency only to find reports of its absence dominating the news. Thank you for following along through this latest transition!

©2025 by David A. Schmaltz - all rights reserved

Tags: #Decency, #PureSchmaltz