In a world where the gap between the haves and the have-nots widens by the day, it’s becoming increasingly clear that traditional approaches to economic and social reform are failing us. My youngest son brought Gary Stevenson to my attention and I have been hooked ever since. Gary’s Economics on YouTube has been hammering home the reality of our dire economic inequality—how wealth is hoarded, how resources are siphoned upward, and how the everyday person is left to struggle in a system designed to keep them scrambling. He is engaging young people at a speed most politicians can only dream about and he is speaking on behalf of those who feel they have no voice right now. His message is clear: we need systemic change, but more importantly, we need emotionally balanced, connected, and engaged people to make it happen.
This is where The Great Big Yawn steps in—not as an intellectual exercise, but as a profound, physical, and universal action that can crack open the very communication barriers that keep us divided. Yawning isn’t just a reflex; it’s a biological signal of trust, a reset button for our nervous system, and a powerful tool for connection. And in these deeply emotional and challenging times, connection is exactly what we need to combat the rising tides of inequality.
Inequality: The Disconnection Crisis
Gary highlights the real issue behind economic injustice—not just numbers on a spreadsheet, but the lived experience of millions struggling under a system that thrives on disconnection. The more isolated we are, the less we challenge the structures that bind us. The more exhausted and overwhelmed we feel, the less likely we are to organize and demand better. Divide and conquer isn’t just an old military strategy; it’s the very foundation of modern economic inequality.
But what happens when we refuse to be divided? What happens when we find a common ground—something so simple yet so powerful that it bypasses language, ideology, and belief systems?
Yawning: A Biological Rebellion Against Division
Yawning is contagious. It spreads effortlessly between people, dissolving barriers and creating an instant shared experience. It’s a primal signal of safety and synchronization, something we do in groups to attune ourselves to one another. In essence, yawning is the fastest way to get on the same wavelength—physically, emotionally, and energetically. And right now, we need this more than ever.
Imagine using the power of The Great Big Yawn to break the silence that inequality thrives on. Instead of exhausted apathy, we reclaim the yawn as a conscious act of awakening—an intentional reset that shakes off the fatigue of oppression and reignites the collective spark of possibility. If we want systemic change, we need to be in sync—not just in thought, but in action.
Turning Paradigms Upside Down—Physically and Mentally
Gary’s Economics urges us to rethink old paradigms, but we can’t do this with thinking alone. Intellectual shifts need to be accompanied by bodily engagement—real, physical movement that anchors change in our physiology. The Great Big Yawn does just that. It’s a contagious, visible, and embodies shift, flipping the script on old systems in a way that thinking alone cannot achieve.
- It destabilizes old narratives (Yawning isn’t laziness; it’s connection.)
- It interrupts patterns of stress and survival mode (Yawning resets the nervous system.)
- It creates space for new conversations (Yawning opens, rather than closes, communication.)
A Call to Yawn: Building the Emotional Resilience to Face the Future
Gary knows that for people to step into action, they need emotional balance. The world is shifting, and we are entering times of deep upheaval. If we are to navigate these changes without falling into division, fear, and hopelessness, we need tools that are simple, immediate and that center us, connect us, and reignite our collective power.
The Great Big Yawn is more than just an event—it’s a movement. A movement that says: We refuse to be exhausted into silence. We reclaim our right to open up, breathe deeply, and sync with each other in a way that no economic system can suppress.
So, the next time you feel the weight of inequality pressing down, don’t just sigh—yawn. Let it be a reminder that we are in this together. Let it be a visible call to action that spreads from one person to the next, uniting us in the simplest yet most powerful way.
Because the revolution won’t just be televised—it will be expanded into a yawning existence and we don’t truly know what that looks like until we’re in it. Leaving space for growth into something even more wonderful than we can predict should be our new paradigm not boxing it into our restricted thought processes of our old beliefs. Real change needs space to expand into. Let’s create it together.
Rachel Earing
Founder The Great Big Yawn
