Encouragement
Little glimmers of hope in an otherwise very bleak moment
This is not what I planned to write this week. In fact I wrote another essay entirely, a reflection of my current inner world emblematized by this ongoing struggle I’ve been having in the pool lately, but it didn’t sit right. I found myself feeling completely disconnected, when the intention of the Side Quest and these writings is in fact to strengthen my sense of connectedness.
So I asked myself, what did inspire that feeling that I’m pursuing? What is making me feel most connected and alive right now? The videos of community care and mass collective resistance coming out of Minnesota this week. The speech that Mr. Max gave in defense of Bigger Thomas at the end of Native Son. A conversation with a client who wants to apply for funding on behalf of or for the benefit of an organization — not their own — serving individuals particularly afflicted by this present moment.
What do these things have in common? There is a consistent through-line of selflessness, of seeing beyond oneself and desiring to contribute to a greater good, to act in an effort to advance what one believes is right even when it is not to their immediate advantage or self-interest to do so. These examples of profound selflessness and interconnection encourage me not to retreat inward, but rather to turn outward and observe and find reasons to remain hopeful.
So today I went looking for more sources of encouragement, more things that help me feel connected and hopeful. Here’s what I’ve found:
The nation’s attention drawn to the tens of thousands of Minnesotans showing up in sub zero temps this week to conduct the first general strike in nearly the last century, risking their personal and financial wellbeing to show the regime that the masses are not on their side and will not quietly accept what they are inflicting on this country.
The daylight that remained when I finished my work days this week. We are through the darkest part of the year.
The knowledge that more and more conservatives are having to wake up each day and confront the growing cognitive dissonance and mental gymnastics that continued support for this authoritarian regime requires.
The knowledge that this is wearing some of them down.
The existence of art and artists.
The existence of people who pursue meaning and fulfillment over profit.
The fact that the collective struggle for liberation has persisted — at various strengths and in various forms — throughout all of human history. In every time and every place that oppression and injustice has existed, so too has resistance.
The power in numbers.
Protest songs.
The fact that every empire in history has eventually fallen.
Protests organized and led by high school students here in Cleveland.
Mutual-aid networks.
Community-organized trainings that teach people new to protest movements how to participate safely and know their rights.
Pulling the curtains back to let the light in on a Saturday morning.
Dance as a form of connection, protest, release and self-expression.
Comedy as a form of connection, protest, release and self-expression.
People who are willing to say “I was wrong,” “I didn’t know/realize” or “you changed my mind” — and people who, in so doing, set an example that grants others the permission to do the same.
I can’t make this shit up; as I was writing this yesterday (Saturday 1/24), I got a push notification about the public execution of Alex Pretti by ice agents in Minnesota.
We cannot be quiet. We cannot acquiesce. We cannot accept this. So find reasons to stay hopeful, find ways to stay connected to each other and the world. And fuck ice.