
While many of us can do nothing but anticipate uncertain times ahead, what we do know is that people are in danger and people are going to get hurt. The wrath of capitalist exploitation will continue to collectively harm individuals, communities, and entire ecosystems, and we must reconcile with the fact that it will take herculean collective efforts to put an end to this. We are scared. And we are hopeful. There will be terror and violence but there will also be love and healing. We will be gripped with existential dread but also with wild hope. We will continue to witness unfathomable atrocities as well as glimmers of humanity. How can we cope with these paradoxes? How do we hold these terrifying truths while also embracing the life-giving forces that will weave together the safety net for our individual and collective survival?
It is times like these where we must come together to organize, to grieve, and to embrace mindsets of abundance and new beginnings that center care while honoring past harms. We must shed all of the ideologies and limitations to our imagination that uphold current systems and weigh down our progress towards a different way of being. How do we do that? The following newsletter contains just a few core frameworks, principles, and practices to help reorient us in a very disorienting and overwhelming time. They are rooted in indigenous wisdom, abolitionist practices, and reminders of the ways that humans have survived in past times of turmoil. All of us have experienced immense harm in the past five years. We survived a global pandemic that drove us into isolation as the powers that be simultaneously robbed us of collective grief. We have been morally injured as we witness genocide live-streamed to our phones and more of the grave human rights violations inflicted by exploitative and extractive capitalism are put on blast. The world is on fire. Literally and metaphorically. We are wounded, we will continue to be wounded, so let today be the day that you indulge yourself in some reorientation and healing as we take a deep collective breath and prepare to move forward. Take what you need, leave what you don't, share what inspires you.
On Protecting Ourselves
"Put on your own oxygen mask first" is often screamed at us as we are overwhelmed by trying to support friends, family and our immediate community while also donating to Doctors Without Borders and reposting videos from Palestinian citizen journalists and feeling bad about ordering our toothpaste off of Amazon because it costs $10 for three tubes but $7 for one tube at your local shop and educating ourselves on the Uyghur genocide and why we should stop buying new batteries that benefit from child labor in the Congo. We are held to the impossible standard that we must care for ourselves first despite being inherently interdependent on the people and the systems around us. We are told that this "self-care" is a onetime process and as soon as that oxygen mask is on, we will feel better and we can move on to caring for others. While we all need reminders to take a deep breath, protect our boundaries, and advocate for our own needs, in times like these we are inextricably bound.
The oxygen mask analogy is perfect for when you are in a plane crash. It is not a good motto for sustaining your sanity and activism in this overwhelming world. Self-care is also woefully inadequate for the magnitudes of moral injury, grief, and even trauma that we obtain from just being a conscientious witness to the world around us.
A face mask and matcha latte are supposed to make me feel better after watching a man carry his son's dismembered body in grocery bags? A hot girl walk is going to erase the rage and anger I feel when I witness such violence and injustice? I can journal my way out of the fear I have for the vulnerable people in my community? Of course not! You can not "self-care" your way out of the harm that the unjust systems and structures around us are inflicting on us, and to think that you can is mentally and emotionally exhausting. So if a face mask isn't going to help us? What do we do?
1) Rest like your life depends on it. Because it does. Rest gives us time to process and reflect and it gives us time to imagine new worlds and new ways of being. Laziness is a capitalist construct, Laziness does not exist. Resting is one of the most restorative practices you can embrace. People are being worked to death literally and spiritually. If we want to be present for ourselves and others, we must learn how to rest.
2) Don't forget to gather. Celebrate the equinox, the solstice, or the passage of time along with birthdays and weddings and baby showers and funerals. Don't think that you need something beyond gathering for the sake of gathering. Abandon agendas and intended outcomes. "I miss you" is good enough. "I need you" is good enough. "I treasure your presence" is good enough. Gather for no reason or for lots of reasons. Gathering will hold us accountable to ourselves and to each other, and it will remind us that we belong.
3) In these uncertain times, remember to embrace the things that give you vitality - dance, sing, rest, create, cry, scream, hug and kiss your loved ones, revel at beauty - these things are our life force and we can't afford to forget that. It's ok to be rageful. It's ok to be grieving. It's ok to ugly cry. It's ok to be radically joyful. Hold compassion and forgiveness for yourself and remember that you are not "putting on your own oxygen mask first," you are learning and unlearning and relearning what your life force will be every single day.
On Protecting Each Other
1) Participate in Mutual Aid. We can't depend on the system to help us or to help others. Non-profit organizations generate funds for projects or populations that must adhere to narrow criteria. People fall through the gaps. GoFundMe benefits off of people needing to raise funds to cover medical emergencies. People in need can't wait for grant cycles or government funding approval. We must organize effectively to support each other.
Recommended reading: Mutual Aid: Building Solidarity During This Crisis (And the Next) by Dean Spade
2) Learn how to protect your neighbors. Those among us who are not vulnerable must leverage those privileges to protect others. Learn how to defend your neighbors from immigration raids, homeless encampment sweeps, and other human rights violations. Look into local organizations and solidarity groups who organize trainings like Stop the Sweeps or Stop the Raids and familiarize yourself with the rights of immigrants in your community. Be sure to search for local organizations working on these issues in your area, as they will be able to best advise based on the current context.
3) Promote safe spaces. Communal gathering will be a lifeline for all of us. Make sure you are voting to protect communal spaces like parks, community halls, and recreation centers. Donate to scholarship programs for local sports clubs and arts programs so others can participate. Make sure you are frequenting local businesses where people are safe to gather. Get a library card and support local librarians. Build a communal garden. Start a dinner club and invite over friends who live alone or people who are new to your area. If any of these places face hostility, be prepared to show up to defend them regardless of whether or not you benefit from them directly.
On Protecting the Collective
Is it really possible to take small, daily steps that can have an impact on the global collective? Absolutely! The current capitalist system relies on us being dependable consumers so they can continue to hoard resources and contribute to climate catastrophe. The industry drives some of the biggest social justice issues of our time.
1) Confront the industry. Who is profiting from these global problems being upheld and who benefits from a more equitable society? This is a question we ask our mentorship program participants when we talk about the non-profit industrial complex. Industry has brought forth many technological advances that have saved countless lives, but the reality is that countless other (likely significantly more) people have been sacrificed for the advancement of the industry. Learning to recognize the presence and the power of an industrial complex can help you confront and eventually disrupt it. Our Understanding the Industrial Complex Worksheet is in the free resources folder!
2) Reduce consumption. I know we all love a treat here and there, but did you know that the fashion industry is a top contributor to exploitation, ecocide, and forced migration? Is that really worth the SheIn haul? When possible, shop secondhand or learn how to mend, fix, and repurpose items to extend their lifetime. Consider doing clothes swaps with friends or in your community. A little truly goes a long way when all of us are stepping up!
3) Disrupt systems of power with boycotts. Boycotts work! If you are in a position of privilege to do any of the following, do not discount the immense impact it can have if thousands of us take these steps: If you have the privilege of deleting your Meta accounts because you do not need them for vital communication with friends and family, please do so. Meta regularly censors content and contributes to human rights violations and compromise the safety of human rights defenders by sharing data with authorities. Follow the BDS Movement and boycott companies that profit from the Israel lobby and/or uphold the occupation (for most of these companies, benefitting off of the occupation of Palestine is one of many atrocities they are a part of). Easy luxuries on the BDS list to give up include McDonalds and Starbucks. Cancel your Amazon Prime account. Amazon is part of a global chain of exploitation that hurts communities from the production level up to the distributors and drivers. Consider sharing an account with a collective of friends if you live in a rural area where some products are not available or accessible at an affordable price! We know that this is not easy for everyone! 4) Center care. What is the opposite of harm? Care. When we cultivate systems of care rather than systems of power and dominance or systems of industry, by nature we drastically reduce harm. Do this in your daily interactions with other people. Do this in your family systems. Do this in your work. The ripple effect will be immense.
Recommended reading: The Care Manifesto: The Politics of Interdependence
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