I hope you keep writing, one never knows who else you might reach or inspire. I know you've mentioned the organizing you've done, you could write more about that? What lessons you've learned and what you hope to do next.
Feel you there. Solidarity love and critical support as always (though not so critical, because I agree with you 99% of the time). This shit is exhausting. Hang in there sister, as I keep telling myself, male pronouns notwithstanding.
Hard not to feel this on a deeply interpersonal level, & you expressed it so thoroughly here Scarlet. One of your best attributes as a writer is you never sugarcoat anything; you always articulate your thoughts to the people in sobering ways that are incredibly accessible & relatable. I can't tell you how many times I've grappled with that omnipresent existential dread that looms over us with each & every step that we take in life. Having to navigate our hyper-normalized reality often times leads to a reoccurring sense of hopelessness & powerlessness that can so easily feed into a pessimistic & nihilistic spiral that many people never escape from. "Life is not a fairytale, and not everything has a happy ending." And yet despite all of that, I still find myself maintaining revolutionary optimism due to what you described at the end: "The only thing I know is that you still being here, that you still being able to muster that rage or mourn for those you do not know, it is something. It might be all you have, it might not even be enough, but it’s something. And you should hold onto it with everything you have." People continuing to show up in the multitude of ways that they do, time & time again, is something. Folks continuing to show up for their mutual aid networks is something. Folks continuing to organize their workplaces, apartment complexes, & anti-imperialist rallies is something. You continuing to write (despite not always feeling like you have the words to do so) & giving the people accurate language to understand the current moment, is something. Those somethings have meaning, & that meaning drives people to keep fighting in the face of what often feels like insurmountable odds. Maybe that optimism shapeshifts into fool's hope at a certain point, but the fact that people keep showing up in the ways they do instills me with the sense that if nothing else, people will fight to the bitter end to see that better world finally realized. While the terrain in front of us couldn't be more uphill, seeing people continue to try & climb makes me want to do the same (even if we never reach the summit). That's the unsinkable human spirit doing what it does best, & you exemplify that in the ways you carry yourself & the words you choose to articulate & agitate with. Thank you for, yet another, incredibly meaningful piece Scarlet, & while it may feel like you no longer have anything left to say, let pieces like this always remind you that not only do you still have an incredibly compelling dialogue, but it's one that folks (even in the margins) are still very eager to hear.
Felt
I hope you keep writing, one never knows who else you might reach or inspire. I know you've mentioned the organizing you've done, you could write more about that? What lessons you've learned and what you hope to do next.
Feel you there. Solidarity love and critical support as always (though not so critical, because I agree with you 99% of the time). This shit is exhausting. Hang in there sister, as I keep telling myself, male pronouns notwithstanding.
Agree. Shit is bad but will probably get a little bit better soon.
Hang in there.
Been a rough year. Thanks for this.
Hard not to feel this on a deeply interpersonal level, & you expressed it so thoroughly here Scarlet. One of your best attributes as a writer is you never sugarcoat anything; you always articulate your thoughts to the people in sobering ways that are incredibly accessible & relatable. I can't tell you how many times I've grappled with that omnipresent existential dread that looms over us with each & every step that we take in life. Having to navigate our hyper-normalized reality often times leads to a reoccurring sense of hopelessness & powerlessness that can so easily feed into a pessimistic & nihilistic spiral that many people never escape from. "Life is not a fairytale, and not everything has a happy ending." And yet despite all of that, I still find myself maintaining revolutionary optimism due to what you described at the end: "The only thing I know is that you still being here, that you still being able to muster that rage or mourn for those you do not know, it is something. It might be all you have, it might not even be enough, but it’s something. And you should hold onto it with everything you have." People continuing to show up in the multitude of ways that they do, time & time again, is something. Folks continuing to show up for their mutual aid networks is something. Folks continuing to organize their workplaces, apartment complexes, & anti-imperialist rallies is something. You continuing to write (despite not always feeling like you have the words to do so) & giving the people accurate language to understand the current moment, is something. Those somethings have meaning, & that meaning drives people to keep fighting in the face of what often feels like insurmountable odds. Maybe that optimism shapeshifts into fool's hope at a certain point, but the fact that people keep showing up in the ways they do instills me with the sense that if nothing else, people will fight to the bitter end to see that better world finally realized. While the terrain in front of us couldn't be more uphill, seeing people continue to try & climb makes me want to do the same (even if we never reach the summit). That's the unsinkable human spirit doing what it does best, & you exemplify that in the ways you carry yourself & the words you choose to articulate & agitate with. Thank you for, yet another, incredibly meaningful piece Scarlet, & while it may feel like you no longer have anything left to say, let pieces like this always remind you that not only do you still have an incredibly compelling dialogue, but it's one that folks (even in the margins) are still very eager to hear.