I can't emphasize enough how much I related to this. Lately I've felt like I could just scream or explode, that it's absolutely insane for us all to go about our daily lives—work, grocery shopping, commuting, cooking, etc etc etc—while the world utterly falls apart around us. I'm both comforted by and extremely frustrated at the knowledge that we have no other choice. Jumping off bridges doesn't exactly help put roofs over people's heads, or stop bombs from falling on helpless civilians, or bring food to starving people's tables. We can take steps to help others, from volunteering to spreading the word, but in between, it's imperative that we cling desperately to whatever might bring us at least a little bit of joy or comfort. What else is there?
Also, not sure if it helps you to think this way, but I try to remind myself that they (the harbingers of oppression) want us to fall into despair. Having hope, however hard it is, is an act of both spite and resistance.
That’s definitely the perspective I try to look at it from. Sometimes righteous defiance is the only tool we’ve got. Being defiantly happy I think is the tough part. I can do a lot out of spite for evil people in power but finding joy from that place is fucking hard. I refuse to let it stop me from trying, I think I’m just constantly reframing what ‘trying’ looks like so I’m not beating myself up for not doing enough.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I’m sorry that it has to resonate but glad it did. Genuinely just receiving concrete confirmation that I’m not the only person on the verge of breaking shit is comforting in its own messy way. May our shared grief and rage give us the strength to resist
I can't emphasize enough how much I related to this. Lately I've felt like I could just scream or explode, that it's absolutely insane for us all to go about our daily lives—work, grocery shopping, commuting, cooking, etc etc etc—while the world utterly falls apart around us. I'm both comforted by and extremely frustrated at the knowledge that we have no other choice. Jumping off bridges doesn't exactly help put roofs over people's heads, or stop bombs from falling on helpless civilians, or bring food to starving people's tables. We can take steps to help others, from volunteering to spreading the word, but in between, it's imperative that we cling desperately to whatever might bring us at least a little bit of joy or comfort. What else is there?
Also, not sure if it helps you to think this way, but I try to remind myself that they (the harbingers of oppression) want us to fall into despair. Having hope, however hard it is, is an act of both spite and resistance.
That’s definitely the perspective I try to look at it from. Sometimes righteous defiance is the only tool we’ve got. Being defiantly happy I think is the tough part. I can do a lot out of spite for evil people in power but finding joy from that place is fucking hard. I refuse to let it stop me from trying, I think I’m just constantly reframing what ‘trying’ looks like so I’m not beating myself up for not doing enough.
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts. I’m sorry that it has to resonate but glad it did. Genuinely just receiving concrete confirmation that I’m not the only person on the verge of breaking shit is comforting in its own messy way. May our shared grief and rage give us the strength to resist