Linger Not in Despair
I did not watch the inauguration. Or read about it. Throughout Monday and Tuesday, I didn’t do much more than scan the headlines, which announced a barrage of awful, vengeful, and absurd directives coming from the second-time occupant of the White House. My instinct for self-preservation prevented me from doing more, until Wednesday evening. Then I started reading. And panic set in. Breath-choking, heart-thumping panic. “Fully facing the reality of what’s happening is rather terrifying,” I texted my sister, who lives in Phoenix, surrounded by friends who’d voted differently from her. She messaged back that she hadn’t been able to sleep most of Sunday night, but she was finding some solace in seeing how so many people across the country were already mobilizing, offering support to each other, sharing information and resources, and gathering in solidarity. Her response reminded me, yet again, that the fight against authoritarianism is as old as humanity itself. We have fought versions of this fight many times over, the world over, throughout history, and we will likely do so in the future too. And here’s the good part: The core resources that we need to put up the resistance — community, care, love, music, art, joy — remain unchanged, as well. Despite knowing this, it's been hard, for me at least, to see past the fog of despair and exhaustion that has shrouded so many of us since November. But maybe that’s ok. Sometimes we do need to wallow a bit before gathering strength for the long haul ahead. But I’m also holding onto the advice that veteran activist Akaya Windwood offered on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, during a livestream event. “We need to remember that despair is a land we move through,” she said, “and not to build any buildings there.”
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