Act As If It Were Possible
Brain Dump Mar '25
Neighbors, can I be honest with you? I am in a low spot, which is okay and to be expected. We’re all gonna need “Fascism Sucks” days. I’d had a whole other “Brain Dump” planned for you, but I’m not able to think it all through and write it all up to a standard I’ll feel good about right now . . . the image above really captures it. Lol! Everything is connected, Neighbors, and I can’t really get into all that right now. ;-)
Yesterday, a sweet friend asked how I was, and I told the truth; I am satisfied that I am doing everything I am able to do, but my heart and mind are burdened. I’m sure yours are, too.
So, while this isn’t the usual “Brain Dump” here are two things that circulate in my thoughts very, very often:
1.
Some days, I am better at this than others, but many things Angela Davis taught live rent-free in my head, and this is one of the most important. To act as if it were possible despite the present conditions.
2.
Nemik’s Manifesto, written by Tony Gilroy for the Star Wars series, Andor:
There will be times when the struggle seems impossible. I know this already. Alone, unsure, dwarfed by the scale of the enemy. Remember this. Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously and without instruction. Random acts of insurrection are occurring constantly throughout the galaxy. There are whole armies, battalions that have no idea that they've already enlisted in the cause. Remember that the frontier of the Rebellion is everywhere. And even the smallest act of insurrection pushes our lines forward. And then remember this. The Imperial need for control is so desperate because it is so unnatural. Tyranny requires constant effort. It breaks, it leaks. Authority is brittle. Oppression is the mask of fear. Remember that. And know this, the day will come when all these skirmishes and battles, these moments of defiance will have flooded the banks of the Empire's authority and then there will be one too many. One single thing will break the siege. Remember this. Try.
I don’t mean to be one of those people (nerds unite!), but Andor, and specifically this speech by one of the characters in the first season, is enormously important to me. There are a lot of ideas in this piece of the script that might feel too radical and too . . . just too much, but it also wouldn’t be the first piece of science fiction writing filled with deep, philosophical truths. (Octavia Butler or Margaret Atwood, anyone?) It’s honestly not far off from what Jesus was talking about in the New Testament, but he was a pretty radical dude, soooo . . .
Anyway, the last word has kept me going on quite a few days over the last couple of years. Try. Try. If you’re also in a low spot, take a breather, and then, tomorrow, act as if it’s possible again. Try. This is about endurance now.
What lives rent-free in your head that keeps you going when you’re in a low spot?
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This is right on!
You got this Angie. I'll eat a tub of anti-zionist Ben & Jerry's in solidarity and support. Drastic times call for drastic measures. Now, back to the trenches.