You always have a choice (and a voice)
Hello you slip and slide.
Perhaps it is a common experience right now. I have not spoken to many people about this phenomenon lately, but as a Canadian, I feel pretty conflicted about how much time I currently spend thinking about what is happening in the United States. It's not like important discussions around race, government accountability and global health emergencies aren't happening here in Canada too. And I am engaging with what is happening here in a bunch of ways. But when it comes to reflecting on some of the big picture questions we are all navigating, I can't seem to look away from the explicitness, significance and surreality of how things are unfolding in the States (the Portland state violence beta test, the USPS looming disaster and potentially delaying the election all being prime examples, just in the past week).
That said: while the extreme nature of how things are unfolding in the US gives us/them lots to be concerned about, there is in equal measure a lot of inspiring moments happening too. I wanted to briefly highlight two of them this week.
Perhaps you missed the master-class-in-human-centered-advocacy that was Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez' response to being called a "fucking bitch" by one of her political colleagues, fighting back against the poison of male incivility and navigating the tyranny of niceness that can plague women who raise their voice-- who are labeled as unreasonable, selfish and unfeminine when they stand up for themselves and their values. It was a moment where she could have sat back, or met his anger with more anger. But instead she not only stood her ground, but built a whole new continent on which to stand with her principles and values. As a white feminist who continues to learn about allyship, anti-racism and performativity, and as I continue to keep moving from reading to doing more around anti-racism, I felt really inspired by this well-crafted response.
While I know this, the way she used her voice this week was a welcome reminder for me that "feminism [and anti-racism] is not a self-help movement, dedicated to making everyone feel better about their lives. It is a radical demand to overturn the status quo..." I was inspired by how she took such misogynistic vitriol, harnessed the energy around it, flipped the status quo on its head and converted the moment into something much more powerful and ultimately human.
The same goes for the life of John Lewis (PS: and do check out Obama's eulogy if you haven't), who spent much of his time on this earth pushing people to engage in "good trouble," and was an advocate for the importance of forgiveness and compassion as core principles for living a good life, whether in the public sphere or in one's personal capacity. And this from someone who was beaten to within an inch of his life because of the color of his skin.
In his book Across that Bridge, in order to transform our relationships and society, he calls for us to "release the need to hate, to harbor division, and the enticement of revenge. Release all bitterness. Hold only love, only peace in your heart, knowing that the battle of good to overcome evil is already won. Choose confrontation wisely, but when it is your time don’t be afraid to stand up, speak up, and speak out against injustice."
In the midst of so much fear and pain south of the border, I was inspired this week by these two leaders and their commitment to using their voices to transform the status quo, to actively engage in "good trouble" and to meet hate with love, dignity and power.
For myself, I am aware that I experience a calmness, groundedness and a deep knowing when I am able to act from this heart space. It's not always easy to do, and I will continue to fail. But I appreciated being reminded this week of the power of voice and choice, and how in every moment, if we want to, we can actively choose love. This doesn't mean sitting back and accepting the world as it is. Choosing love is political, and means choosing transformation, choosing respect, choosing a world where everyone has a place of dignity and opportunity.
In the midst of all the chaos and uncertainty swirling around, I am grateful for these (and many other) clear reminders of our elegant and powerful ability to use voice and choice to make the world a better place.
But wait! Perhaps all of this talk of using your voice and choosing love is feeling a bit too intense on a sunny Sunday morning? Well then, while you warm up your vocal cords, why not try looking through someone else’s window?
Still too much realness? Then please enjoy these amazing photos of the Sydney Annual Duck fashion show (thanks Leah!)
From one human person to another, I am glad that we can find forgiveness and compassion and take action together. I hope you enjoyed this dispatch, and have a voice-filled week!
Until next Sunday,
The Earnest Platypus