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| ISSUE NO. 724 |
| LOOK CLOSELY . . . the pain of reality often pushes us to disassociate. We invite you to look closely, instead. While we have no particular, singular agenda in looking closely, we do know that in order to do so, you have to slow down. Many of the people we hear from and engage with share the sense of urgency they are experiencing. It is challenging, to say the least, not to view events - local or global - and see an emergency. This is when I return to something I learned from a first responder, a person trained to handle emergencies. When they arrive on a scene, they are reminded by leadership: slow is smooth, and smooth is fast. In other words, to reach maximum efficiency and effectiveness...start slow. Once you have reached a smoothness in your approach, you may be surprised how quickly you work. There are so many important messages being shared across community platforms, whether it's your choice of social media or a group of local organizers. We are sharing some today that resonate with the process of slowing down and looking closely: Monique Melton recommends to students that they look back on their progress, and ahead to their goals, on a five-year scale. It's an approach that seems to prioritize both: slow and fast, at the same time. If you're interested in learning more from Monique, join her Community Connection online on February 20th. Author and publisher Jan Fortune, reflecting in 2020 on ecological crisis, political division, and the overall rise of fear, wrote: "In the darkest of times, art (of all kinds) is not an indulgence or an ego trip, but a mark of our deepest humanity." Fortune was recently quoted in Minerva Rising Press, which invites us all to "Keep creating. Even when it feels fruitless. Even when it feels selfish. Even when everything seems uncertain, keep creating." Speaking of the impact of art, along with statements like, "DEI is not a threat, it's a gift," (Alicia Keys), and "the queer community deserves to be lifted up," (Lady Gaga) our ears perked up when Chappell Roan talked about the dignity of a livable wage and healthcare during the Grammy Awards. Whether your audience is a few million or just a few, know that your voice holds immense power - even more so when joined in solidarity. Canadian writer Kai Cheng Thom offers much in the way of learning and paying attention to the things you value, but in this moment she shares three basic ways to uphold trans humanity. "I urge us all to take a deep breath and take the time to truly understand the executive orders but not to over-comply, or to get overly bogged down. Do not give up your sovereignty, autonomy, and imagination." - Desiree Adaway In spirit and action, Tay + Dor photo by Estefania Trujillo Preciado |
tidbits...resources on anti-racism, environmentalism and food culture AKA stuff we're reading / listening to / watching / noticing / thinking about / captivated by this Tuesday . . . Do One Small Thing . . . each week we highlight one small contribution to the type of world we want to live in. This week, tell us about one thing / practice / method that helps you slow down. "I wanted proof that we can still be in conversation with the earth, that if we listen, it will whisper to us." - Kimberly Coburn, Witching Water: In Search of the Unseen, for the Bitter Southerner. David Farrier on the 'wild clocks' in all living things, for Emergence Magazine. "We are the living testaments of multiple generations of collective struggle and collective care. We would not exist without the efforts of present and past generations, in times often even darker than the ones we face now." - Ijeoma Oluo has a handy framework to address collective liberation in times of crisis. |
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