The Revolutionary Power of Joy

[lb_lee]

(inspired by a chat with a friend)

So, with all the shit going on in America right now, a lot of people are wondering what the fuck they can do, feeling like whatever they do isn't enough. Our advice: find what you can do in the long-term that recharges and nourishes you, rather than drains you. Then do it.

(An IMPERATIVE part of that recharging and nourishing is doing SOMETHING to resist what's happening. Authoritarians play offense. Retreating into a superficial bubble of avoidance and denial won't solve the problem you've got, because that bubble will not be allowed to exist for long. Don't chug sugar when what you need is protein. You have to do SOMETHING, however small, to fight, or you will succumb--to despair and learned helplessness, if nothing else.)

Everyone has different skills, different things they can do. Some of our friends are donating to noble causes. Others are on the front lines, or just refusing to comply. For us, fighting is volunteering at a library and putting more queer and immigrant stuff on the shelves. It is joining forces with someone building an archive and sharing what knowledge we've got. It's making more crisis plan and sanity-boosting resources, slapping up horny trans stickers and zines all over town, and being as relentlessly kind and helpful as we can be.

Doing these things strengthens us. They do not drain us. They may be small and unglamorous, but we can keep doing them interminably. And they also build and strengthen my sense of community, my sense of belonging with my neighbors, my city, my society, my world. I'm entrenching myself, because even if Trump and Elon Musk both got hit by lightning tomorrow, there will still be a lot to do, and if there's one thing my life has taught me, it's how to fall back to a solid position, entrench, and play the long game. All fights are long fights, everything takes forever, so you better choose something you can keep up forever. (And if you find yourself going, "Uggggggh, FOREVER?!" think of the people you love, the hobbies you love. You don't think of those with resignation and resentment, do you? You go, "I get to spend the rest of my life doing this! YES!" Sure, everyone has to put their back into miserable tasks sometimes, but nobody can do them forever; eventually something has to give. Choose wisely.)

What nourishes you? What strengthens you? What can you keep doing?

Comments

[minoanmiss]

This is why I have decided to adopt and add to the Watertown Community Fridge. To judge by how full the refrigerator was on my last visit I'm not the only one.

[lb_lee]

Yeah, that’s a great thing to do! People need that food!

(Btw you are the most food knowledgeable person we know. Do you know of any drinks with ginger and cloves that could be yummy?)

[minoanmiss]

Ginger and cloves go together really well both by themselves and in the classic four spices known as "pumpkin spice" in the US (the history of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves together is much older than that) for hot drinks try looking up mulled wine or mulled cider. more in a moment.

[lb_lee]

Sneak: We have found a ginger mulled cider drink thing to try making from a friend! Biff is excited to try it.

[minoanmiss]

Woot woot! Also remind me to make you some sorrel. it's the same thing as Agua De Jamaica. I always put ginger in and I could toss in some cloves.

[lb_lee]

Yum yum, long as it’s the nonboozy kind of sorrel! ;p

[minoanmiss]

the rum goes in last, ahahahaa

[wolfy_writing]

An IMPERATIVE part of that recharging and nourishing is doing SOMETHING to resist what's happening. Authoritarians play offense. Retreating into a superficial bubble of avoidance and denial won't solve the problem you've got, because that bubble will not be allowed to exist for long. Don't chug sugar when what you need is protein. You have to do SOMETHING, however small, to fight, or you will succumb--to despair and learned helplessness, if nothing else.

Yeah, I think a lot of people are very all-or-nothing about resistance. Like they envision either forcing yourself through At All Costs, or like pure avoidant escapism. When "Do part of a thing regularly, largely do what feels good and satisfying, challenge yourself to a finite amount, and give yourself some, but not unlimited time of pure unapologetic distraction" works better, but is harder to summarize in a short sales pitch.

[lb_lee]

Yeah, it’s not nearly as snappy! Taking breaks is also imperative, but it shouldn’t be everything.

(Reminds me of the whole “am I self-caring or just depressed?” Thing. Self-care by definition is supposed to recharge and nourish you. Depression behavior generally does not.)

[numinousdread]

I've developed a niche-- working as a hotline volunteer to support trans people in crisis. I may expand as I notice opportunities. I'm pretty fucked up about politics rn, but my mental health is surprisingly decent as I am blessed with volunteer.

[minoanmiss]

OMG thank you so much for doing this. hands you a star

[numinousdread]

Aww, really? It feels pretty modest to me. But thank you.

[minoanmiss]

You don't have to save the world on your own but you are honestly helping to save the world. There are people who have and who will survive because you talk to them when they need it. The least I can do is say thank you. beams at you

[numinousdread]

I hope so. :) Thanks for the kind words about my work.

[lb_lee]

Hell yeah, I wouldn’t have the stamina for hot line work, it’s great that you’re doing it!

[numinousdread]

Thanks guys. I'm surprised that I've taken to it so well.
I... had a contact thank me last night and tell me I helped them not act on some self-destructive desires, and I actually teared up a little.
I also had another person ask if I knew anyone with DID because I seemed relatively normal about it. Reading random stuff on the Internet and knowing a lot of people virtually has paid off. ;--;

[lb_lee]

That’s so awesome! Good job, you!

[numinousdread]

Thanks! It feels awesome.

[lb_lee]

Saaaaame. I truly think our sanity is staying as decent as it is because we have useful meaningful things to do about the shit in the world, shit with visible immediate results. It matters! It’s small, but it matters!

[numinousdread]

I'm glad you're able to notice ways to help people affected by Recent Events feel less alone and access more information about people like them and what they can do (at least, that's how I expect it'll impact people). And to keep yourselves afloat. Mad respect.
Hell, I'm thinking of wearing some kind of trans pin on my bag because while part of me recoils from "visibility is a political act" type statements (for poorly-introspected reasons; idk if I'm being fair), and I have never felt comfortable wearing pride symbols, I often get a hit of pleasurable surprise at seeing other trans people out and about. If I can brighten someone's day and/or find connection, that'll be nice. And also, yeah, I'm not going away any time soon.

[lb_lee]

Think of it maybe as reaching out to others like you, and making for an easy conversation starter! (“Cool pin! Where’d you get it?”) It’s way easier to approach a fellow trans person with a compliment for their accessories than being like HELLO I AM TRANS ARE YOU A FELLOW TRANS?

We say this as someone with many buttons and shirts, some home done.

[numinousdread]

Yeah, I definitely compliment people's various LGBT accessories because it feels like responding to deliberate signaling and not like "I clocked you bro" (rude, creepy).
I recently saw a young transmasc(?) person at a mall Build-a-Bear and commented on his trans flag bead necklace and it was nice.
My "trans life" felt so disconnected from day-to-day life and from connection with other human beings for a long time and so seeing little signs of transness leak into the real world feels like seeing a crocus break through snow.

[writerkit]

Part of why I put so much effort into staying in the public service/nonprofit world professionally is that I really need the structure of "this is the paying job." But I'm one of the many people processing applications for government aid. (The hard part for me is reminding myself that this is not any less keeping the world on its track because I'm getting paid to do it-- this is still my contribution to improving the world.)

I also went to a public comment meeting about the Davis Square apartment monstrosity and intend to virtually attend the city council meeting on Thursday. What is that going to lead to? I have no idea! But I'm sure I'll figure something out.

[lb_lee]

That’s super important and good work to be doing! Thank you for your service!

[sinistmer]

Right now, I do okay when I'm focusing on my library work, which involves supporting students and faculty through teaching instruction and acquiring articles as quickly as I can through interlibrary loan. I'm very worried about the outright censorship and attacks on higher ed, but, for now, this is good.

I haven't found much outside of work that I really connect to. I used to be more helpful, but, at times, feel burned out on it (I think this surrounds issues of me not always being the best with boundaries). I do try calling my reps, but that sometimes feels like screaming into the void where no one can hear me.

[lb_lee]

Yeah, I admit that trying to do the “classic” calling reps and hitting town halls things has been draining or voidscreaming feeling, which tends to increase my feelings of hopelessness and frustration. It is clearly not my strength.

[nevanna]

I really really love how you approach and discuss this subject. “If your activism doesn’t make you uncomfortable/depressed/anxious, you’re not doing it right!” seems to be a pervasive mindset in Online Social Justice circles, and while I can see where that perspective comes from and it might even be true in some very specific cases, I don’t think it’s a helpful metric across the board.

I recently read Akwaeke Emezi’s Bitter (after rereading Pet) and their “everyone has their niche” approach seems is very similar to yours.

[lb_lee]

Yeah, depression and anxiety tend to HINDER effective action for me! I don’t want them to be things I seek or encourage in my work!