Is it 2029 yet?
So, here’s the thing… I’m not even American, and still the first four days of Trump 2.0 has hurt me deeply. I’m hurting for my American friends, for the undocumented immigrants who are scared, and for the beautiful trans community who have just been legislated into non-existence —which we know is bull-shit as trans people have existed forever and will continue to exist forever. I’ve watched the world respond with shock, fear and one single question; how did we get here?
The question is rhetorical, of course. We know how we got here. All we have to do is crack a history book—sorry, type in a search engine—and we can recognize the pattern of the fascist playbook at work. It’s quite magnificent in scope, really. The time and dedication it takes to infiltrate peoples’ news cycles, algorithms, and minds is a kind of patience I wouldn’t expect the rich and powerful to possess. I suppose, however, that when the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is complete world domination, it’s worth the wait.
Even if we don’t buy into their shit, the rich and powerful have done a fantastic job of isolating us. When my daughter was born, I was lucky to have my mother come and help us out for 3 weeks, but we don’t live in the same province, so eventually, she needed to go home. She has other grandkids and other responsibilities. And what was I left with? My husband went to work, and I spent long days alone with my daughter. I’ve been taught to consider that a luxury. A vacation from working. It wasn’t.
“It takes a village,” a phrase synonymous with raising a baby, and yet most of us have been taught to handle it on our own. Asking for help is a last resort and friends shouldn’t be bothered with your burdens. So you suck it up, drink another cup of coffee as the silent tears roll down your cheeks and you scroll on your phone to feel connected to something. Anything. Maybe you buy a new sweater when the ad pops up. Yeah, I deserve something new. And when the ad for how tired I am because my gut health is total shit get shown to me for the 67th time, I’ll buy that, too. Actually, I’ll subscribe to it because it’s cheaper that way. What a deal for the answer to all my problems! An extra $81/month is nothing. My health is priceless.
Further and further we fall down the rabbit hole. Our news source is social media, our talking points are from social media, we livestream genocide and then watch a baby with a puppy. We have our hearts ripped out of our bodies so often that we become numb and nothing surprises us anymore. We become consuming zombies with really nice sweaters and healthy guts.
We know it’s wrong, too. We can feel it. I’ve been craving, down to my toes, an intentional community for years now. Food sharing and weekly gatherings. Singing songs and talking about beauty, horror, love, and hate together. Giving each other perspective. But most nights and most weekends I’m just surviving the onslaught of stimulation I get from my daughter, then a screen, then more screens, then my daughter again. I don’t organize anything, I wait for others to do it for me. I don’t make an effort to get out in my community and help in the myriad of ways I could be helping, I sit on my couch and long for some alone time to scroll, consume, and watch others stream the life I wish I was living.
Want to hear the ironic part of this rant? I know how to stop being a cog in the wheel. I’ve always had the answer and it’s not a stupid green powder to muscle down every morning. It’s to put my energy into fostering community. It doesn’t cost any money and I already have all the tools I need. How very boring and liberating at the same time.
Some things I’ve been doing very recently to de-influence myself:
Canceled my Amazon Prime subscription—I made a lot of excuses for this one for a long time. I liked the convenience and the lower cost of things. I’ve made a new commitment to myself not to buy anything on Amazon ever again. If I need something, I’m going to shop local. If I need something I can’t find local, I’m going to GO TO A WEBSITE directly, ideally a Canadian business, and order from them directly. It will help contribute to my local economy and if it’s from a Canadian company it will likely be delivered by Canada Post—which leads me to my next point.
Support local Unions and community services—Unions set industry standards for all workers. Do you know why Amazon costs so little? I know you do. So you also probably know that where you put your money really matters. Let’s try to stop giving it to billionaires who exploit workers and give it back to community services that make a difference. I know a lot of people think Canada Post should be obsolete or that they’re useless—I saw the videos during the strike—but I’m here to tell you that a community service like your mailman is a community strengthening, incredibly important job. There are a lot of seniors, especially if they live rurally, who’s interaction with their mailman is the only human interaction they have all day. Removing services like that for convenient and quick parcel drops at your door, by employees that don’t make a living wage or have any kind of job security, only isolates us even more. Support unions. I know they’re not perfect, but they are our BIGGEST line of defence against capitalism when it comes to the workforce.
Started taking more time away from screens—LOOK AWAY. It’s so simple and yet so impossible. We’re addicted. Put your phone down for longer and longer every day. Take a walk for the sake of taking a walk, not for posting about it. Remember, our brains have not evolved as fast as technology. We’re not meant to be taking this much information into our brains.
Stared gathering with friends—I love being alone and I can forget to see people sometimes. I’ve been scheduling gatherings much more often and there is a noticeable shift in my mood and my perspective. Gather and find joy, as often as you and your personal community can stand it.
Started writing again—I’ve started writing my feelings, planning art projects and collaborations with people I love.
There is still so much more I could be doing to truly contribute to my community around me, and I plan to. Baby steps. These are just a few things that have made me feel like I am taking a practical stand against hate. This has been a bit long-winded, so if I were to distill it down:
Grow your communities, look around you, and find joy everyday. It’s a radical form of protest.
There nothing hate hates more than love.
-a
Amen! And also was listening to something yesterday that encouraged us all to take a course in something as learning new things helps you foster community. Or also reading the books that they don’t want us to read, if you’re more the introvert type. Sending hugs!!