I Am Not Sure What to Write Right Now
Writing anything non-journalistic feels fraudulent; writing anything journalistic feels inadequate.
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Modern life is fragmented. It seems surreal that I can be reading about the ongoing child refugee crisis in Latin America prior to enjoying craft beers in a modern-German restaurant. It seems surreal that a podcast detailing the genocide of Palestinian people and terrorist attacks on Israeli communities can be followed by a podcast contemplating the importance of play for a happier life. A video bashing the culture of calorie counting is followed by a video of Paris Hilton marketing her new line at Walmart, which is followed by a video detailing how Americans can and should go on a tax strike to demand that the U.S. government stop funding the Israeli military. Within three minutes, TikTok makes me laugh, nod to the effervescent wave of pop culture, and contemplate the depressing reality that exists in every corner of the globe.
Is it that the older we grow, the more aware we become of how harsh the world is? Or is it that at this point in time, we are most aware of how harsh the world is due to the accessibility of knowledge and the speed at which it flows? Regardless, it is important, and it is good, that we are informed. Yet, I have no wise insights on the state of the world, because the more I learn, the less I understand. Or perhaps it is that I do not want to believe what the stories say, that the narrative of humankind has consistently centered itself around an obsession with power. I do not understand, for instance, how the United States has funded the obliteration of millions of people across multiple wars — the reason, to maintain a position of power, makes it obvious why many Americans renounce the idea of nationalism.
I feel like I have spent the first quarter of my life attempting to understand how the world works, attempting to make sense of the most pressing issues in the United States and outside of it: the climate crisis, racially-fueled hate crimes, the freedom and protection of queer communities, women’s rights, a government that funds the incarceration of our most vulnerable communities and gangs that continue to take innocent lives (the police being one of them)… And I do not, for the life of me, know how to continue processing it all, because at the end of the day, the problems continue, the progress grows and then recedes, and the question is never who is at fault or how can we change this but why is this happening again, why are the people who have the power to change things never the ones to try, and what will it take to get to a place where humanity seems less broken?
It is important for us to participate in the daily motions that have the potential to make change: demanding action from our local governments, putting our money into the pockets of responsible NGOs, and making as much of an impact as we can, given our respective time and privilege. Yet, at face value, it all feels lacking. Perhaps it is because we are removed from many of the issues we read about, and the ways in which we support are passive, separated by an ocean and the gap between witness and victim. The extent to which a parallel reality can affect another is, in many ways, limited.
The only conclusion I ever come to is that the strongest impact we can make resides in the soil of our own lives. Although we cannot change the horrific histories we read about, some years ago, some days ago, we can change the present. We can share the stories of those who are oppressed. We can organize amongst ourselves to demand international action. We can look around our own communities — the cities we live in — and take responsibility for what is happening around us.
Perhaps most of all, we can choose to be good people to our neighbors, our communities, and ourselves. We can help take care of the people in our corners of the earth, ensuring that we are happy, level-headed, and supported, for tired, depressed souls rarely make good activists, and often make advocating for global matters feel unsustainable, as opposed to urgent.
Compassion is a forest that can cover the earth, and it all starts with a single seed.
Free Palestine. Free the Uyghur. Free Sudan. Free the refugees fleeing Latin America, Myanmar, Syria, and Ukraine. Free Yemen. Free the Congolese. Free all oppressed peoples.
If you’re interested in reading about the Israel-Palestine humanitarian crisis, I suggest this New Yorker article.
If you’re interested in supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza and Israel, this NPR article outlines how.
An Experimental Capy Corner: Q&A 🙂
Hello capybaras! I want to experiment with the “Capy Corner” this time around. 🙂Instead of doing a weekly news roundup, I’d like to open up the newsletter for shared dialogue.
If either of the following questions bring an answer to mind, please hit “reply” or “comment” and send me your thoughts! I’d like to share it in the next newsletter. Audio messages also work.
1️⃣ Who inspires you to fight for a better world?
2️⃣ How do you balance joy and activism?
If you miss the weekly news roundup, please let me know, so I can consider revamping it in the next issue.
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With love,
Your favorite capybara ~ AKA Travis Zane
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