#4: 2021, A Too Muchness
"You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be, and you do choose how you want to think."
During some of the darkest periods of my life, there is a quote from the poet Li Young Lee that has almost become a mantra for me. In an interview he says, "We counted up all the deaths; we counted up all the dying; we counted up all the terrible things in life, and guess what? There's still van Gogh painting sunflowers, there's still morning glories. There's an excess in the universe, a much-ness, a too-much-ness." This wisdom has always been a reminder for me to recognize the fullness that exists out there, and to never stop having eyes that see the morning glories.
As I write this it’s a warm sunny day in Fiji. Fijian families are gathered on the beach enjoying the water and the reduced prices with tourists gone. The country has been free of community cases of COVID for over 260 days. At the same time there are those in New York or London - hunkered down in another intense lockdown, facing the cold hours of an unforgiving winter. How is it that we live in a world that holds both realities?
In the U.S. there was an immense victory, led by Black and Brown organizers in Georgia, who were able to boost two progressive candidates into power - thus securing the Democrats control of the Senate. And yet, there was also the horrifying attempted coup led by white supremacists the very same day. My friend Thanu Yakupitiyage shared on her Instagram beautiful images of organizers in Georgia, “Through it all (and trust these white supremacists are not done), Black-led multiracial coalitions are showing what can be done. This is an ode to the people transforming this country who are made invisible by racist terror tantrums and coups.” I know we cannot (and must not) turn a blind eye to the dark and destructive forces in the world right now. In fact we must truly shine the light on them in order to expose and fight. However, let’s not forget that there is a too muchness in the world as well. There is room for sunflowers.
Going into 2021 I’m under no delusion that things will become swiftly better than 2020. Nevertheless, I’m not ready to throw in the towel yet because the first week was full of painful trials. As Grace Lee Boggs said,"You don't choose the times you live in, but you do choose who you want to be, and you do choose how you want to think." That’s the energy I want to carry into 2021 - being well aware of the potential we all hold, and the expansive that exists.
Spotlight
A stirring moment in the world right now is India’s farmers protests against corporate shifts in agricultural policy. For six weeks they have held up the main streets in Delhi. And in the midst of that, people are setting up so many services in support of the protestors - from music, food, games, to dental services and massages. “The farmers have turned a roughly 10-mile stretch of highway into the site of a well-organized community,” reports the New York Times
Watch here this overview of some of the services volunteers are offering.
Basket
Two of our team joined the Generation Green New Deal Podcast to discuss radical hope and creative resilience in the climate space. Listen.
Through the dark times of the pandemic, there are so many heroes. The nameless scientists who have worked tirelessly to create the vaccines. The ongoing movement of mutual aid - like this story of “Free Store” that now serves 150 families a week. Many mutual aid groups are expanding to meet more needs of their community. There’s also the remarkable efforts of health workers around the world, who continue to demonstrate humanity and care even under the worst circumstances.
Read this article “What if care is the organizing principle of our society?” which is a beautiful summary of a world we can build.
At the end of December, Argentina voted to decriminalize abortion. It was a victory 17 years in the making, with so many women joining behind the banner of the green scarf. “If the scarf has long been the symbol of women’s fight against abusive political power in Argentina, now it is also a symbol of hope and feminist transformation,” says Giselle Carino.
The Salween Peace Park in Karen State, Myanmar is an incredible project led by Karen environmental and community leaders (as well as the KNU). After decades of civil war, they have turned 1.4 million acres into a protected reserve. Instead of following a Western model of national parks, “control of the forests in the Salween park is largely in the hands of villages operating according to traditional law.”
(Photo from the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network)
Bolivia has appointed Sabina Orellana, an Indigenous leader, feminist and activist, to be the first Minister of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization.
Imagine 2200: Climate fiction for future ancestors. Grist is launching a cli-fi essay content that centers on hope. “We’re embracing the opportunity to look beyond the confines of the present moment and share visions of solutions that haven’t even been dreamt up yet.” Find out how you can submit.
Thelma Young-Lutunatabua is the Editor of Radical Reimagining
Global editorial support provided by: Rebecca Solnit, Brianna Fruean, Louise Hazan, Nathalia Clark, Zeph Repollo, Lerato Ngakane, Rukiya Khamis
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Thanks for this writeup of all the good things happening, and especially good things towards change. Li-Young Lee’s quote really resonated with me. (In case anyone wanted to know the source, as far as I can tell its from a "conversation [that] took place in April 1996 at Li-Young Lee’s home in Chicago" with Reamy Jansen. Published in the book 'Breaking the Alabastar Jar: Conversations with Li-Young Lee' in Chapter 5: Art and the Deeper Silence.)