Sometimes I look at the oppressive world we live in, the entrenched systems of power, & I just want to melt in despair.
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As Tracy Chapman says, "all that you have is your soul" (I love that song).
Okay, then, this soul is staying free of their lies & their control. I won't give in because I can't, because submitting to arbitrary, oppressive "authority" is the opposite of everything I am & everything I want to be.
I'm not saying I can't be hurt. I can be. I could be. I'm not saying my resolve is perfect. I'm human. I am saying I intend to give it everything I've got.
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Y'all, I believe in the power of solidarity. I believe we can change the world. I don't know the future though, so I can't guarantee us a win.
What I can tell you is that no matter how cruel & brutal & oppressive things are: there are always resisters. There always will be. "Freedom is a pure idea. It occurs spontaneously & without instruction" (Nemik's manifesto).
There will always be light seers & freedom seekers. Always. And it's good company to be in.
It's not just the political theorists & the activists. It's musicians & artists & all kinds of people from all walks of life.
Liberation is magnetic, & people will always be drawn to it. People will always imagine better worlds. They will always try to create better things.
Not everyone. But some people. I don't know if we win this fight, but I know that they will *never* vanquish all of us, never stamp out the idea of freedom, no matter how hard they try.
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It's not just the political theorists & the activists. It's musicians & artists & all kinds of people from all walks of life.
Liberation is magnetic, & people will always be drawn to it. People will always imagine better worlds. They will always try to create better things.
Not everyone. But some people. I don't know if we win this fight, but I know that they will *never* vanquish all of us, never stamp out the idea of freedom, no matter how hard they try.
I cannot promise you freedom in the future, but I can encourage you as much as possible to live freely now.
We create better worlds at least momentarily when we gather together & help one another. Even in the worst of times.
If, for even a fleeting moment, we can find joy & community & care for one another, we experience a little taste of freedom. Just a taste of what could be our daily reality in a better world, but for now that taste is oh so sweet.
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I cannot promise you freedom in the future, but I can encourage you as much as possible to live freely now.
We create better worlds at least momentarily when we gather together & help one another. Even in the worst of times.
If, for even a fleeting moment, we can find joy & community & care for one another, we experience a little taste of freedom. Just a taste of what could be our daily reality in a better world, but for now that taste is oh so sweet.
I'm not going to live to see the future I dream of. I hope that in my lifetime I can see some oppressive systems fall & crumble to dust (reach for the stars, comrades!), but my vision of a post-oppression world is unlikely to come about in the scant few decades remaining in my life.
But it's enough to know we're dreaming it together. The dream won't die with me.
I'm just keeping this dream alive as much as I can. When I'm gone, there will be others still dreaming & still working.
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It is always worth it to oppose oppression.
It is always worth it to slow them down or reduce their strength. Even if you can't stop it. It's still worth fucking trying.
Look at Minneapolis. They can't save all their people, but they can fight tooth & nail for everyone they can. They can slow down ICE & make sure someone stays free at least another day. All of it fucking matters.
You can get really discouraged when you look at what we're up against. I do. But I am encouraged by every life saved, every person protected.
It's worth it. It will always be worth it to oppose fascists & authoritarians. It will always be worth it to fuck with oppressors.
It is not in vain. Not now, not ever. It is always worth trying.
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I'm not going to live to see the future I dream of. I hope that in my lifetime I can see some oppressive systems fall & crumble to dust (reach for the stars, comrades!), but my vision of a post-oppression world is unlikely to come about in the scant few decades remaining in my life.
But it's enough to know we're dreaming it together. The dream won't die with me.
I'm just keeping this dream alive as much as I can. When I'm gone, there will be others still dreaming & still working.
It is always worth it to oppose oppression.
It is always worth it to slow them down or reduce their strength. Even if you can't stop it. It's still worth fucking trying.
Look at Minneapolis. They can't save all their people, but they can fight tooth & nail for everyone they can. They can slow down ICE & make sure someone stays free at least another day. All of it fucking matters.
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I'm not going to live to see the future I dream of. I hope that in my lifetime I can see some oppressive systems fall & crumble to dust (reach for the stars, comrades!), but my vision of a post-oppression world is unlikely to come about in the scant few decades remaining in my life.
But it's enough to know we're dreaming it together. The dream won't die with me.
I'm just keeping this dream alive as much as I can. When I'm gone, there will be others still dreaming & still working.
@artemis planting trees we will never sit in the shade of. People often use their own lives, and the brevity thereof, to justify not taking action. We need to invert that. The struggle will always be worth whatever we are willing to sacrifice—our comfort, our possessions, our time—if not for our lives than for the lives of future generations.
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You can get really discouraged when you look at what we're up against. I do. But I am encouraged by every life saved, every person protected.
It's worth it. It will always be worth it to oppose fascists & authoritarians. It will always be worth it to fuck with oppressors.
It is not in vain. Not now, not ever. It is always worth trying.
@artemis even if you are the last person in your area who opposes the oppressors, it is still correct to do so. Hell, even if you are the last person on EARTH who opposes the fascist regime it is correct to do so. Hasta la muerte.
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You can get really discouraged when you look at what we're up against. I do. But I am encouraged by every life saved, every person protected.
It's worth it. It will always be worth it to oppose fascists & authoritarians. It will always be worth it to fuck with oppressors.
It is not in vain. Not now, not ever. It is always worth trying.
You never fucking know what impact you will leave. If an 80 year-old Woody Guthrie song can put courage & hope in people's hearts, if John Brown—a man who died more than 160 years ago—is still a rallying cry & an inspiration, you can see what difference someone's actions can make *over time*.
And sure, you may not write an anthem of resistance or die a martyr for liberation, but the things you do, the good you put into the world, reverberate in ways you may never even know.
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You never fucking know what impact you will leave. If an 80 year-old Woody Guthrie song can put courage & hope in people's hearts, if John Brown—a man who died more than 160 years ago—is still a rallying cry & an inspiration, you can see what difference someone's actions can make *over time*.
And sure, you may not write an anthem of resistance or die a martyr for liberation, but the things you do, the good you put into the world, reverberate in ways you may never even know.
MLK Jr didn't just serve as a leader for the Civil Rights movement. His words about liberation still change minds & move people's hearts TO THIS DAY.
We don't always get to see the results of our actions, but they can go so far beyond the present moment.
My name is unlikely to be remembered in history. Yours too. That doesn't mean we live & die without changing anything. You can change someone's life with a sandwich. You can change someone's life with a simple kind word at the right moment.
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@artemis planting trees we will never sit in the shade of. People often use their own lives, and the brevity thereof, to justify not taking action. We need to invert that. The struggle will always be worth whatever we are willing to sacrifice—our comfort, our possessions, our time—if not for our lives than for the lives of future generations.
@artemis I think is also relates to the queer, and in my case specifically trans-femme, experience. In giving up my ability to have biological children of my own I have instead become motivated to care for children I may never know or may never meet. That top level choice feels selfish in a way, but I am encouraged my the fact I am not bringing yet another person to be exploited into the world, while also increasing the time and energy I can commit to other work.
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@artemis I think is also relates to the queer, and in my case specifically trans-femme, experience. In giving up my ability to have biological children of my own I have instead become motivated to care for children I may never know or may never meet. That top level choice feels selfish in a way, but I am encouraged my the fact I am not bringing yet another person to be exploited into the world, while also increasing the time and energy I can commit to other work.
@artemis that other work includes caring for and helping raise the children of people I organize with. Participating in the village that it takes to effectively raise anyone and pushing back against isolationism.
It’s so odd to me sometimes that there as many queer folk as there are, and so few of them can find the thread that connects that to actually taking steps toward global liberation, anticapitalist efforts, and the fight against fascism.
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@artemis I think is also relates to the queer, and in my case specifically trans-femme, experience. In giving up my ability to have biological children of my own I have instead become motivated to care for children I may never know or may never meet. That top level choice feels selfish in a way, but I am encouraged my the fact I am not bringing yet another person to be exploited into the world, while also increasing the time and energy I can commit to other work.
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You can get really discouraged when you look at what we're up against. I do. But I am encouraged by every life saved, every person protected.
It's worth it. It will always be worth it to oppose fascists & authoritarians. It will always be worth it to fuck with oppressors.
It is not in vain. Not now, not ever. It is always worth trying.
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R relay@relay.infosec.exchange shared this topic
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MLK Jr didn't just serve as a leader for the Civil Rights movement. His words about liberation still change minds & move people's hearts TO THIS DAY.
We don't always get to see the results of our actions, but they can go so far beyond the present moment.
My name is unlikely to be remembered in history. Yours too. That doesn't mean we live & die without changing anything. You can change someone's life with a sandwich. You can change someone's life with a simple kind word at the right moment.
@artemis Thank you for this necessary thread. I needed to read this.
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You never fucking know what impact you will leave. If an 80 year-old Woody Guthrie song can put courage & hope in people's hearts, if John Brown—a man who died more than 160 years ago—is still a rallying cry & an inspiration, you can see what difference someone's actions can make *over time*.
And sure, you may not write an anthem of resistance or die a martyr for liberation, but the things you do, the good you put into the world, reverberate in ways you may never even know.
