it’s a terrifying time in this country
the administration is plummeting us full force into fascism. this nation was formed through slavery and genocide, through the fabrication of a “white” race elevated above others, obscuring our ties to each other and creating “minorities” to scapegoat for the problems created by our unjust, unsustainable economic system. our foreign policies play out this legacy across the world, funding and assisting the current genocide of Palestinians (and many other peoples), destroying democratic movements, and propping up 70% of the world’s dictatorships. today, these policies are coming home to roost and setting themselves up in our backyard.
get involved in political organizing
i no longer feel right in my soul without naming this, clearly and often. the times are urgent. signing petitions, calling representatives, and protesting on their own are not enough - because we can’t win the sympathies of soulless leaders through begging. we need to each be involved in organized struggle to build the power of everyday people.
hate is organized and in power; we need organized love
let’s not experience this fear on our own. let’s not sit alone in despair. those who subjugate us are organized and in power in the highest office. to birth a different future, a future where love can thrive, we need to join together as working class people, standing up for our individual and collective needs. we must not succumb to the whims of capitalism, which imposes on us a false scarcity, and the fatal delusion that we (or the “winners” among us) are separate from anything else.
unionizing and striking are proven, necessary ways to gain power
if you are able to join a workplace union, join. or, find resources here on how to organize at your workplace. through the power of union organizing, workers can withhold their labor while supporting each other, and force corporations to meet their demands before returning to work.
[forgive the crudeness of the following metaphor] i think of this like someone in an abusive relationship saying “please stop abusing me,” versus them saying, “if you don’t stop abusing me, i will leave.” in the second case, there is an assertion of the person’s power and willingness to enforce boundaries for their well-being, without which the pattern is profoundly unlikely to end.
unionizing followed by organized striking has powerful implications for political change when a large portion of the population does it. unionization of the world’s major companies could result in the workers taking over industry, democratizing leadership, and creating a system where decisions are made based on meeting the needs of workers, society, and the earth rather than on some sick person’s profit goals.
if you can’t join a union, join a local radical org (…or do both)
if you can’t join a workplace union, get involved in a community group with radical politics (politics that grasp at the root of the problems, not just surface level bandaids). a group with a real vision for the future that inspires you. i’m getting organized with LA tenant’s union, which i strongly recommend especially if you’re a tenant. as well as organizing for a new system, it’s a powerful way to protect your housing in the short term. there are many groups in LA and across the country to get involved with based on what most resonates with you. and i’d be happy to help you search.
how can we create systems of love if we’ve forgotten how to love?
more and more i feel that what we need most of all is a spiritual revolution. a reconnection to what really makes us human, what connects us to each other, what feels like life and gives us the desire to be alive, the reverence for life and for living.
how can we learn to stand up for ourselves and each other if we don’t deeply understand and value our own needs?
how can we create relationships, communities, movements, and systems based on love if we have forgotten how to feel and love our own bodies?
how can we create something new, something true to our hearts and souls, when we have severed our connection to our intuitive creativity because of fear, shame, self-doubt, and being stuck in our heads?
how can we find our way to a humanity based on care not control if we don’t find the way to do so within our own beings?
the group I host, inner oasis workshop, is about cultivating this inner revolution - specifically by practicing emotional vulnerability and intuitive creativity. you can join me in the next one-day intro workshop, or in an upcoming 3-month long peer support group. this group is for anyone and everyone.
alone-ness is a lie we’ve believed, for good reason.
this system and our norms make us feel like we’re alone. feeling alone is devastating. it sickens our souls, our bodies, and our minds. it disconnects us from our power, which is always shared. it’s also not true.
let’s find our way back to each other.
sign up for my newsletter at hannahrooth.com/newsletter
