Curtain's Down! Throw in the Towel

A pause in the communal weight dragging us down

First off, I want to say thanks to those of you who have engaged. I hope I never take for granted any one who takes the time to read what I am writing. Even more so, the fact that some of you are moved to like or comment means a lot.

I have been taking this time to figure out what I really want to do with my life. I’m very fortunate that I can afford to take some chances right now. Adrianne is incredibly supportive and we have the financial means for me to make less permanently. That’s a luxury a lot of people don’t have.

I’ve been (slowly) working on a board game and I’m going to try to keep a developer’s diary for accountability. Adrianne and I have also started talking about me running for City Council in Richmond. I have until April to file paperwork, so I am going to do more research. Because now I can take some time to figure out what the job is and if I can even do it. If people would even want me to do it.

The recent dual strike of actors and screenwriters has been fascinating to watch. We’re in a tumultuous period of history, where the downtrodden are so far downtrodden they are starting to fight for themselves again. History is cyclical. Anytime people start to stand up for themselves or find ways to work together, powers that be undermine it.

Right now, we’re in the war stages again. People are going to have to fight for their right for survival. That’s a scary thought, but something we take for granted every 50 years or so. You’ll hear a lot of propaganda about rich actors, but one thing I really appreciate about most actors is the understanding of solidarity. They stand with each other. They stand with the writers. So they target “rich” actors who advocate for all actors.

The third space (home and work are 1/2) has been lost. On Saturday, I played board games with a couple of my friends and the topic came up. What can we do to for community? How do we organize in a digital world?

My whole life I’ve been accused of being preachy and it’s something I struggle with. I talk about uncomfortable topics in any setting. My biggest fear in any of this is that I turn people off from asking questions or feel like they are being talked down to. Authoritative voice in writing and speaking can feel like a denial to engagement, so let’s keep the engagement going. If you agree or disagree.

The hope is that this can at least be a digital third space. Even those are under siege (see the death of twitter, reddit, facebook and so many other social networking sites). Heck, even turning social networking into social media is a war on organization.

We are stronger together.