Get Home
Whew, well, what a week since the last time I posted huh?
I saw four horror movies for the first time - Happy Death Day, Smile, Smile 2 and Heretic. We were also treated to a collective horror experience via the most recent election cycle.
Last weekend I took a trip to NYC with my wife, my sister and my mother. We saw Moulin Rouge on Broadway, ate at a vegan restaurant called P.S. Kitchen and took pictures of Manhattan transitioning into Christmas mode.
Like I said, what a week.
Some days, what to write about is easy. I could easily fill pages with the subtext of Smile 2. The assault on the commodification of religion and control that was Heretic. Or how the bombast of Baz Luhrmann translates to the stage, even though I’ve never seen the original film.
That feels like a disservice to anyone who reads this right now. On Wednesday, we had a fire in the backyard open to anyone who needed a place to reflect. Just sharing in communal grief. Paranoia is a weapon of control, isolation and alienation run rampant when you can’t trust your neighbors.
As the internet has broadened the definition of neighbor, it has also made us more vulnerable to fractured community. People get comfortable in anonymity, social media divorced from accountability for most users and emboldened by echo chambers. When people feel vulnerable, they have a tendency to withdraw. Find a safe position.
What is going to come as the Republican party takes hold will be horrific. It will push at your flight response. Encourage distrust. Kill community. Churches will continue to be a safe asylum for community, but they are complicit with the Republican party. They are safe because they reinforce cultural beliefs.
Homogenous community is a danger as well. The more diverse a community is, the better the representation, the more equitable the treatment of all members tends to be. It’s not flawless and real accountability is paramount to success. Hold yourself and others around you accountable. Build pathways for growth, not barriers.
If you’re struggling to diversify your community, now is a good time for reflection. Why don’t others see me as a safe space? Why does everyone I know look like me and share my values? This is an important step for what is about to come. Those of us with privilege and resources have an obligation to those without.
I write all of this because of what is to come. People lament the fractured nature of our nation now, but it is about to be on steroids. Hands digging into the soil to tear it apart. If you don’t see the impact of our current political climate, consider your community’s diversity. Listen to the people that are effected, hear what solutions will work for them.
Times like this call for decisions. Community over control. Pathways where others build walls. Diversity over homogeny. Fight or Flight. Mutual Aid groups are a good way to get involved. Open your home to those who need a safe place, meals or fireside chats. Challenge intolerance and division.
One thing life continues to teach me is that we’re all just people. Anything that divides us is done so with intention. And the choices we make aren’t just meaningful, they are essential.