BY: NADIA AGARWALLA
Staff
The world is on fire. Countries once lauded as the epitome of democratic power are rapidly devolving into shambles. Global warming has become so monstrous that many scientists are now calling it irreversible. While billions of people starve and suffer every second of every day, corporate greed and callousness grossly inflate the wealth that weighs down the pockets of the richest people, almost to the point of tearing. Wars are waging, sea levels are rising, world leaders are fighting, incompetent, or downright malicious, diplomacy everywhere is fraying, and I cannot even predict what new fear I will hear about next following the headline “BREAKING NEWS” in my inbox. There is no escaping it: the world is on fire, and I watch horrified as the inferno rages ever higher.
Like many people, part of me is tempted to ignore it all. Sleep this chaos away and wake only when the floods have receded and new growth springs up from the ashes. The most fearful voice in me screams that that is all I can do, for there is nothing in my power that will ease any of the suffering I see or the strife that surrounds me. But my better, more rational, more empathetic side stays calm. It looks straight into the chaos and asks me just two questions: amongst all this nonsense, what can you do to join the fight to bring about a kinder world, and what joy can you find to stay resilient everyday, while human civilization is eating itself whole?
There is a quote by gay author and activist Dan Savage that easily captures the whole of this, though much more eloquently: “During the darkest days of the AIDS crisis, we buried our friends in the morning, we protested in the afternoon, and we danced all night. The dance kept us in the fight because it was the dance we were fighting for.” Human suffering is so long, but memory is so short. The world has ended many times over countless eras. What is hard to internalize is that people have always rebelled against injustice, danced and rested between battles, and ultimately, seen the fight through. Today, few people remember the tragedy that accompanied the US AIDS crisis in the 1980s. Back then, for many in the LGBTQ+ community and their allies, it was a desperate, unending heartbreak, where loved ones died left and right. Meanwhile, national leaders, and even our own president, looked on with scathing indifference. Like then, we too, will have to brace ourselves against constant soul-shattering bad news and the callousness of some of our own so-called leaders. We too, will have to endure unbearable difficulties, but that does not mean we have to tolerate it. We can – and indeed must – fight back.
But what does fighting back even mean? For some, it’s protesting; but not everyone is a protestor. Not everyone has the time, energy, or means to scream in the face of authority, or challenge them hand to hand, word for word. Luckily, there are a myriad of organizations and coalitions right here at home that we can join with to work together in multiple capacities, covering bases we could not otherwise fulfill alone. Participating in your city or county library’s resources and events are a great place to start. Getting a library card and showing up just once a month to borrow something, do a puzzle, play games, or just to talk to people is an easy first step to building the community bonds necessary to enact positive change and push back against injustice. These nourishing connections and happy experiences are just as vital as gritting your teeth and lobbying for library funding. Another great way to get moving with joy and purpose is to join an advocacy group. One of my personal favorites is LEAD STL, which mentors youth in culturally aware and intersectional social justice leadership. Another is the OLPH Food Pantry, which is a small, local volunteer-run food pantry that feeds tens of St. Louisans for free weekly. Remember: the aid you give to your community is not just about moral duty or anti-injustice. It is about taking sustainable measures to stay hopeful, and finding the loving will to stay resilient.
No matter who you affiliate with, remember that action is not just hands and voices raised in the streets or speaking on Capitol floors day after day. It is also local, especially local, and starts with community connection. Intentionally finding joy in our communities is also an action, and one that fuels our own power to tame the flames engulfing our world. Injustice will not prevail, and we must ensure that without burning out too. We will see every crisis to the end and we will do it all together.
