Believing in Better as a Survival Strategy

Are you a believer?

I'm a sucker for a good byline, and the BC Greens had, in my opinion, a real winner in our recent election: BELIEVE IN BETTER. It takes the inspirational 'BELIEVE' theme from the heartwarming Ted Lasso series and makes it, well, even better. Even more inspirational. And we all could use a hefty dose of inspiration just now as we struggle to find our collective ways out of this oozing mess of a dying capitalist system. A system that has led us to believe that taking is better than giving. That all life is transactional. That we must work against each other rather than with and for each other. That this is the only option.

The BC Greens, in particular, their fabulous young leader Emily Lowan, offered British Columbians a system that would see the ultra rich paying their fair share of taxes in order to fund the things the people in our province so desperately need (access to good schools, reliable medical care, abundant mental health support, affordable housing, a liveable planet...). Emily and her fellow Greens offered BC a redesign of industry jobs where no worker is left behind as they would all be re-trained to earn a living healing the wounds that the billion dollar industries have made on our beleaguered planet. Emily and the BC Greens offered a fully budgeted platform that aimed to make life comfortable for the many by making the monied pony up a few more pennies from their hoarded wealth. They made it clear that they would work with First Nations, not against them. None of what they offered was far-fetched or impossible. Their message was completely believable, and yet, hundreds of thousands of British Columbians couldn't/wouldn't allow themselves to believe that we can make life better for everyone, and so, either they voted for the party that has promised wide-spread destruction, or the party that wibble-wobbled between care for the community and outsized support for big industry, or they didn't bother to vote at all (only 48% of eligible voters turned up to vote). Hundreds of thousands of British Columbians couldn't or wouldn't believe in better and now we are stuck with infinitely worse.

In spite of this daunting election outcome, I remain hopeful that we will survive what's thrown at us and strive for something better. In spite of devastating setbacks like this, I continue to believe in better and am ready to work for it.

If you listen closely, you can hear the sound of the old systems crumbling.

As the US midterms approach, I imagine that we are all sitting on tenterhooks, waiting to see how many Americans can find it in themselves to believe in better and how many will succumb to the belief that this is as good as it gets. From where I'm sitting, I'm watching the current US regime crumbling under the weight of its own corruption, and that is a hopeful sight, indeed. We are also watching them crumble under the immense force of a citizenry who've seen what's happening and are saying, "Fuck this! We believe in better and we're going to make it happen." In my opinion, this is an even more hopeful sight to behold. This is how we actually create a better world.

Over the past two years we have watched a growing number of humans all over this planet who are looking beyond the systems that got us all feeling trapped, and have taken action for a better world they believe we can create. From the Flamingo Revolution in Albania to the Cockroach Uprising in India, the ever-expanding No Kings Movement in the USA, the overwhelming election wins for democracy in Hungary, Serbia and Brazil, millions of people everywhere have decided to believe in better and are taking to the streets and to the polls to give life to this better world. Our pressure is mounting and the tired old systems of greed and oppression are visibly crumbling as a result. If you listen closely, you can hear it all falling apart.

What do we actually know?

I'm rarely certain about anything, but the one thing I know to be true is that nobody really knows anything about what's to come. Anything is possible. Every goddamned election, I naively believe that my fellow voters will elect a progressive government, and more often than not, I am gutted to discover how many fellow voters (and those who don't fucking bother to vote) do not share my belief that we can have a government that supports life on earth rather than destroys it. Grrrrrr.

It would be easy to give up. To join the ranks of cynics who have decided that they know exactly how the next election will turn out, so what's the point of participating. It would be oh-so-easy to join the "We're fucked!" camp and stay home on election day. Though it may feel like it's not within our power, we actually do get to choose whether we believe that we're all fucked or, just maybe, our voice is what's needed to make a difference. We don't know how our votes will effect an election, but we do know that when we choose not to vote/speak up/be noisy, our voice will not be heard. So, vote. Speak up. Be noisy. See what happens.

Personally, in order to keep going, I have to believe that my voice is a necessary piece of the bigger effort to bring about a better world. Even after each disappointing election result. Here in BC, my vote did not move the dial in the direction I'd hoped for, but we've seen in Hungary, Serbia and Brazil where en masse voting made the inconceivable happen. They toppled the dictators who thought their power was impermeable. Nothing is impossible. We just have to believe that we can make a difference and then take action to do so.

¡Si, se puede!

Because it feels like, in some perverse twist of fate, we're losing beloved change-making icons on a daily basis while the psychopaths stick around to plague us all, the world lost Dolores Huerta last week. Now, this is someone who, in spite of the immense hardships she spent decades fighting to eradicate, kept showing up with her determined slogan: "Yes, we can!" (famously borrowed by Obama). This is a woman who, despite every injustice she bore witness to and experienced firsthand, believed in better and never stopped showing up for it. Whether fighting for farmworkers' rights or women's rights or immigration rights or LGBTQ rights, every victory was hard-won amid innumerable losses, but she never gave up. You can only keep fighting for better if you believe in better. Gracias Dolores for your work and your inspiration. ¡Si, se puede!

What does 'better' look like?

I use the word 'better' excessively when talking about the world I want to build, but what does better even look like? Obviously, the answer to this question is highly subjective and will differ depending on who's answering and how big one allows one's imagination to be. But, from what I hear and read, the general consensus is that we humans want to live in a safe society where we can be cared for and where we can care for each other. That doesn't seem too outlandish, does it? When we look at the big picture of a world that has mainly been controlled by the systems of capitalism/patriarchy/colonialism/violence, however, we are forcefully encouraged to believe that it ain't never gonna happen, so don't even bother trying.

I mean, breaking free from the chains of systems that serve to oppress us is no easy feat. It requires a mountain-size imagination. It requires a boatload of determination. It requires endless trial and error - seeing what works, does it work for many or just a few, who gets left behind, can we fix that? For some of us, maybe the path to creating a better world starts with teeny tiny baby steps on our front porch or within our immediate neighbourhood.

I was thrilled to receive my friend Marianne's book Farm Stand News: Letters to the Neighbourhood this week. Chapter after chapter, Marianne shares how, on a teeny tiny neighbourhood level, she strives to make the world 'better' as she contemplates the intricacies of relationship, connection, reciprocity, responsibility, nourishment, old wisdoms, new ways, and community building through the blended lenses of her Mennonite Omas and the accepted norms of modern day society. Couldn't we all use a little guidance on how to move beyond the constraints of capitalism/patriarchy/colonialism/violence? In her beautiful book, Marianne takes us with her as she experiments with new/old ways to strengthen her community, reimagining our world into something that is loving and kind and joyful and chock-full of care. Better.

Marianne's front porch farm market/community hub is just a small example of what a better world can look like. When we start looking, we can see more and more wonderful examples of community care happening, and though each action is small, it is mighty. Each action is evidence of people believing in better, choosing better, and making it happen.

History tells us...

When asked if he was optimistic about the future, Dr. Gabor Maté replied:

"This great evil has been fighting forever to stamp out the light of human kindness and humanity. But if it hasn't succeeded until now, it never will. It's going to keep burning."

I agree. History (and Dr. Gabor Maté) tells us that the world has always been home to forces of evil, hellbent on stamping out goodness and light. History (and Dr. Gabor Maté) also tells us that, as hard as they've tried to destroy everything, there have always been enough of us who believe it doesn't have to be this way, it shouldn't be this way, and we are going to work together for something better. To quote Carsie Blanton in this beautiful song, "We keep that little flame alive."

I hope you will join me in believing that a better world is possible and working in whatever capacity you have in bringing it to life.

Love & light,

Jessica (she/her)