It Happens

It always has. It always will.

So, here's the thing - shit happens. History tells us that shit has always happened. Sometimes shit shows up in the form of natural disasters, but, more often, it is perpetrated by shitty (or maybe just clueless?) humans doing shitty things. It's horrible and unfair and wrong on all fronts, but, unfortunately, it's the way it is. Shit has always happened and probably always will. As cynical as this perspective might seem, I actually find it quite liberating. We tend to expend so much energy on shock and horror at each new outrage like it's the first time in human history that so many people and other living creatures have wrongfully suffered, it exhausts us and can lead to paralysis. What if, after nearly 2 years of this fascist regime, a year of Carney's selling out, and all the other insanity and injustices we are facing each day, what if we could shift our energy from shock to action? Shit happens. What are we gonna do about it?

But it's not all bad. Really.

For every period in history that shit has happened, good people have stepped up to the moment and turned things around. Never overnight. Never without an intense and prolonged fight. Never without huge loss and immense grief. But, throughout history, whenever shitty things happened, we can see there were always those people whom Mr. Rogers' mother referred to as 'the helpers'. So, while big shit is definitely happening all around us in both the form of (un)natural disasters (Are disasters caused by climate change considered to be natural or unnatural?) and bad humans doing really bad things, I am remembering to follow Mr. Rogers' mom's advice and looking for the helpers. And let me tell you - they are EVERYWHERE.

Sometimes shit shows up as small or medium annoyances, sometimes as personal tragedies. And sometimes shit shows up as (literal and figurative) tsunamis that take out many innocent lives and leave the rest of society reeling. Whether it's a personal challenge or wide spread, we humans have a habit of showing up for each other. The fear mongers would rather we not dwell on this aspect of human nature, but I'm here to remind you that the human urge to help is much stronger than the urge to harm.

The helpers.

I've recently finished reading the English translation of my great aunt Ruža's memoirs, and I am in complete awe of how badass this tiny woman was in the face of adversity. As I've written about ad nauseum, my father survived the Holocaust thanks to the courage of his Christian aunt who was willing to risk her own life to save his. Ruža's daughters - my father's big girl cousins - were equally courageous, selfless, and wildly creative in their navigation of truly shitty times.

And there were thousands of 'Aunt Ružas' across Europe who were shopkeepers, housewives, office workers, high schoolers, etc who met this hateful moment with courage and care. I'm quite certain you too, have an 'Aunt Ruža' in your family who lived through perilous times and rather than opting to be part of the problem (hopefully your great uncle wasn't a member of the Nazi youth), chose to be part of the solution, even when it was terrifying, chose to be a helper as things fell apart.

Doing what you do, but doing it with purpose.

Having owned a food business that was in the business of nourishing my community, I tend to get excited when I see other food businesses using their yumminess to fight the fascists. Last November Josh from Heretic Coffee turned his li'l coffee biz into an incredible social enterprise that focussed on feeding the hungry members of his community. He was able to hit the 10,000 free meals mark recently thanks to the support of hundreds of others who donated cash and/or time. Meanwhile, in Flower Mound Tx (who knew there was such a pretty sounding town in Texas?), Haley of Hive Bakery is struggling to keep up with baking enough "Fuck ICE" cookies and other anti-fascist delicacies to satisfy their ever-growing community of supporters and fellow resisters. Josh and Haley didn't have to learn new skills nor pause their careers to contribute meaningfully to the resistance. They just kept doing what they do, but with greater purpose. What really stands out for me is how they've intentionally included their communities in their missions. So often, entrepreneurs are led to believe that their success is strictly of their own making, but, from my own experience, I believe true success comes when you use your business to grow, engage, and support community.

Doing business as usual (or not).

I dunno - do we keep doing business as usual as the world is set on fire all around us? If so, how much? How often? How do we keep doing our daily lives AND pay attention to the destruction (without allowing ourselves to be paralyzed with trauma), AND step up to play our part in the Resistance? Where's the balance?

The other evening my friend and I joined hundreds of other happy, smiley people on the grounds of the always-beautiful Butchart Gardens to enjoy a concert by The Wailin' Jennys. As I looked around me, I couldn't help but revel in the fact that I was surrounded by nothing but beauty and joy. No war. No cruelty. No hatred. No violence. No racism. No transphobia. Just beauty and joy that I was sharing with the hundreds of others who showed up for this outdoor concert. It was a desperately necessary cleanse for my senses which, like yours, are bombarded daily with the other reality of a world hijacked by those who are desperately clinging to the dying patriarchy. I hope you are taking regular breaks from the unbearable cruelty to cleanse your senses and reset your nervous system. We all need to take care of ourselves and remember to soak up the beauty and joy that still exists, even in terrible times.

Fuck 'em up, buttercup!

It may be a tiny thing and maybe it won't end the fascist take over or climate sell-out, but I'd like to believe that my incessant letters to politicians just might create an irritating spoke in their wheels of destruction. Whether I'm writing to Republican senators or Prime Minister Mark Carney, I am hopeful that my letters might fuck with their deeply entrenched belief that they can continue to ruin everything completely unchecked. Like Josh and Hayley, I'm just doing what I enjoy doing, but with greater purpose for the greater good.

Charlie Angus writes about his hopes in these pretty shitty times: "If enough ordinary people found ways to be individual resisters and slow down the momentum of the extreme right, then it would become possible to organize an effective and powerful democratic pushback." I consider myself to be an ordinary person, just as I'm sure most of the people who resisted the Nazis considered themselves ordinary. And, like any other ordinary person, I need to believe that I have the power to fuck with those who are abusing their power. And I believe that you do too!

Shit happens and when it does, we get to decide how to respond. There are as many ways to resist and dismantle the systems of destruction as there are 'ordinary' people who are not willing to sit back and allow the destruction to happen. Our urge to help is greater than our urge to harm, whether we are helping our next door neighbour or our entire planet. I hope you are finding ways to help that make good use of your unique skills and talents, and nourish your soul.

To better times ahead, may we make them happen!

Jessica (she/her)