From "The Second Coming" by William Butler Yeats
I am re-posting this diary (originally posted on 12/03/2016) with new commentary (in blockquotes) because we are living in a nightmare coming ever more true. I think we are experiencing, in essence. a coup. It may look different than the ones we know from history. Looks are just external details; the spirit is the same. We need to clearly look at the evil we see, name it, and resist it when our fellow beings forget what it means to be human.
I highly recommend reading the two article links included at the end of this story to fortify us for the fights ahead.
1) “Every precious ideal must be reiterated, every obvious argument made, because an ugly idea left unchallenged begins to turn the color of normal. It does not have to be like this.” [Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, below]
2) Time to face this hard new world, to return to the great shining work of our people. Darkness, after all, is breaking, a new day has come.” [Junot Díaz, below]
In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, William Butler Yeat’s poem “The Second Coming” circulated widely. At the time, and through the GWB years, it felt prophetic. Now, it feels deeply so:
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold — We are watching the structures and sense of community that have held us together as a nation start to crumble. The obvious deterioration of our physical infrastructure is emblematic of our spiritual deterioration.
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world — Mere anarchy, with no redeeming human qualities, is what we are seeing as these ravening predators are loosed among us. They feed on our earthly possessions; they suck the vitality from our souls. They are Wétiko [aka malignant egophrenia], “a psychological disease that has been informing human self-destructive behavior that Native American people have known about for years.” A good article on how this greedy spirit manifests itself in this time is Seeing Wetiko: On Capitalism, Mind Viruses, and Antidotes for a World in Transition.
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed — I think the tyRumpassasaurus rex and his ilk are drunk in malicious glee at the destruction they are wreaking. “Chaos is opportunity,” they say. The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism documents how “force, stealth and crisis are used in implementing neoliberal [free-market capitalism] economic policies such as privatization, deregulation and cuts to social services.”
The ceremony of innocence is drowned — We can no longer hold on to the hope that everyone is basically good. As we watch these not-yet-human beings act, it is clear that they delight in the evil they cause people, we must be released from our illusions and recognize the evil we see.
the worst Are full of passionate intensity — If we hold firm, their passionate intensity may burn out.
The best lack all conviction — I don't think so, not at all. That remains to be seen. All resistance keeps the spirit alive. It will not die.
We stand at a turning point. The world has shifted from what it previously seemed. There is a danger, very real, that the tide of our national spirit will veer into very dark places indeed. This is truly war against our principles. We will need the courage to stand up for them. This gives us an opening for continuing to make a new way of living among ourselves. Change is possible. It happens in everyday life, moment by moment, action by action. “Be the change you want to see in the world” seems, to me, to be very powerful advice.
I was motivated to post a diary to bring attention to articles I read browsing the New Yorker this morning that touched my soul and refreshed my spirit.
1) The first Is commentary by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, "Now Is the Time to Talk About What We Are Actually Talking About". It is powerful. She ends the piece with “Now is the time to remember that, in a wave of dark populism sweeping the West, there are alternative forms. Bernie Sanders’s message did not scapegoat the vulnerable. Obama rode a populist wave before his first election, one marked by a remarkable inclusiveness. Now is the time to counter lies with facts, repeatedly and unflaggingly, while also proclaiming the greater truths: of our equal humanity, of decency, of compassion. Every precious ideal must be reiterated, every obvious argument made, because an ugly idea left unchallenged begins to turn the color of normal. It does not have to be like this.”
2) Next, a dispatch from Junot Díaz, "Under President Trump, Radical Hope Is Our Best Weapon", subtitled “We always knew this shit wasn’t going to be easy.” He says, “So what now? Well, first and foremost, we need to feel. We need to connect courageously with the rejection, the fear, the vulnerability that Trump’s victory has inflicted on us, without turning away or numbing ourselves or lapsing into cynicism. We need to bear witness to what we have lost: our safety, our sense of belonging, our vision of our country. We need to mourn all these injuries fully, so that they do not drag us into despair, so repair will be possible.” He reminds us that “Colonial power, patriarchal power, capitalist power must always and everywhere be battled, because they never, ever quit.” And ends, “Time to face this hard new world, to return to the great shining work of our people. Darkness, after all, is breaking, a new day has come.”
A couple of messages that helped me “keep hope alive!”
Solidarity! StrongerTogether! Keep the flame lit — feel the Bern!
Namaste
