Staying Sane These Days

A Facebook Friend whom I respect greatly asked this question: "How are you all staying sane in our era of insanity?" This blog post is not about debating whether or not we are in an era of insanity, although I happen to agree that it's as apt a characterization as anything else. After all, we are living in an environment where #AlternativeFacts = #DeliberateFalsehoods, as we have witnessed repeatedly when denials are countered by recorded, televised proof, including contradictory statements by the speakers themselves at different time periods.

My response to "How are you all staying sane in our era of insanity?" is shown below:

By working at staying "unhooked" by the news stories and by parsing what is said and done and what the commentators are saying. I'm a pragmatist, and I'm staying focused on the issues but not ignoring the players. Emotional response is a luxury for me when so much is at stake.

I believe in the power of righteous indignation. I also know that fear as a response to what is happening in the current administration is real and has a basis in fact. However, indignation and fear can be paralyzing and also time consumers. 

As a Person of Color and a person from a refugee-immigrant heritage (mother and both sets of grandparents), hate acts, profiling, restrictions on civil rights, etc. are not new news. They are part of my lived experience. They are not part of the lived experience of people who have various kinds of privilege, chief among them, White Privilege. Class Privilege is right up there next to White Privilege.

It is an act of resistance to be disciplined enough to recognize that acting out of being upset and angry (and I feel a lot of anger) is unproductive and wastes time. I also recognize my position as an elder and someone who has done anti-racism work for decades. That means remaining focused on the work of helping others to engage their fears and behavior, which is both goal and commitment to action.

My advice to everyone is to do the homework of learning what is actually going on. Engage in conversations that help you deepen your understanding and that challenge what you know or think you know. Be gentle with yourself, and also be relentless with yourself as you seek to become a better neighbor to all whom you encounter.

I want to make clear that I believe we each have a claim as well as a responsibility to be part of the work that will be needed to become better neighbors to one another. For me, that also means that while your part might be to take action such as marching or protesting, actions such as making phone calls or writing letters are also important and equally valid. It takes all of us to move justice and peace forward, doing what we can, when we can, as well as we can. 

Courage is

Courage is an invisible thread

that twists through

my hidden soul

my secret self

Mostly

courage lies buried

in daily life’s debris

where acquiescence

smoothes the way

The daily decisions

choosing

this bread

or that apple

in the end

make no difference

in my life

to my dreams

Yet

Earth’s destiny

asserts

its disagreement

uninvited

unacknowledged

Who am I

to argue with Nature

I am a member

of a tribe

too large to contain

too diverse to control

too selfish to share

I pray hope

when

all else fails

Courage is a bitter brew

more frightening

than addictive

I am a member

of a tribe

that judges the price

too large

when I am the one

chosen to pay

This tribe

has devised

veils

creating heroes

everywhere

everyday

to mask

the flight of courage

from the everyday

everywhere

If it’s posted

printed

published

If it’s spoken

sung

and shared

Surely that is

proof

positive

and true

that courage

still lives on

Courage is

communion

most sacred

When open

to all

naked of

rubrics

most powerful

Courage is

the communion

that lifts

the hidden thread

in the body politic

to be warp

and woof

of a people

of a community

of a nation

of the world

Courage is

the secret self

reaching for

its family

Lelanda Lee, 1-25-17

I have a few questions

* I have a few questions . . . *

When did our body politic
become so fragile
that any statement of disagreement
is received
as a personal attack
on our identities?

When did we learn
to focus all our thinking
on formulating defensive responses
so that our moral positions
feel protected
and our egos feel affirmed,
if not lauded?

Is a 30-second elevator speech
laced with adjectives
advertising me
a worthy paean
to this heart that falters
this mind that questions
this body that cannot
fit into a mold
with the non-conforming parts
excised?

Dishonesty is not so far
from honesty
They share expanding edges
that we no longer recognize
nor can contain
It is the things
we tell ourselves
that pacify us
When all colors
soak into neighboring colors
no matter the forces
that roil them
the result is mud.

Lelanda Lee, 1-24-17