I think one manifestation of privilege is fervently supporting a religious or political belief/policy/position until it significantly affects our personal security, success, or well-being and then -- well, we change our hearts. It is difficult for me to deal with the cognitive dissonance between my desires for justice and my fears for myself and my family, perhaps particularly because I can't figure out how much I need to survive the future? It is a seductive delusion to believe that there can be certainty but it is a particular problem for those of us raised in a time of pensions and full healthcare benefits after retirement. What am I willing to give up, really give up, to alleviate the suffering of others?
This is really real, and I appreciate you talking about it out loud (because I think it's the kind of topic that we often avoid). The easy answer, of course, is that the world deserves justice AND you deserve healthcare and a pension, but how awful is it that we live in a world of enough precarity where that reality feels far away?
So easy to blame the 1% for the problem and hope that they will support systemic change to alleviate inequality. But not holding my breath. The same drive that leads to successful entrepreneurship seems to often also lead to I can never have enough and I earned it, it’s mine. Other people should quit whining and work hard like me.
Can you say more about that? “Earnest” as in many sincerely believe two contradictory propositions? (Not being sarcastic - I think we do that all the time.) “I can never have enough” only makes sense if the person who believes it thinks we live in an unchangeably zero-sum world, yet “they should work hard like me [and would receive the same rewards]” suggests there is in fact an expanding pie.
"This past week, I thought a lot about how objects in motion stay in motion. Once you believe that somebody should die so that you can be safe, you can never stop killing. Once you believe that you can cocoon yourself from other people’s tragedies, you can never stop looking away. Once you believe that our capacity for love and grace is finite, well, you’ve made a whole host of decisions." Thank you for this. So well said. Objects in motion, indeed.
Beautifully written, but I have to argue with the premise that Israel is at fault in regards to Lebanon. Hezbollah started shooting missiles at Israel on October 8 and has shot at Israel every day since then - displacing most of the north half of that country. Israel’s attacks on the terrorists have been focused and precise, and the Lebanese government has shown its approval by removing its army from the southern border - basically asking the IDF to clean up Hezbollah, which has been a terror / crime cell in Lebanon for decades.
Other than that, beautiful and heartfelt nostalgic writing.
Chuck, I really appreciate the kind words, and also appreciate you commenting even though we likely have different analyses of the conflict. I have a hunch that, above all else, both of us are longing for a day when no more blood is shed in the Levant.
Thanks for this, Garrett. I'm once again frustrated by the pithy manner in which people are responding to this latest tragedy on social media. I think if I lost my home in major flooding, I wouldn't want to be made into a political cudgel. I'm not even sure who some of these diatribes I've been reading online are aimed at. Like, who is this hypothetical third person who doesn't understand the stakes of what's going on here? I think we can all agree that more could be done to help people. It's valuable to analyze situations for ways they could be improved and prevented, but I feel really gross about how tragedy is once again being weaponized and fit into convenient little narratives so that some people who aren't being directly affected can say, "look how I was right all along."
Great piece as usual. ❤️ Pink Skies was our central IL-cornfield-driving soundtrack last month when we gathered for my grandma’s funeral- it is just perfect.
I think one manifestation of privilege is fervently supporting a religious or political belief/policy/position until it significantly affects our personal security, success, or well-being and then -- well, we change our hearts. It is difficult for me to deal with the cognitive dissonance between my desires for justice and my fears for myself and my family, perhaps particularly because I can't figure out how much I need to survive the future? It is a seductive delusion to believe that there can be certainty but it is a particular problem for those of us raised in a time of pensions and full healthcare benefits after retirement. What am I willing to give up, really give up, to alleviate the suffering of others?
This is really real, and I appreciate you talking about it out loud (because I think it's the kind of topic that we often avoid). The easy answer, of course, is that the world deserves justice AND you deserve healthcare and a pension, but how awful is it that we live in a world of enough precarity where that reality feels far away?
So easy to blame the 1% for the problem and hope that they will support systemic change to alleviate inequality. But not holding my breath. The same drive that leads to successful entrepreneurship seems to often also lead to I can never have enough and I earned it, it’s mine. Other people should quit whining and work hard like me.
I've been thinking a lot about that worldview, and not only how pernicious it is but also, I've come to discover, how earnest.
Can you say more about that? “Earnest” as in many sincerely believe two contradictory propositions? (Not being sarcastic - I think we do that all the time.) “I can never have enough” only makes sense if the person who believes it thinks we live in an unchangeably zero-sum world, yet “they should work hard like me [and would receive the same rewards]” suggests there is in fact an expanding pie.
Absolutely. Earnestly believed, even if contradictory and rooted in magical thinking
Ffs Garrett maybe now you owe us a goofy top ten list of midwestern snacks. (this is a compliment, mostly?)
LOL that’s prob right.
"This past week, I thought a lot about how objects in motion stay in motion. Once you believe that somebody should die so that you can be safe, you can never stop killing. Once you believe that you can cocoon yourself from other people’s tragedies, you can never stop looking away. Once you believe that our capacity for love and grace is finite, well, you’ve made a whole host of decisions." Thank you for this. So well said. Objects in motion, indeed.
Thank you!
Beautifully written, but I have to argue with the premise that Israel is at fault in regards to Lebanon. Hezbollah started shooting missiles at Israel on October 8 and has shot at Israel every day since then - displacing most of the north half of that country. Israel’s attacks on the terrorists have been focused and precise, and the Lebanese government has shown its approval by removing its army from the southern border - basically asking the IDF to clean up Hezbollah, which has been a terror / crime cell in Lebanon for decades.
Other than that, beautiful and heartfelt nostalgic writing.
Chuck, I really appreciate the kind words, and also appreciate you commenting even though we likely have different analyses of the conflict. I have a hunch that, above all else, both of us are longing for a day when no more blood is shed in the Levant.
That is 100% the truth. Waiting and working towards a better world than what we have right now!!!
Beautifully put, as usual. Thank you for saying this.
Thanks Meghan!
Your words are wonderful, as always. Thank you for that and for this: “A story matters if it matters to you.”
Here’s to all of us pausing our motion — just for a moment — to feel a little bit more.
Here's to that, indeed!
I loved this. Especially this part, which we all think about a lot in relation to others, but can't articulate this well:
We all deserve a place that we love.
We all deserve to have that place be safe.
We all deserve to go home again.
Thank you Lane!
Thanks for this, Garrett. I'm once again frustrated by the pithy manner in which people are responding to this latest tragedy on social media. I think if I lost my home in major flooding, I wouldn't want to be made into a political cudgel. I'm not even sure who some of these diatribes I've been reading online are aimed at. Like, who is this hypothetical third person who doesn't understand the stakes of what's going on here? I think we can all agree that more could be done to help people. It's valuable to analyze situations for ways they could be improved and prevented, but I feel really gross about how tragedy is once again being weaponized and fit into convenient little narratives so that some people who aren't being directly affected can say, "look how I was right all along."
Absolutely agree.
This was beautiful in its clarity and feeling! Thank you. I’ll re-read on gray and dark days too.
Thank you Jane
Great piece as usual. ❤️ Pink Skies was our central IL-cornfield-driving soundtrack last month when we gathered for my grandma’s funeral- it is just perfect.