Really smart framing on delayed gratification. The instant-payoff economy has absolutley rewired how we assess impact, so no wonder people burn out when advocacy work operates on a completly different timeline. I've noticed the same thing with mutual aid efforts where teh visible wins are rare but the cumulative effect is undeniable.
"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept."
— Angela Davis
Life Survival: On Accepting vs. Changing
Davis wrote this after watching too many people confuse serenity with surrender. Right now the regime wants you to "accept" that the Fed answers to Trump, that climate agreements are optional, that federal agents can murder citizens with impunity. Fuck that. The things you cannot change are the hand you're dealt—being alive during democratic collapse, watching institutions bend. The things you cannot accept are the outcomes they're pushing—unchecked executive power, planetary suicide, state violence. The trick is knowing which is which. You can't change that Trump's in office. You can refuse to accept what he does with it. You can't change that Pride Month saw 268 attacks. You can change how your community responds. The survival move is learning to hold both—the grief of what's happening and the refusal to normalize it.
Really smart framing on delayed gratification. The instant-payoff economy has absolutley rewired how we assess impact, so no wonder people burn out when advocacy work operates on a completly different timeline. I've noticed the same thing with mutual aid efforts where teh visible wins are rare but the cumulative effect is undeniable.
Sooooo many great nuggets in here, Ben! Dang. TY for compiling this and keeping our nervous systems in check. Much love and coffee.
"I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept."
— Angela Davis
Life Survival: On Accepting vs. Changing
Davis wrote this after watching too many people confuse serenity with surrender. Right now the regime wants you to "accept" that the Fed answers to Trump, that climate agreements are optional, that federal agents can murder citizens with impunity. Fuck that. The things you cannot change are the hand you're dealt—being alive during democratic collapse, watching institutions bend. The things you cannot accept are the outcomes they're pushing—unchecked executive power, planetary suicide, state violence. The trick is knowing which is which. You can't change that Trump's in office. You can refuse to accept what he does with it. You can't change that Pride Month saw 268 attacks. You can change how your community responds. The survival move is learning to hold both—the grief of what's happening and the refusal to normalize it.
https://thistleandmoss.com/p/this-week-is-shaping-up-kind-of-better
One of your best ever!