I never imagined I would be so struck by the death of Jesse Jackson, but I am. That thing they said in his NYT obituary about him being the bridge between King and Obama hit me right in the gut. I feel my own life existing, generationally, on that bridge between the mid-20th century civil rights movements and whatever is going to emerge, is emerging probably even now, in this second quarter of the twenty-first. Growing up in D.C., I remember being around some of the greatest of that era-- Jackson, Bernice Johnson Reagan, even Marion Barry before he got caught up in crack. I remember seeing Bishop Tutu speak. Watching him walk past me and feeling the force of his light, shining.
And now they're all gone and it's hard to convey their weightiness, or what it meant to be alive and awake in a world they shared and molded with such dedication and moral clarity. I think of my own parents, both of whom were involved in movement and of an age with Jackson. How deeply imperfect they were, and also how noble and inspiring. Maybe humans are always that way, but being so intimately tied to that generation, being raised up by them, that combination of incredible nobility and human imperfection feels deeply poignant today.
That's really well put, Asha. You really did grow up surrounded by heroes. You know, the thing about growing up in the 1970s and 1980s is that, even from a distance, in a lot of cases you got to watch the '60s activists have to wrestle with what I think are some of the most interesting questions of activism-- what do you do after the movement dissipates, when you're in your wilderness years, when you're wiser and more thoughtful, but the electricity has moved elsewhere. In retrospect,t what a gift to grow up in the generational moment I did.
I think the compelling question for me is, How do you balance the urgent necessity to show up for all that needs fixing out in the world concurrently with the need to show up with integrity in your personal life-- as concerns your own psychology, with your comrades, friends, family, and lovers? Lots of us, myself included, end up in movement in large part because we experienced trauma or injustice, which is a powerful motivator to fight for change. But we sometimes also are using movement to try and work our shit out. Or to avoid it, make up for it, redeem it somehow. And we leave incredible damage in our wake. I'm not just thinking of the child Jesse had outside of his marriage, but also all the relationships with other movement folks that he seems to have handled poorly. If you change the world for the better but also leave a bitter taste in people's mouths who worked with you to do it, who stood by you through it all, does that matter?
There is finite energy and infinite work-- in the public square and in the (sometimes more morally murky and humbling) private realm. If balancing the two reduces our impact on the wider world, can we live with that? If we can't, is that tied up in our own ego and individualism? (I am the one! It must be me!) Is there a movement configuration that can support us in making collective impact on the world while also supporting us in making positive impact on the people we touch every day?
Ten months ago Brignone crashed on a slalom run; she suffered catastrophic injuries to her leg. It was a long time before she could even walk & she's on record as being joyfully grateful that she even made it to these Olympics. Hector & Stjernesund (as I understand it) planned to bow to her just because she completed the run. But, as it turned out, they were acknowledging the amazing accomplishment. You talk about yer Olympic ideals...
Time to break out that Bob and Doug McKenzie album from 1981 "Great White North" - unless you lived in the North Country you didn't have a clue what they were talking about - but it was still funny. As a certified former Upstate denizen I have ice skated, curled, cross country ski, ice fished, snow mobiled, Tobaggoned, snow shoed, played hockey, and downhilled . The only two I was reasonably decent at was skiing and hockey (thank my Dad for that one). My wife from NYC, of course, thought I was nuts at every step. I agree I haven't a clue about the how or why of most of these sports. But it's still to fun watch them go really fast doing crazy sh_t. I also enjoy the human interest stories - a welcome break from the current news cycle. It is refreshing to see people around the world getting together for some common goals - considering our current administration. Kinda like a big potluck. We just did a Mardi Gras one last week.
Now speaking of Upstate, where can a guy find decent cheese curds in Maryland, eh.
When I got my permaculture design certificate in 2018, the course instructor told us that there would be a talent show, and participation was mandatory. That the originators of permaculture design courses had included it originally and it was a requirement. No further explanation.
So, of course, my brain invented reasons. It helps us get to know each other. It gives us things to talk about. It forces each of us to be a little vulnerable. It helps us see what skills (that may be wholly unrelated to permaculture) each of us brings to the table. It’s fun! And I understood, completely, why this was a part of the course.
And I’ve been trying to come up with how to convince some of the folks I’m working with now that this is something we need. Silly? Yes, but also so necessary. So thank you for writing this and articulating some of what I’ve been struggling with so that I can just share a link with people and be like “see? Garrett agrees with me.”
I absolutely love being a random guy who agrees with you on this point! And that permaculture class story is so resonant-- I love that it was initially bizarre enough that you went through the thought process... "why would this be important to do?"
I find myself grateful for another lovely newsletter. Was it tears in my eyes at the photograph of the bowing skiers?! Humans are amazing.
Also— I saw your Portland dates a bit too late to attend due to other commitments, and I am so sorry I missed them. I thought you would be glad, though, to be missed due to other community commitments— it is likely a measure of your success if some of your readers have too many sustaining gatherings woven into our lives to get to see you when you come to town. You give us all riches in this way. Thank you!
While I'd love to see you in person, it makes me very happy that you won't be at the Portland events because you're doing wonderful things in your community!!
I never imagined I would be so struck by the death of Jesse Jackson, but I am. That thing they said in his NYT obituary about him being the bridge between King and Obama hit me right in the gut. I feel my own life existing, generationally, on that bridge between the mid-20th century civil rights movements and whatever is going to emerge, is emerging probably even now, in this second quarter of the twenty-first. Growing up in D.C., I remember being around some of the greatest of that era-- Jackson, Bernice Johnson Reagan, even Marion Barry before he got caught up in crack. I remember seeing Bishop Tutu speak. Watching him walk past me and feeling the force of his light, shining.
And now they're all gone and it's hard to convey their weightiness, or what it meant to be alive and awake in a world they shared and molded with such dedication and moral clarity. I think of my own parents, both of whom were involved in movement and of an age with Jackson. How deeply imperfect they were, and also how noble and inspiring. Maybe humans are always that way, but being so intimately tied to that generation, being raised up by them, that combination of incredible nobility and human imperfection feels deeply poignant today.
That's really well put, Asha. You really did grow up surrounded by heroes. You know, the thing about growing up in the 1970s and 1980s is that, even from a distance, in a lot of cases you got to watch the '60s activists have to wrestle with what I think are some of the most interesting questions of activism-- what do you do after the movement dissipates, when you're in your wilderness years, when you're wiser and more thoughtful, but the electricity has moved elsewhere. In retrospect,t what a gift to grow up in the generational moment I did.
I think the compelling question for me is, How do you balance the urgent necessity to show up for all that needs fixing out in the world concurrently with the need to show up with integrity in your personal life-- as concerns your own psychology, with your comrades, friends, family, and lovers? Lots of us, myself included, end up in movement in large part because we experienced trauma or injustice, which is a powerful motivator to fight for change. But we sometimes also are using movement to try and work our shit out. Or to avoid it, make up for it, redeem it somehow. And we leave incredible damage in our wake. I'm not just thinking of the child Jesse had outside of his marriage, but also all the relationships with other movement folks that he seems to have handled poorly. If you change the world for the better but also leave a bitter taste in people's mouths who worked with you to do it, who stood by you through it all, does that matter?
There is finite energy and infinite work-- in the public square and in the (sometimes more morally murky and humbling) private realm. If balancing the two reduces our impact on the wider world, can we live with that? If we can't, is that tied up in our own ego and individualism? (I am the one! It must be me!) Is there a movement configuration that can support us in making collective impact on the world while also supporting us in making positive impact on the people we touch every day?
Ten months ago Brignone crashed on a slalom run; she suffered catastrophic injuries to her leg. It was a long time before she could even walk & she's on record as being joyfully grateful that she even made it to these Olympics. Hector & Stjernesund (as I understand it) planned to bow to her just because she completed the run. But, as it turned out, they were acknowledging the amazing accomplishment. You talk about yer Olympic ideals...
Thanks for including the whole back story! Makes it even better!
Time to break out that Bob and Doug McKenzie album from 1981 "Great White North" - unless you lived in the North Country you didn't have a clue what they were talking about - but it was still funny. As a certified former Upstate denizen I have ice skated, curled, cross country ski, ice fished, snow mobiled, Tobaggoned, snow shoed, played hockey, and downhilled . The only two I was reasonably decent at was skiing and hockey (thank my Dad for that one). My wife from NYC, of course, thought I was nuts at every step. I agree I haven't a clue about the how or why of most of these sports. But it's still to fun watch them go really fast doing crazy sh_t. I also enjoy the human interest stories - a welcome break from the current news cycle. It is refreshing to see people around the world getting together for some common goals - considering our current administration. Kinda like a big potluck. We just did a Mardi Gras one last week.
Now speaking of Upstate, where can a guy find decent cheese curds in Maryland, eh.
Heck yeah to all of this, though I can't tell you how sorry I am for you that you have to live. cordless life these days.
Not from the region but love that album. Gonna start saying “oh beauty” to anything I appreciate.
When I got my permaculture design certificate in 2018, the course instructor told us that there would be a talent show, and participation was mandatory. That the originators of permaculture design courses had included it originally and it was a requirement. No further explanation.
So, of course, my brain invented reasons. It helps us get to know each other. It gives us things to talk about. It forces each of us to be a little vulnerable. It helps us see what skills (that may be wholly unrelated to permaculture) each of us brings to the table. It’s fun! And I understood, completely, why this was a part of the course.
And I’ve been trying to come up with how to convince some of the folks I’m working with now that this is something we need. Silly? Yes, but also so necessary. So thank you for writing this and articulating some of what I’ve been struggling with so that I can just share a link with people and be like “see? Garrett agrees with me.”
I absolutely love being a random guy who agrees with you on this point! And that permaculture class story is so resonant-- I love that it was initially bizarre enough that you went through the thought process... "why would this be important to do?"
https://secure.myvanco.com/YHHF/campaign/C-YM9S Here's a direct link to the rent fund from last newsletter if anyone needs it!
Thanks for catching- let's see if I can fix
Not sure why but the link wasn't working for me in firefox - I switched to Safari and it loads fine there!
I find myself grateful for another lovely newsletter. Was it tears in my eyes at the photograph of the bowing skiers?! Humans are amazing.
Also— I saw your Portland dates a bit too late to attend due to other commitments, and I am so sorry I missed them. I thought you would be glad, though, to be missed due to other community commitments— it is likely a measure of your success if some of your readers have too many sustaining gatherings woven into our lives to get to see you when you come to town. You give us all riches in this way. Thank you!
While I'd love to see you in person, it makes me very happy that you won't be at the Portland events because you're doing wonderful things in your community!!
Oh, the events are THIS weekend! and here I thought I missed them. Maybe I CAN make one. If so, I will say hi!
Yes! They are! And in addition to the ones on the poster, I also preach the sermon at Trinity's 10:00 AM Sunday service