I mean this in a serious way. Like, I'm so sick of the goddamn spectacle of these ghouls. They smile and lie to us with blood splattered on their faces, chanting their vacuous slogans, forming cults of personality. And every 4 years, we can't escape their names and poison words being drilled into our fucking heads from every angle. I'm tired, and sick of seeing their faces, I'm always sick of the stress of politics, but it just feels like additional screws being tightened for no discernable gain or benefit.
yes it can and i believe that this is one of the answers. i'm convinced that this system we're forced to live in is driven by money and steered by indifference.
the last time i can remember when things were this heavy was during the aids/hiv scare in the 1980's and they taught me back then that giving a rat's ass about each other makes a difference and that's what we did back then to survive when my government let us die by thousands while publicly pretending that they were doing everything in their power to help.
something similar is happening in gaza rn by different means; but that same callous indifference is letting it happen again and in the same way it did with my ancestors in this country. i also think you'r right about coping; i think it's a necessary part of any strategy to keep yourself sane in this system & people that are hellbent on repeating history.
i hope you find something that works for you and endures for your lifetime like the lesson i learned back in the 80's
Thanks! I'm doing okay... ish. I find redirecting anger and indigence towards these systems is the most productive and empowering. Too often we get angry and upset and turn inwards or get depressed. Hasan often quotes someone, I forget who, but he says 'be charitable to individuals, be ruthless towards systems'. We need to apply that to ourselves too.
i'm going to share another one of my coping strategies and this one helps me with the depression:
we've been in this situation before; as we've been for centuries; and we've not only survived but thrived enough to change public perception despite the efforts of presidents like reagan and both bushes; or "allies" like clinton and biden (emphasis on the quotes); or even institutions like congress & the supreme court and we'll be here long after trump and his conservative handlers die away. they have the ability to make life difficult, but that's the extent of their power and it will eventually fade no matter how permanent it appears and we can help each other when they do make it difficult like we did back in the 80's.
like the last time i shared my coping strategy, i don't expect you to agree with any of this. i share it in the hopes that there's something in it that you can copy/paste if any of it applies to or helps your situation.