Joanna Macy talks about necessary "holding actions" when the "great turning" is upon us. I see voting for Kamala Harris as such a holding action. It's better--far better--than the only other alternative we are being given (I know Jill Stein is probably out there running somewhere, but she's not a real option). Kamala does not seem to be very tuned in to environmental issues, but she is a sharp cookie, she can learn, and as President she will undoubtedly have to deal with many climate emergencies in the near future. The Biden plan on energy conversion is solid, and she'll continue it. We can appeal to her, pressure her, once she's in office and I believe she will listen with true care and compassion, because that's the kind of person she is. She has a heart, unlike her GOP opponent. Truly I am heartened by this summer's turn of events. Let's see the cup half full, shall we?
Swooning to the performed theatrics of a person in front of millions of cameras is … something.
You need ACTUAL courageous, honest, and deeply informed leadership. Look in the direction of a West/Abdullah for that.
Please do away with that bland insincere exercise of a two-party system. Those two keep each other alive. It’s beyond offensive to keep supporting this charade, in light of the genocide. Don’t vote, or choose 3rd party/independent.
I share your sentiments. I was rallying for West for the past year. I still do in fact. He is the best candidate. However, as a father, my main concern now is opposing fascism. And our society is not ready for West sad to say. I am not thrilled with Kamala, but she isn’t a fascist. Trump clearly is. I’m not entirely clear yet who I will vote for. But it will be for who has the best likelihood of keeping fascism at bay. And all the while, we rally like hell to protest anyone who still supports genocide and turns a blind eye to the climate catastrophe. Tricky days ahead. Thanks for sharing. Godspeed.
We carry fascism in each of us. Some disguise it better than others. Very few find ways to transmute it. It’s game time for humanity (let’s not call it judgment day …). Choose wisely!
Politics is performance. Performance creates a trance. Entrancement is not bad. But it’s also not good. Imperialism’s trance is dangerous and ungrounded in its consequences no matter who leads. Fact is US is an Empire, frighteningly so. We are a long way from a kind of government that recognizes this. That being said I’m from Oakland. Oakland is one of the most complex diverse cities in the US. To live and develop in Oakland offered Kamala the right formation. My husband cared for the Harris family at a critical moment. The Harris family is real. They are not trance states. People are Earth. Kamala cares. Can Kamala shift the way we perform power? A better chance for that than anyone else. Let’s not reduce our thinking and hope to all or nothing trances.
Thats the most hopeful thing I’ve read in a while. I felt like what you’re saying was true but without evidence or experience. It’s nice to hear from someone who has an inside perspective. My son & his partner live in Oakland and she was raised there by a single immigrant mother. I think all of this shows in her approach to life & worldview.
The poem resonated deeply with me until the mention of Kamala. That part felt jarring, out of place in the flow of words—a stark contrast to the world of hope, possibility, and change.
A Black Indian woman endorsing military aid to Israel is still enabling genocide. It’s all fascism, but with a more diverse and inclusive appearance.
She’s not the lesser of two evils. When will we see that this concept is a trap, meant to keep us voting for the same evil every time.
You are not wrong Vanja. And the same thoughts resonate inside me. I could be wrong? Would a vote cast for Cornel West have any impact? Or maybe it’s better to not vote at all. I hate the idea of voting for someone I don’t enthusiastically support. But increasingly I feel the need to consider the needs of the whole over my own. Which is hard to do. What are the actual needs of those who are not me? I’m not sure. What do you think is the best move here Vanja? I am listening. Thankyou for sharing.
Gregory, you're absolutely right. If I were American, I could never vote for Kamala for the reasons you've pointed out. She and the system she upholds will never prioritize the needs of the people over her own interests (billionaires, AIPAC, the military, etc.). All U.S. presidents are state actors complicit in genocide by proxy because the U.S. is a genocidal state. We need to disrupt the corrupt duopoly collectively.
What we really need is to start organizing against capitalism seriously. We must learn how to hold corporations accountable, which stems from our labor and buying power. Alternatives have been offered many times, but people keep ignoring them until they have a guarantee. The only absolute guarantee we have is that the genocide and annihilation of life everywhere will continue unless we come together and do something different. If I were in the U.S., I’d join the uncommitted movement like many of my Palestinian friends have.
As I see it, the vote is more than just picking leaders—it's a necessary way to advocate for change, voice dissent, and shape the political landscape.
You’re not wrong Shagbark, you’re not wrong. Yet all of us do damage each day. If we use a smartphone, we are voting for the continuing utilization of child slaves in cobalt mines. If we use cars or airplanes to transport ourselves, we are actively voting for the continued escalation of the climate catastrophe. To live, is to participate in harm. But can we do less harm? I believe we can. I am not a fan of Kamala and sure as hell wasn’t a fan of Biden. But as Jennifer Browdy mentioned in the above comment, it’s an act of “holding”. Personally I’d like to see Cornel West in office. I’d also like to grow durian trees in Colorado. It ain’t gonna happen. But someday, someday the conditions might be better. Or, it might just be the hopium talkin’. Hard tellin’
Hello from Kyushu in Japan. I immigrated to the U.S. when I was three years old and came back here about four years ago to raise my son. It saddens me to see the hysteria and mania that has overtaken much of the U.S. since I left. Not that it was ever much of a grounded place. I feel I’m watching the last attempt of confused ghosts trying to resuscitate a dying empire. And most people do not have the discipline, discernment, and intimacy with themselves to stay sane. Reading this poem felt like a little island of sanity, and that feels as necessary to me as oxygen and water and food right now. It made it easier to focus my attention on what matters and to take the long view, to keep creating conditions where life is more possible wherever I can find it. The small things. I’ve subscribed to you and am looking forward to reading more.
Thanks for sharing Nukegara. I think a lot of us here resonate with what you are feeling. I love how you mention an “island of sanity”. Interestingly, a reader of mine managed to make her way to our farm yesterday (we are in Thailand). It was so wonderful to get to meet a reader in person. We sat an talked and shared story and she also mentioned how the world is covered now in little pockets of brilliant souls (islands of sanity hidden in plain sight). I am a seed saver and to me, saving sanity, good story, Right View, rooted culture, etc, is just like saving seed. I wonder Nukegara, what are you keeping alive for your son? I have a 4 year old daughter and I am trying to learn about the old myths my people suppressed, there seems to be real, living education hiding in those songs… thanks for being here. All blessings. (I hope to visit Japan someday!)
My son is five years old. What I'm keeping alive for him, and for me, is pretty simple. It was my son who showed it to me. That reality is alive and intelligent, and our fates are intertwined, impossibly gentle and yielding yet unrelentingly powerful. I know this is real. I've experienced it with every cell of my body, not just as a concept projected by my colonized mind. In that moment I also experienced actual humility, gratitude, and generosity, for the first time as an embodied experience, not just words. That felt like receiving breath for the first time in my life. And it was my son who showed it to me. Just by existing. So I'm really just trying to reflect that back to him. It's completely reciprocal. Some days I feel I've failed completely as a parent, but hopefully it'll be easier for him to channel what is so apparent and natural outside of colonized perception.
Powerful. Beautiful Nukegara! Thank you. I am reminded of how once, as humans, we set aside much of our time to honor, feed and remember our ancestors (to be sure, some still do). It is important to find our own path, to be “free” (especially when we are young). But without memory and a solid foundation where we are safely rooted, in Place, in Story and in family/home than there can be no holy echo to guide us along the way. You are allowing your son to know such a Place, so the echoes of the ancestors can be heard again by him, so he too can grow eventually into a good ancestor.
For me, my ancestors are carrying me (not in the way that western myths depict it) and I am my ancestors. My existence/fate is a procession of my ancestors continuing, and that includes both the gifts and the curses. True freedom comes from yielding to fate, which is different from collapse and also different from giving up "free will." I feel this is the home that I need to keep coming back to, a place that is also a non-place, over and over again. Thank you for your question, it was good for me to reflect on it throughout the day.
Joanna Macy talks about necessary "holding actions" when the "great turning" is upon us. I see voting for Kamala Harris as such a holding action. It's better--far better--than the only other alternative we are being given (I know Jill Stein is probably out there running somewhere, but she's not a real option). Kamala does not seem to be very tuned in to environmental issues, but she is a sharp cookie, she can learn, and as President she will undoubtedly have to deal with many climate emergencies in the near future. The Biden plan on energy conversion is solid, and she'll continue it. We can appeal to her, pressure her, once she's in office and I believe she will listen with true care and compassion, because that's the kind of person she is. She has a heart, unlike her GOP opponent. Truly I am heartened by this summer's turn of events. Let's see the cup half full, shall we?
Well, I wouldn’t say it’s half full, but it’s not empty! And I too am feeling oddly more optimistic than I have in along time:) onward!
Swooning to the performed theatrics of a person in front of millions of cameras is … something.
You need ACTUAL courageous, honest, and deeply informed leadership. Look in the direction of a West/Abdullah for that.
Please do away with that bland insincere exercise of a two-party system. Those two keep each other alive. It’s beyond offensive to keep supporting this charade, in light of the genocide. Don’t vote, or choose 3rd party/independent.
- A humble, impatient Belgian.
I share your sentiments. I was rallying for West for the past year. I still do in fact. He is the best candidate. However, as a father, my main concern now is opposing fascism. And our society is not ready for West sad to say. I am not thrilled with Kamala, but she isn’t a fascist. Trump clearly is. I’m not entirely clear yet who I will vote for. But it will be for who has the best likelihood of keeping fascism at bay. And all the while, we rally like hell to protest anyone who still supports genocide and turns a blind eye to the climate catastrophe. Tricky days ahead. Thanks for sharing. Godspeed.
We carry fascism in each of us. Some disguise it better than others. Very few find ways to transmute it. It’s game time for humanity (let’s not call it judgment day …). Choose wisely!
I just learned about them! They sound wonderful!
Pretty bold of you to invoke Joanna Macy in this context. Wonder what she has to say on the matter.
Politics is performance. Performance creates a trance. Entrancement is not bad. But it’s also not good. Imperialism’s trance is dangerous and ungrounded in its consequences no matter who leads. Fact is US is an Empire, frighteningly so. We are a long way from a kind of government that recognizes this. That being said I’m from Oakland. Oakland is one of the most complex diverse cities in the US. To live and develop in Oakland offered Kamala the right formation. My husband cared for the Harris family at a critical moment. The Harris family is real. They are not trance states. People are Earth. Kamala cares. Can Kamala shift the way we perform power? A better chance for that than anyone else. Let’s not reduce our thinking and hope to all or nothing trances.
Thats the most hopeful thing I’ve read in a while. I felt like what you’re saying was true but without evidence or experience. It’s nice to hear from someone who has an inside perspective. My son & his partner live in Oakland and she was raised there by a single immigrant mother. I think all of this shows in her approach to life & worldview.
The poem resonated deeply with me until the mention of Kamala. That part felt jarring, out of place in the flow of words—a stark contrast to the world of hope, possibility, and change.
A Black Indian woman endorsing military aid to Israel is still enabling genocide. It’s all fascism, but with a more diverse and inclusive appearance.
She’s not the lesser of two evils. When will we see that this concept is a trap, meant to keep us voting for the same evil every time.
You are not wrong Vanja. And the same thoughts resonate inside me. I could be wrong? Would a vote cast for Cornel West have any impact? Or maybe it’s better to not vote at all. I hate the idea of voting for someone I don’t enthusiastically support. But increasingly I feel the need to consider the needs of the whole over my own. Which is hard to do. What are the actual needs of those who are not me? I’m not sure. What do you think is the best move here Vanja? I am listening. Thankyou for sharing.
Gregory, you're absolutely right. If I were American, I could never vote for Kamala for the reasons you've pointed out. She and the system she upholds will never prioritize the needs of the people over her own interests (billionaires, AIPAC, the military, etc.). All U.S. presidents are state actors complicit in genocide by proxy because the U.S. is a genocidal state. We need to disrupt the corrupt duopoly collectively.
What we really need is to start organizing against capitalism seriously. We must learn how to hold corporations accountable, which stems from our labor and buying power. Alternatives have been offered many times, but people keep ignoring them until they have a guarantee. The only absolute guarantee we have is that the genocide and annihilation of life everywhere will continue unless we come together and do something different. If I were in the U.S., I’d join the uncommitted movement like many of my Palestinian friends have.
As I see it, the vote is more than just picking leaders—it's a necessary way to advocate for change, voice dissent, and shape the political landscape.
Thanks for the poem and the space to share.
Voting for the lesser of two evils leads to…..evil. Y’all have yourselves another rich cup of hopium, eh?
You’re not wrong Shagbark, you’re not wrong. Yet all of us do damage each day. If we use a smartphone, we are voting for the continuing utilization of child slaves in cobalt mines. If we use cars or airplanes to transport ourselves, we are actively voting for the continued escalation of the climate catastrophe. To live, is to participate in harm. But can we do less harm? I believe we can. I am not a fan of Kamala and sure as hell wasn’t a fan of Biden. But as Jennifer Browdy mentioned in the above comment, it’s an act of “holding”. Personally I’d like to see Cornel West in office. I’d also like to grow durian trees in Colorado. It ain’t gonna happen. But someday, someday the conditions might be better. Or, it might just be the hopium talkin’. Hard tellin’
Hello from Kyushu in Japan. I immigrated to the U.S. when I was three years old and came back here about four years ago to raise my son. It saddens me to see the hysteria and mania that has overtaken much of the U.S. since I left. Not that it was ever much of a grounded place. I feel I’m watching the last attempt of confused ghosts trying to resuscitate a dying empire. And most people do not have the discipline, discernment, and intimacy with themselves to stay sane. Reading this poem felt like a little island of sanity, and that feels as necessary to me as oxygen and water and food right now. It made it easier to focus my attention on what matters and to take the long view, to keep creating conditions where life is more possible wherever I can find it. The small things. I’ve subscribed to you and am looking forward to reading more.
Thanks for sharing Nukegara. I think a lot of us here resonate with what you are feeling. I love how you mention an “island of sanity”. Interestingly, a reader of mine managed to make her way to our farm yesterday (we are in Thailand). It was so wonderful to get to meet a reader in person. We sat an talked and shared story and she also mentioned how the world is covered now in little pockets of brilliant souls (islands of sanity hidden in plain sight). I am a seed saver and to me, saving sanity, good story, Right View, rooted culture, etc, is just like saving seed. I wonder Nukegara, what are you keeping alive for your son? I have a 4 year old daughter and I am trying to learn about the old myths my people suppressed, there seems to be real, living education hiding in those songs… thanks for being here. All blessings. (I hope to visit Japan someday!)
My son is five years old. What I'm keeping alive for him, and for me, is pretty simple. It was my son who showed it to me. That reality is alive and intelligent, and our fates are intertwined, impossibly gentle and yielding yet unrelentingly powerful. I know this is real. I've experienced it with every cell of my body, not just as a concept projected by my colonized mind. In that moment I also experienced actual humility, gratitude, and generosity, for the first time as an embodied experience, not just words. That felt like receiving breath for the first time in my life. And it was my son who showed it to me. Just by existing. So I'm really just trying to reflect that back to him. It's completely reciprocal. Some days I feel I've failed completely as a parent, but hopefully it'll be easier for him to channel what is so apparent and natural outside of colonized perception.
Powerful. Beautiful Nukegara! Thank you. I am reminded of how once, as humans, we set aside much of our time to honor, feed and remember our ancestors (to be sure, some still do). It is important to find our own path, to be “free” (especially when we are young). But without memory and a solid foundation where we are safely rooted, in Place, in Story and in family/home than there can be no holy echo to guide us along the way. You are allowing your son to know such a Place, so the echoes of the ancestors can be heard again by him, so he too can grow eventually into a good ancestor.
For me, my ancestors are carrying me (not in the way that western myths depict it) and I am my ancestors. My existence/fate is a procession of my ancestors continuing, and that includes both the gifts and the curses. True freedom comes from yielding to fate, which is different from collapse and also different from giving up "free will." I feel this is the home that I need to keep coming back to, a place that is also a non-place, over and over again. Thank you for your question, it was good for me to reflect on it throughout the day.
Love this, thanks for writing. It holds so much complexity in such few words.
Thanks for reading Eden.
This was a really meaningful read. Thank you so much. I’m new here, and new to some of these ideas. May I ask, please, who is Maya?
Maya refers to “illusion”. Here is a link offering more information. Thanks for the question:) https://www.vedanet.com/the-meaning-of-maya-the-illusion-of-the-world/
I Just recently learned of them! Thanks Liam, for the reminder to look into them more closely!