Nothing about living in a decaying capitalistic society is easy. We each experience the agony of this age in different ways. A select few will live extravagantly, their fortunes financed by the labor of the working class. Most will experience some degree of hardship. Those of us with intersecting marginalized identities will feel this pain most acutely. As queer and trans folks are targeted, as immigrants are targeted, as Black and brown people are targeted, it becomes more and more difficult to leave our bubble of comfort to do the work of community building.
But alas, here we are in 2025, with the sun still rising and setting, the stars still becoming visible and twinkling, the queers still here and loud.
We are alive. Perhaps we are their worst nightmare.
So the ultimate question arises: what now?
Resistance. Resilience. Regrowth.
Resistance. Resiliene. Regrowth.
- Connect with the land you live on. Start hyper-local. Instead of large grocery chains, go to the local farmer’s market. Meet the people tilling the land. Support them however you can: a bunch of carrots; a hug; a genuine thanks. Return to the market consistently. Greet the farmers every time.
- We cannot stop the abduction-deportation machine, but you can feed an undocumented family. You can bring them groceries so they don’t have to risk driving. If you don’t know anyone undocumented, you know an activist who is tired. Feed them. It’s okay if that tired activist is yourself.
- Somewhere near you, there is a coalition of activists who want to fight this regime. Find them on social media, tabling at protests and the occasional market, in coalition with grassroots organizations, in religious sanctuaries, in city council meetings, at your library, in your hobby group, and even in your own workplace. Activists are everywhere.
- The bad news is they are probably loosely organized, over capacity, and dreaming beyond their means. The good news is that means you can show up however you want, and you’ll be ecstatically welcomed. What are you good at? Cooking, teaching, organizing, moving, learning. Pick what feels best for you and dive in deep. Fuel your soul by fueling your community.
re·sil·ience
/rəˈzilēəns/
noun
1. the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
2. the ability of a substance or object to spring back into shape; elasticity.
3. the tenacity or stubbornness of human will to continue on; grit.
4. the softness needed to take a breather among impossible times; blessings.
Regrowth:
Another world is possible. But only if we bring it into being. We are building towards that world every day with the bravery of not knowing what comes next.
We are regrowing ourselves, each other, the world. Regrowing toward a past we have forgotten and a future we are desperate for. How do we do that when we have no sense of the way?
The same way our ancestors faced the unending cruelty of assimilation, colonization, and genocide.
One step at a time, away from the pain of the present and towards a future that will only be just if we start by treating our own bodies justly.
An incomplete list of ways to cultivate our internal world:
- Read imaginative and speculative fiction. Read broadly. Read deeply.
- Join community organizations that you align with.
- Blow bubbles.
- Close your eyes. Imagine your utopia. Pick one aspect and do what you can to bring it into this world.
- Imagine collaboratively with people you trust.
- Spend time with people you love. Tell them you love them.
- Regularly move your body in ways that feel good.
- Celebrate your joy ecstatically.
- Create things. Try new hobbies.
- Accept that you will be bad at things sometimes.
- Love your creations anyway.
- Love yourself anyway.
