Facing the Wrecking Ball

and addressing this overwhelming moment

I’m in overwhelm: the recent death of my brother, Trump’s inauguration and the multitude of posts, about 300 unread emails (I will delete most of them), and having just gone to an urban centre from the small rural community where I’ve lived for a number of years.

It’s an interesting place to be, and gives a perspective that’s a little unusual. It brings to mind the song Wrecking Ball written and performed by a now defunct group, Dirty Grace, from the Kootenays, where I live. I hope you’ll give it a listen. It’s both realistic and comforting.

It’s similar to what I’ll be writing about in this post.

How in hell did we get to this ugly place? We’ve been watching things unravel for a long time. And now here we are.

As we read about so much being dismantled by a government for the billionaires and by the billionaires, what do we do?

Breathe deeply, and take care of ourselves, that’s for sure. And take care of each other when we can. Exchange massages, listen deeply, help each other out — that kind of thing.

And then look for the cracks and, like dandelions, grow in them until the dominant structure crumbles.

This isn’t about one political party or the other. Parties in the west and the news outlets that serve their interests are run by the corporate class. So are movies out of Hollywood.

We’ve been watching this slow motion takedown for decades, and now it’s come to a head.

And, as more support systems are dismantled, as more environmental regulations are dropped, as social safety nets are shredded and life becomes even less affordable, things will be increasingly tough for many, if not most, of us.

And that’s not just for those in the USA, but for all of us in the western world. Here in Canada, we’re looking at a possible Poilievre majority government. He’s using the same script as Trump: sounding like he’s for the average person while being funded and supported by billionaires. Whose interests do you think he’ll be looking out for?

So, as ordinary people, what should we do?

Here are some of my ideas:

First, let’s not buy into blaming others for the crimes of the corporate class. It’s not the fault of immigrants, people of colour, women, lefties or people with a different sexual orientation. If you believe it is, you’re being used to further the agenda of those who are taking advantage of us. We’re all in this together, and we need solidarity if we’re going to get out of this mess. And let’s not assume that we’re in a world of bad guys and good guys.

Biden deserved to lose the election over supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. That doesn’t make Trump a knight in shining armour.

And on the theme of solidarity, how much can we do together? We can share car rides and housing, we can buy bulk food together (please get in touch if you’d like a google doc that makes this easy), we can get involved with community gardens, or support local food growers. We can sing together, and make the effort to help each other out.

We can create a virtuous cycle, where helping each other is just what we do. I’ve done this much of my life, and it has so many non-tangible rewards. And I think it’s actually being faithful to our true natures.

Doing this rehumanizes us, and retaining our humanity is crucial at this point. I just read an excellent post by Mark Taylor on the topic, and we need to realize that maintaining our humanity is essential, towards people in Gaza and towards those who have been marginalized in our own communities.

And let’s look at our mindsets. I met a man who went through the big changes South Africa experienced many years ago, and asked him what the best thing to do was when our systems are failing us. He said, “Keep your relationships clean.”

Let’s do this. Being trustworthy and building relationships on foundations of trust makes life so much more enjoyable. We do this by being kind, listening deeply to each other and being tactful in our interactions.

We can start a barter system enabling all of us to contribute to meeting each other’s needs. Here’s an online tool for that purpose.

As governments become more authoritarian and censorious, it’s important to be discreet. As they say, it’s better to be a live coward than a dead hero. Or at least be a discreet hero. After all, we’re more effective alive than dead or in jail. I’ve heard that one of the most effective forms of activism is to have a group of three to five people who get together to take action without telling anyone about it outside of the group.

I hope we start to share things in person more than online. We may need to become more discreet about what we share on the internet. And let’s double and triple check that what we’re sharing is accurate and useful. Fake news is a tool of the billionaires. Keeping us confused and fearful keeps us immobilized and disempowered.

And what about unplugging from a system that’s harming us?

Wildcrafting anyone? Start with dandelion greens. I read somewhere that if there weren’t so many of them, they’d be considered a superfood. I eat them all the time, and make sure they’re from areas that haven’t been treated with pesticides. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Nature offers so much wonderful food and medicine. You just have to learn about a few and build on that. Wildcrafting gives us fresh food, saves us money and it takes support from a system that’s harming us.

Along those lines, how about making our own personal care products? The ones I make work well, and are practically free. No more plastic bottles, no more smelly chemicals and another huge money saver. What’s not to love? I make my own shampoo, tooth paste and laundry soap. Easy peasy.

The way we use our money has a big impact on the world.

We can bank at credit unions instead of banks, and keep the money in our communities and out of the war machine that way.

We can buy local, direct from farmers, from independent businesses, and avoid chain stores whenever possible. We can buy goods that are fairly traded. We can buy second hand. The way we use our money is a powerful tool.

These are the thoughts that come to my mind during this tumultuous time.

What about you? What ideas come to you?

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I love the BDS campaign and the effect it’s having on Israel’s economy.

Here's an excellent list of products from Israel: https://boycott.thewitness.news/browse/1

Here's a way to help others not in your bubble to boycott Israel: https://www.cjpme.org/stickies_2024_en

And here's where you can support Palestine by buying a keffiyeh: https://www.hirbawi.ps/