by hob
whether we like it or not, embrace it or ignore it, our choices lined along the course of intentionality are the fabric of our lived experiences. we may walk the path of the bumper sticker, “shit happens” or roll our eyes at yet another ironic hand towel telling us to “make it happen, bestie” in the bathroom of an old friend from college (how did we get here? I digress). somewhere in there, as it often is with the throes of a binary world, lies the answer of reality by which we, as a community, commit to live. we pursue happiness by not accepting societal standards by which many of us have been given, and commit to asking ourselves how we can both rest and thrive in an environment not geared towards the ideology of a cancer cell—growth for the sake of growth. we recommit to learning how to trust each other again in our care, stripping away the commonplace rules that have stifled each other from attaining a love for this life innately offered by the abundance of this earth.
I ask you to reckon with transparency when answering the question—aren’t you tired?
not because you just got off work or you haven’t gotten enough sleep this week, aren’t you tired of *this* – the status quo itself which asks of you everyday to summon up your worth via what it is you are able to produce? aren’t you tired of the sensation of living without the feeling of having lived? aren’t you tired of wondering what kind of person you might be outside of the constraints of the society we’ve accepted as “normal”? chaos is inevitable, however Paolo Freire tells us that without a vision for tomorrow, hope is impossible. the Cazimi vision is no doubt radical when juxtaposed with late-stage capitalism of the Western World, however not at all when aligned with the truth writhing in the answer of yes, I am tired of it.
In Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Freire calls upon the urgent duty that falls on each of us to act upon transforming our world, moving towards new possibilities of a fuller and richer life not only as an individual, but as a collective. this is an endless endeavor, as he states how “Those who authentically commit themselves to the people must re-examine themselves constantly.” we create a symbiotic chamber of great change when we hold accountability as the accelerator while we dare to make mistakes in the process. somewhere along the way, we develop a healthier balance among people.
I used to think change was only worth it on the sonic boom level, go big and think of the consequential aftermath as a raging success purely cos it looks different. move to another state, throw in a break up, quit a couple jobs, watch a new show and take it up as a new personality trait—whatever it takes to quench that deep seeded restless feeling that’s felt even heavier since 2020. it has often felt impossible to know where to start when implementing another strategy of change powered by sustainable longevity aimed at affecting on a community level…that is until a step back was taken to see the larger picture and the conclusive thought was realized: we all want the same thing! bell hooks, bless her, said it best when describing what it means to find freedom through education, to create trust through celebrating not only our differences, as well as rigorously confronting tensions when they arise. to find our “unity within diversity, that requires solidarity within a structure of values, beliefs, yearnings that are always beyond the body, yearnings to do with universal spirit.” the anxiety between us and getting out of our way to meet each other in the middle probably won’t go away, mistakes will be made, but as with anything worth doing in life, that’s where the information to make us stronger lies. human to human, let’s address the desire to show up authentically with a sense of urgent vulnerability in crafting a seat at a table designed with each other in mind.
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