The Australian federal election was on over the weekend and the results have shocked me to such a degree that I have wept sad, salty tears and found myself inside of a darkness I haven't experienced for a long time. The darkness was only fleeting and I am grateful for that, but I didn't like revisiting it at all - I can only imagine that it was grave disappointment and a passing sense of hopelessness that spurred it on. I refuse to live there though, in the dark. I refuse to exist in this place and time and let myself be numbed by the undeniable toxicity of a culture that has become hell bent on eating itself alive. I do not believe the government re-elect has the people's best interest at heart and I'm sure as heck that the environment rates very lowly on its list of priorities. I am scared for the future of this planet and the children of today who will one day be forced to deal with the consequences of our inaction.
Dropping out has always appealed to me. The fantasy of running away to a cabin in the country and bottling jams and pickling vegetables is one I cling to dearly. Love keeps me in the suburbs, in the loop, in the game, and perhaps that is exactly how it should be lest I yawn into my own privilege and forget that reality is not soft, or a choice, for most people. Perhaps it is best to remain confronted by consensus reality lest we become caught in the hazy fantasies of our own minds. I don't know. All I know is that I am grateful for my life and want the privileges I have to be shared amongst us all. I want humanity to be gentle and care for its host. I want us to live in worship of this grand orb we call our home and sing her praises for everything she provides. We disrespect our mother and ourselves so badly. It hurts my heart and disturbs my mind.
In light of a conservative populism that appears to be sweeping much of the world I vow to strengthen my belief in the possibility of a more generous, caring, kind, loving humanity. My ideals have only been strengthened by the mass clinging to the same old, boring (and dangerous) narrative of social conservativism. I want to educate myself on all of the ways we can change and I want to share these ideas in a positive and exciting way. The old guard has gripped power through promoting fear of change. They tell us that the old is familiar and comforting, but it is also sinister in a world that is suffocating under the hateful, reactionary and 'business as usual' approach it promotes. It is a wolf in sheep's clothing - it looks benevolent but is really only there to serve the powerful.
The truth is that our world is changing whether we want it to or not. We have to change with it, lest we destroy everything we love. The question is, are we brave enough to embrace it? Do we have enough courage to become something different to what we are? The answer is, of course, yes we do. Because we have no other choice. Many of us were hoping that we would change sooner, rather than later. Now we hope that we don't end up being too late.