Counting up to the election: Gevurah and Tiferet

[sonia]

rosefox's post on Gevurah.

Gevurah is about strength and boundaries, and I feel like it's my home base, part of how I am in the world.

It was good to see that I have really internalized compassionate boundaries, when I read Compassionate Boundaries: How to Say No with Heart by Carley Hauck.

I already took small immediate actions in the week of Chesed, because I'm like that.

I did not like How to Gently Coax Yourself Out of your Comfort Zone by Karen Schlaegel. To be fair, my issue is more allowing myself to stay within hailing distance of my comfort zone, and maybe figure out what being in a comfort zone feels like. Even with all that, it felt like the crux of this article was, "Throw yourself at the ground and miss! It worked fine for me!" Which is not what the title says at all.

This article on Sustaining ourselves as activists by Helen Cox was interesting and had great advice from actual activists. I'm not doing the kind of out in the street activism they were researching, and again I think I have this covered for myself already.

What motivates us to engage in activism by Helen Cox, more good info from actual activists. I'm an activist, in my own way of interpreting that, because I might as well be useful while I'm here. It puts me in alignment with what feels right inside. It makes the world a better, kinder place. It supports what I care about. I want more people to have a better experience of being alive.

I do small things toward making the world a better place all the time. Here's a goal: more people voting. This week I joined Vote Forward. I will write and send some letters.

rosefox's post on Tiferet.

Tiferet is the heart, kindness, compassion, warmth. My core, but I have trouble really sitting in it and feeling it for myself. See above about comfort zone.

I initially loved What It Means to Be Enough by Melissa Camara Wilkins. And then I felt like the salesy trappings around the post, the automatic footer, etc., detracted from the message. Also, as I look for a pull quote and fail to find one, a lot of it is framed in the negative. I guess I need to hear "You are enough, just as you are," without a lot of elaboration around it.

The article The Most Important Thing You Need to Know About Your Obstacles by Hillary Rettig starts with (strikethrough added), "The most important thing you need to know about your obstacles is that all of them can be overcome." This is poisonous gaslighting bullshit. Yes, some obstacles can be overcome. And some can't. Systemic discrimination and disadvantages are real. Effects of trauma are real. Disability is real. rosefox's message is more kind: "Don't just try to willpower past your obstacle; make a plan and give yourself the resources you need." I'm not sure why they linked to that article!

Yes! Harmony! We Rise by Batya Levine was joyful to watch and listen to. Singing in harmony is at my heart and core and I continue to struggle mightily to get better at it and I miss it sorely during this pandemic.

The questions about vision make me flinch and growl. I feel like I'm hunkered protectively over my visions for the future hoping to shield them from being completely extinguished by the disintegration of politics, health, and environment in the world.

I am posting here about my activism, and reading what others post all over dreamwidth about what they're doing, and that keeps me company. Having conversations with friends also helps not to feel so alone.

I am doing what feels right to do, balanced with my physical and mental health. I feel immensely, urgently pushed by the world disintegrating around us. I need to learn to push myself less, not more.

Comments

[rosefox]

Sometimes there are no perfect resources, or at least not ones that I can find, so I link to imperfect ones. As someone with several chronic disabilities, I rolled my eyes at Rettig's opener too, especially when she qualified it below with "Your Situational Obstacles—bad job, bad relationships, disability or chronic illness—can be overcome, at least in part" and "By 'overcome,' I mean eliminated, minimized or compensated for." But I still think there's some useful advice in there that is pretty well in line with how I've dealt with my own obstacles, including the intractable ones.

That said, I very much sympathize with needing to push less, not more. And that means my posts may mostly not be right for you, since they're intended to nudge people like me out of paralysis and inaction. But I'm glad you're getting some value out of them anyway!

Everything Batya Levine does is magical. She's got a new album out and it's just outstanding. Highly recommended.

[sonia]

Glad you didn't take my strong reaction personally! I'm getting a lot out of noticing what I'm already doing and what I don't need right now, so thank you for that. I've been wrestling with my activism since Nov 2016, and it's good to notice I'm in a more settled place with it. Always room for improvement and refinement, too.

[rosefox]

One advantage of nearly 20 years in the book review business is that I have very firmly internalized the notion that one should not take mixed or negative reviews personally. :) I appreciate you sharing your thoughts.