It seems that I was unclear yesterday. Maybe it sounded like I was throwing in the towel on this writing project. Maybe it sounded like I don’t believe in thinking, or that I am willing to act without thought. I don’t think I said any of that… But then I wrote it and I read what I think I wrote, not always what is there… handicap of being your own editor.
So let me respond to these concerns. First, no, I’m not going to stop writing. I could hardly do so, as this is just who and what and how I am. However, I harbor no illusions about ever being published. My message is not something publishers are going to invest in. (Now, my poetry… ‘nother kettle…)
And no, I don’t approve of a life without thought. That’s what all this writing is: my thinking. I am not entirely sure what thinking is, nor am I entirely convinced that I am doing it. I tend to view thought as the way this organism that is I-am coordinates itself. I don’t believe in a mind. I might be convinced of a sort of spirit of place, the experiential sum of every being that makes up my body. In any case, thinking is how this being makes sense of experience, though there must be sense and experience. Thinking is embodied.
Still, what I think of thinking is ancillary. That wasn’t what I was talking about at all.
My main point has nothing to do with me, actually. It’s that what we think and what we say do not overly concern the people who are in charge of this system. Because what we think and what we say do not affect those people, nor the system. Protest and politicking and most media do not have any tangible effects. When we march, we might feel great, but nothing actually gets done. When we elect our candidate and when that person goes off to Washington, it feels like we are participating. And maybe some things happen now and then — but only indirectly. Washington does nothing. No politician does anything that needs to be done. Sometimes when they get their act together (which isn’t much of a thing these days) they might cause other people to do things, but that’s as much action as we get out of the whole political game. Most media… well, nothing ever gets done through a keyboard or a screen. This is all talk. Some of it might be good talk, talk that is like thinking, coordinating the organism that is a community. But most media is just talk to be talking. Either way, it does nothing. And we have a bloody lot of stuff to be doing!
The indifference of capitalists to many forms of talk — from politics to books to TikTok — should tell us that this talk is not accomplishing anything that needs to be done to reign in the hyper-consumption of our economic system. Talk is not perceived as detrimental to profits. Moreover, the more prominent a voice, the more mainstream an opinion, the less likely it is to change things in ways that will bring us back within the planet’s boundaries. Because that change would definitely hurt profit. Make no mistake, the present economy will tank when we are finally serious about ending the destruction. (Well, it will tank regardless… tanking is what it is currently doing… pro-tip from your friendly banker). And those who benefit from this system will use everything in their copious toolkit of suppression to shut down any talk of things that would lead to that crash or even point out that the crash is coming (happening). So there is an inverse relationship between the prominence of ideas and the utility of those ideas in creating change. Capitalism does a very good job of threshing out anything that threatens it and promoting what fits within its program. So if you want to know what will not work to get us all out of capitalism, listen to the loudest voices, those with the book contracts, political careers and lots of screen time.
However, nothing that comes out of our heads and our mouths bothers capitalism overmuch. As long as we keep buying crap, as long as we keep selling ourselves, as long as we do not do the work of cleaning up and changing ourselves, then what we say does not affect the system. It is the same as belief. It doesn’t matter what we believe. What matters is what we do. Capitalism does not care what you say, think, or believe about it — as long as you keep acting like a capitalist pawn, as long as we keep buying our way into a brighter future…
But as soon as you start acting… well, capitalism notices very quickly, particularly if you are a loud sort of personality. If you want to make necessary change in your life without landing yourself in a world of hurt, then you’d best be quiet about it. And the best way is to just turn away from the whole mess. Do not engage with the people who will hurt you. Walk away.
This is a rather successful strategy for much of the world. And it is much of the world. This culture is not nearly as global as it would have you believe. Even within this country a sizable minority, bordering on majority, has turned away from the capitalist project. It can’t be otherwise. Most of us can’t afford to stay. We can’t afford both housing and food. We can’t afford to meet our needs within the “normal” political economy. So we have bootleg networks. Gifting economies, reciprocity, sharing. We help each other. These edge space economies are how we have survived capitalism. They are also the normal ways that humans distribute resources and labor, throughout time and disparate cultures. In fact, capitalism would fail utterly if these edge spaces did not exist, if we did not prop each other up. Because if the world is not eating, then it sure isn’t working and buying and generating profits.
But anyway…
I don’t know if this is any clearer. Again self-editing… But let me clearly state that I am not against thought or talk or writing. Nor do I advocate following the unexamined path through life. Unless you happen to already live within the planet’s limits and aren’t causing any undo harm to other beings… In which case… you probably aren’t reading this… which is itself damning commentary on commentary…
Sigh…
headstones
stone eyes glare in the gloaming
this janus of justice
in silence she speaks oceans
she but watches you wither
flesh ephemeral to her hard perdurance
you do not concern
your ozymandian dreams
your herculean labors
earn marbled morbid indifference
in her immutable granite gaze
cry out as you might
cast stones at old women
the judgement will stand
while you fall into fathomless fate
and all that you’ve done
will be forgotten
crushed to dusty oblivion
oh, anguish!
to be utterly unmade in her eyes
unknown for eternities
but she endures
with that stony stare
she abides
and her unknown mind
will be your ultimate undoing
Wednesday Word
for 16 October 2024
grave
This seems a little awkward tacked on to the explanation above… But this week’s Wednesday Word was chosen months ago… You can respond in the comments below or go visit the All Poetry contest for October. There are some interesting poems now, well worth visiting.
©Elizabeth Anker 2024
By My Solitary Hearth 
I certainly agree that those in power do not care what is written about them and that what needs to change is not touched by reform efforts or protest marches. I have said such things myself. I just wanted you to hear from someone who does care about what you write. I know you are someone who has no choice but to write about what she is doing/thinking/feeling (trying to capture the “embodied” idea here) so I did not detect in what you wrote any inclination to stop. I just thought you might allow yourself a more generous view of how your writing lands on those who would like to push things in the same direction you are marking out. It is easy to feel alone when you pitch your tent well beyond the reach of settled opinion so I assume all who do might need some cheering up from time to time. Your posts do that for me so I was trying to return the favor.
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Thank you! And, yes, response, supportive response, does make me smile. Helps me keep going. I wasn’t just responding to your comment yesterday. There was a theme in the comments and emails I received… Collectively, it felt like “WHAT! YOU CAN”T STOP WRITING!” which was gratifying… (Yes, I’m vain…) but not at all what I was trying to say on Tuesday!
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