Re-Humanizing Each Other
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Hello friends My intention for this week’s newsletter was to share what I’d written on community prosperity and magic a couple of weeks ago. Or the podcast I just did on love and determination during hard times. And I’m still going to, below, because those thoughts are important, too. But first, I need to speak honestly about my current state. It’s not my usual uplifting musings, and I hope that’s okay with you. Last night, my sleep was troubled. I kept waking with thoughts of the men in CECOT prison, and the planes in Texas waiting to take 200 more immigrants to that pit of brutality without even the thinnest veneer of due process. All prisons are brutal, but this one seems worse than should even be imaginable. This morning, the news tells me that the US Supreme Court finally woke up and did something to stop the latest transport. I’m relieved. And I also know this fight is far from over. Yesterday, I sent out a call to file a complaint with the UN Human Rights Commission about the abuses at CECOT and the US transports, and I still think that is a good idea. It is one small way to take action. We must approach our current situation from all angles, whether supporting immigrant’s rights organizations, writing letters, marching in the streets, monkey wrenching the companies of the people in charge of this debacle, creating safe space for LGBTQ+ kids, or supporting our neighbors. But the first thing we must do? We must re-humanize one another in order to combat this fascism based on hatred. Dehumanization is the key to their power. Did you know that Martin Niemöller was an anti-Semite who supported the Nazis? They still took him to a concentration camp. His famous poem is not a parable or metaphor. It actually happened to him. He said nothing as group after group was rounded up, until literally, there was no one left to stand with him. Niemöller’s regret and remorse were real. They also came too late. It is not too late for us. Whenever we hear dehumanizing language, or witness dehumanizing actions—be they against trans people, disabled people, racialized people, immigrants, or people of different religions—we can speak up. We can ask questions. We can intervene. We can act. And we can, whenever possible, look upon each other with kindness and support our best natures. In supporting our best natures, we have a chance to welcome each other into pockets of safety and love. We have a chance to make it through. Thanks for being here — Thorn If you are interested in more thoughts about ways to make it through, here is my recent podcast on fostering determination through love: Magic, Creativity, and Life And my essay on community prosperity: Community Prosperity, Community Health.
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T. Thorn Coyle
Hello friends, There is magic in this world, if we remember to listen for it. To look for it. To allow ourselves to experience it. I don’t know what it is like to live in a war zone. I don’t know what it is like to live in daily terror. I do know what it is like to escape into books from a violent and unpredictable home environment. I have experienced chronic pain. Chronic illness. Heartbreak. All of these human things. And I know you have your own experiences, too. I also know what it is to...
Hello friends, As a person who creates things for a living, I need to set boundaries around energy, attention, and time. Even from myself. That last might seem funny, but when you think about it, it’s very true. How often do we say something is important to us, but fail to make it a priority? That could be health, family, enjoyment, financial stability, creativity, spiritual practice, social justice work, or spending time with friends. How often do other things creep in, crowding out the...
Hello friends, I wrote about collective power for my Patreon supporters this week. I wrote about the importance of having each other’s backs, and protecting our neighbors. This was inspired by recent events in the US, of course, but the thing that coalesced my thoughts was a bit of sidewalk stencil graffiti. This is another reminder that the marks we make on this world are important. They invite thought, and conversation. Sometimes they keep a person going, when we don’t even realize it....