Thinking Deeply
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Hello friends, James Baldwin is one of my favorite writers. He was also a massively intelligent and cogent thinker, who held great insight into the human condition. Baldwin saw in us a breathtaking capacity for love, he also gazed unflinchingly at the worst parts of humanity, mostly our bigotry and greed. Along with his writing, teaching, and activism, Baldwin fought for a life in which he had time and space to do the deep thinking that gave rise to his insights. He also danced with friends, smoked, laughed, and lived life as a gay Black man during times when the world was distinctly unkind to people like him, fleeing to France when the US became to heartbreakingly difficult to bear. Thinking of Baldwin makes me wonder: how often do we pause, breathe, and ponder? How often do we think about the human condition instead of simply reacting to events? Also: how to we make space for joy? How do we continue to create? There are many Baldwin quotes I love, and I’ve memorialized them in several of what I call my “art memes.” Here’s one that reminds us: “We made the world we’re living in and we have to make it over.” In this one phrase, Baldwin asks us to take responsibility for our part in current events. What have we been part of making? And, now, what part must we play to remake the world? As a Black, gay man, by all rights Baldwin could have excused himself from responsibility of the making of the world, but he did not. As an artist and a thinker, he recognizes what power he did have. Baldwin lived life out loud, as the saying goes. He faced down terror and oppression and decided to love the world. We too, can love the world. Best wishes — Thorn ps: If you’ve not read Baldwin, The Fire Next Time has been my favorite for decades. I also recommend the documentary film, I Am Not Your Negro. I had a great time talking about magical practice on Within the Cauldron if you want to give it a listen. The link above will bring you to YouTube!
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T. Thorn Coyle
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