Hello friends,

The great writer Octavia Butler once replied to a student asking about ending the world’s suffering, “There’s no single answer that will solve all of our future problems. There’s no magic bullet. Instead there are thousands of answers—at least. You can be one of them if you choose to be.”

Often hailed as a prophet for her science fiction works, Butler insisted that she simply studied history and extrapolated a possible future from that—often recent—past.

Many of us saw the current present coming. Many were called Cassandra. Listening matters. Paying attention matters. But we’re here now, and the thing that matters most? Becoming one of a thousand or more answers. We all know what to do if we pause and pay attention.

In times of acute crisis, the important thing to do is remain as centered and grounded as we can be—or actually, keep returning to a centered and grounded state, no matter how often we get thrown off. And from that centered and grounded state, we act. We show up for our neighbors. We feed people. We do court support. We donate. We gather in the streets. We protect each other. We speak up for the children.

Together, we create the future we desire. For me, this looks like all of us, finding our ways toward solutions. These solutions may feel as if they only solve a proximate need, but in reality, these solutions are building something long term.

Our tiny acts of resilience, love, and resistance ease the world’s suffering.

Our tiny acts of resilience, love, and resistance build a future in which community is valued, water and earth are valued, and the stranger is welcomed and becomes a friend.

Let us become thousands of answers to the question of what it is we love.

Best wishes — Thorn