I had an epiphany yesterday.
I spend so much time trying to escape from this terrible world we live in right now.
I reminded myself that all the "escapes" are the product of the same world, the same 14 billion years of history and evolution. The same species that's causing a mass extinction event due to greed; that's ruled by wealthy, white nationalist, performative Christofascists; that's perpetrated countless genocides also created every work of art; every poem, play, and novel; every movie; every video game; every medical miracle and scientific advance. We've put people on the moon and landed ships on other planets. We know the speed of light and what black holes look like.
I have to remember that being under a hateful regime doesn't necessarily mean that everyone is hateful. It's not one or the other, it's not all our nothing.
There are kind, thoughtful people out there right now who are thinking up the next thing that will bring us together and give us peace. There are people who would love and accept you. There are writers, artists, musicians, coders, scientists, etc doing good work. Yes, there are terrible, short-sighted, people who think little of others, but they are not all people even if they are often the loudest.
I have to remember that what I see, what those in power want me to see, are the things that support their narrative. It's why they want genAI so badly: it lets them churn out propaganda at an unholy rate. But it is propaganda, not reality.
If you live in the United States (or the UK) and are non-white, non-male, non-hetero, non-cis, non-neuerotypical, non-ablebodied, or non-"Christian", the government wants you and everyone else to believe you are less than human.
You are not.
I am not.
The government is lying. They are wrong. I can't fix it. You probably can't fix it. We can at least find each other and support each other, remind us that we are not alone and that we matter.
You matter.
Jonathan
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