Dear Friends ~ my incredibly wise once-upon-a-long-time coworker Joanna Furnans sent a read-worthy email today, and I share the bulk of it with you here. As each insane event happens since the massive debacle of the November elections I grow more and more sad and hardened. But here is hope:
Hello all.
I intended to send this email blast letting you know about some of the projects I have coming up and then I woke up to the news of of another terrorist attack in the US this morning. Fifty people killed in “one of deadliest mass shootings in American history” according to the New York Times.
I am trying to fight the desensitization that has already begun to callus around my psyche. The images are beginning to look the same; people running, people crying, people laying in the streets bleeding, people helping, people in shock…
And our president tweets his condolences. And our gun laws stay the same.
I have no faith in this government.
Yet somehow, perversely, I seem to have faith in all this rage. The rage and selfishness of these murderers (terrorists, police, domestic partners, politicians) is something I have come to understand as normal. I can count on navigating this violence, in all its manifestations, for the rest of my life.
And I have faith in the rage of those who organize against violence and injustice. Their rage and the rage of countless fighters before them, is a necessary fuel in the fight for change. I understand it and feel it too.
So, here we are in the midst of rage. Do you want to see some dance performances?
I’m actually serious. Forgive me if this sounds trite but maybe coming together, away from our screens, in the flesh, to experience live performance will help us feel less fearful, less angry, less isolated, and more compassionate. The artists I am privileged to know are working as hard as they ever have during this time of political and social unrest. People are not giving up in the face of futility. On the contrary, we are taking more risks, being more bold, and taking up more space then we have in “easier” times. After all, what the hell do we have to lose?