“You know I've wanted to scream at churches long before this disease,' he said. 'This is a lifelong dream come true.”
Source: Like a Love Story
“...but I'm also talking about the colonizing of truth, the redesigning of the fabric of reality. I am talking about the imposition of a way of classifying, measuring, and quantifying the world, including everything from time, to temperature, to distance, to weight. All of these things became calculated and bounded by frameworks that were not only European but often peculiarly English ways of understanding reality. Today's activism responds to the world on these terms, operating on terrain already mapped out by white supremacy, Eurocentric logic, and colonialism. This would be less worrying if it was clearly identified, would not pose so grave a danger if there was awareness that the terms of engagement operate within a framework that we need to dissolve. However, that acknowledgement appears to be entirely absent, and we congratulate ourselves on 'speaking truth to power' (often, depressingly, via what we know call 'platform capitalism').”
Source: What White People Can Do Next: From Allyship to Coalition – An Empowering Guide to Interrogating Whiteness and Creating Justice
“That does not mean, however, there should be no consequences. It means real consequences. Consequences that really matter. It means transforming the conditions that exist in the first place for this to even have happened. It is really critical for people to think about the difference between punishment and consequences. Punishment often is actually not the same as transformation. Even though it feels good to wear the “kill the rapists” T-shirt, that isn’t the thing that is actually going to get us the world we want to live in.”
Source: We Do This 'til We Free Us: Abolitionist Organizing and Transforming Justice
“Activist organizations have managed to infect much of the information that is available relating to both gender and biological sex. Any research studies that are not in agreement with this agenda are ignored as though they never existed. Whether it’s health websites, research publications, or media articles, it really is a jungle out there. If what you are looking for is basic, foundational information, anything older than ten years old is probably safe. Anything published in the last few years is questionable.”
Source: The End of Gender: Debunking the Myths about Sex and Identity in Our Society
“Changing the world won't make people like you. It will cause you pain. It will be difficult. It will feel like a struggle. You must accept the size of the mountain ahead of you, and start climbing it anyway.”
Source: Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights
“I often confuse
a sense of futility
with a call to action.”
Source: 13th Balloon
“MCA: Middle Class Activist (The Sonnet)
I don't know the meaning of socialism,
But progress without society is insanity.
I don't know the meaning of capitalism,
But catering to luxury produces disparity.
I don't know the meaning of woke,
But no life is complete without community.
I don't know the meaning of philosophy,
But intellect is useless without amity.
I don't own many fancy gadgets,
Affording essentials I stand without greed.
I'll probably never set foot on MARS,
On earth I'll be serving the abandoned in need.
High and mighty tech won't make this world better,
Till we place humanity at our highest altar.”
Source: Solo Standing on Guard: Life Before Law
“If a man has not discovered something that he could die for, he’s not fit to live.”
“Nonconformity is a part of revolution, but it's neither the cause nor the purpose of it.”
Source: Heart Force One: Need No Gun to Defend Society
“When I was in Vietnam, so many of our villages were being bombed. Along with my monastic brothers and sisters, I had to decide what to do. Should we continue to practice in our monasteries, or should we leave the meditation halls in order to help the people who were suffering under the bombs? After careful reflection, we decided to do both--to go out and help people and to do so in mindfulness. We called it engaged Buddhism. Mindfulness must be engaged. Once there is seeing, there must be acting. Otherwise, what is the use of seeing?”
Source: Peace Is Every Step: The Path of Mindfulness in Everyday Life