Jody Williams, Abigail Disney, And Leveraging Rage (A Series, Part II)
"I think there's a mythology that if you want to change the world, you have to be sainted...Ordinary people with lives that go up and down and around in circles can still contribute to change."
Micro Rage
The utter lack of decent, consistent sleep as an adult woman. It started a year or two ago (maybe longer?). Slight troubles falling asleep, or waking earlier than I wanted. I changed my nightly habit, swapping Seinfeld reruns for sleep meditations. Then I added 250mg of magnesium. And melatonin. I took out caffeine. I barely drink alcohol (which my body seems to take a week to metabolize). And still, it’s a struggle. I woke the past two mornings at 3am, quickly spiraling from a need to pee to an onslaught of panicked thoughts vying for my attention. I want someone with more authority to consistently put me to bed each night, and for my body to willingly comply.
Macro Rage
In graduate school, I took a course co-taught by Nobel Laureate Jody Williams (she won the 1997 Peace Prize for her work to ban landmines). Years later, I cannot even recall the name of the course, but I do remember this small but significant piece of wisdom. Someone asked how you decide what to pursue in the face of the myriad of injustices, and I remember Jody Williams replying with something along the lines that you just find your thing and you pursue it. It was so incredibly simple and complicated to my young, hemorrhaging heart.
Here is my little piece of advice, as someone for whom finding that thing took almost a dozen years. Clear the noise. It is impossible to find that one thing, to follow that one thing, in the chaos of all the noise. I am quite confident the noise is intended to drown us, to keep us overwhelmed at best and indifferent at worst.
I joke that I exist with a 25% level of low-grade rage. I joke. There is not an absence of things to instigate a righteous indignation. But I don’t listen to everything. I do not follow global news. I do not follow national news. Other than the TX Lege session, I do not follow state news. If I cannot take direct action by informing myself of something, I do not waste my time or energy informing myself. We do not need to know everything.
Which brings me to Abigail Disney. Years ago, I went to a screening of Pray the Devil Back to Hell (featuring Leymah Gbowee, among other activists, who won the 2011 Peace Prize). Following it was a talkback with producer Abigail Disney. An audience member asked her what they could do to help, and Disney told them to use this as an example to do the work in their own community. I am quite confident the audience member was befuddled. Looking outward, for both criticism and aid, seems to be an American pastime.
The reality is that there is a plethora of work to be done, all around us, all the time.
Just this past Thursday, I went to a screening of The First Rainbow Coalition. At some point during the documentary or the Q&A afterwards, someone shared Bob Lee’s response when people asked how to start, “Look in front of you, look to your left, look to your right, look behind you, and then pick a direction.”
Brilliant.
A Small Thing
Dear readers, we bought a deep freeze. It was already en route when my youngest got sick, and so I spent the days quarantining inside ordering HEB curbside and batch cooking. I heard recently that the issue isn’t lack of time but lack of energy, and I couldn't agree more. I mean, there is a significant lack of time during the week to prepare dinner, but also an even more significant lack of energy. I don’t know what the future holds, but for now, my freezer is stocked with dinner for a month! Apparently, I can channel energy once a month when my kids get sick, which is a realistic average for the fall semester. I will keep you posted.
A Big(ger) Thing
I opened my Instagram account to see several accounts repost the video footage of the mother Alison Polidor being forcibly removed by state troopers from the Tennessee House subcommittee. Shannon Watts typed, “Moms will win.” For moms to win, we first must get engaged. Let’s get engaged.
Did anyone else see that video? What were your thoughts?
I love this entire post, and am feeling especially inspired to pick a direction and move in it. Thanks, Saba <3
I think about that video ALL THE TIME. What a beautiful act of rage and courage.