Living while we die
I have been thinking a lot about the power of storytelling right now. Dr. Martin Luther King died in April of 1968, one year later, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by Dr. Maya Angelou and The Spook Who Sat by the Door by Sam Greenlee were published.
The same year Rosa Parks was arrested in Montgomery, James Baldwin’s Giovanni’s Room was published, a novel about two men in a romantic relationship, 1956.
What these stories represent in these times is that there are always many worlds unfolding concurrently. Sure, there’s injustices happening that affect the world and the country while the greatest art of a generation is being produced. Can we keep that same energy now?
Many artists completely ignore sociopolitical changes in their work. Their goal is to be a successful artist by any means and political commentary makes things complex, it requires courage. It could serve your work or it could get you killed and sully your legacy. Risky business.
But is it riskier business to stay silent? Possibly, and there are many ways to make your political identity clear through your work and even more so through your actions and how you make people feel. Right now, it’s unclear at times who is genuinely for the people because in the age of social media, some position themselves as revolutionary for the brand identity with no real action.
Recently, I was listening to Beyonce’s Renaissance, which makes everything feel alright. She’s a capitalist billionaire with an unbreakable soul and an ironically relevant soundtrack to an anti-billionaire revolution. Later, I was listening to Bob Marley’s Lively Up Yourself which reminds you that to maintain the feeling of aliveness sometimes you have to rock, dip and whine. This music doesn’t precisely reference the challenges of the times but it does in the feeling of resilience and opposition. It has a “joy anyhow” on it which I deeply appreciate.
Right now, America’s government is showing itself as the terrorists it’s always been. Many people are just now finding out but meanwhile, we’re still making funny memes about the buffoon sitting in alleged leadership at the white house. We are still dancing, praying, playing and learning recipes. We are aware. We are against it but we’re also still for aliveness, joy, silliness, anger and pleasure. We live beyond the pain and disappointment.
We live to think and talk about ourselves, our lineage, community and loved ones without oppressive dark forces at the center of our decision making and emotional state. In all honesty, fuck them folks. When I read their “news” and listen to them talk, I recognize they are immature in the art of loving. They lack critical thinking skills. They have poor vocabularies and poor emotional control.
So on my own time, in my own way, I plan to keep dancing my way through this life with grace and discipline. Discipline to continue to prioritize intentional movement and prayer through my body and grace to allow the movement to be ugly, offbeat, weary or activated.
As the world I have known burns and a new world is born, I trust in the value of my story and yours because we dance while we weep and we live while we die.