At this moment in time it is natural to feel discouraged and doubtful that the work we do is worthwhile at all. I get lost in the disasters happening every day and begin to think that nothing I do will ever create the changes I want to see. Sometimes I feel alienated from my loved ones because the bright future I can envision is so far from what their lived experiences are that it’s hard to talk about the things I really care about, and so we only end up talking about the present and its endless catastrophe.
The monarch caterpillar may see itself as insignificant, yet its very continued existence in this world is a sign of hope for the future. Even though we may feel small, isolated and sometimes privileged in this world, we must recognize the value of our lives and our ability to care for each other in the face of immense ecological and social despair.
I often interrogate myself, “how dedicated am I, really, to fighting injustice? How do my daily actions create anything worthwhile, anything useful?” But then I remember that productivity isn’t the goal, it’s building community to last through any catastrophe that may occur.
So even though we may all feel like lowly worms at times, we must remember that every person (and creature!) has a role to play, that our continued existence is resistance, and that our ability to love and care for each other is our greatest strength, no matter how small it may feel.
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