Sustainably Living the Activist Life (part 5)

Our theme for this month is JOY! Joy and ritual. Joy and creativity. Joy and commitment.

I don't know when I started signing off many, if not most, of my emails with an exhortation to joy, but it's been one of the most consistent things because joy is so powerful.

If you've been in this community for a while, you know that I am a huge fan of the Olympics and Paralympics. I will wake up at 4 a.m. to watch a favorite event. I've loved the Olympics as far back as I can remember watching them, and, for me, one of the big draws is the joy.

From the opening ceremony to the final moments, we get to witness people doing what they love, and have dedicated so much of their young lives to, on the world's biggest stage. The overwhelming majority know that they will not win a medal, and it does not matter. They are there.

Watching U.S. figure skater Alysa Liu perform her long program was 4 minutes of transcendent joy. Liu, who had won multiple national championships, retired from the sport at 16 because she wasn't having fun, the joy was gone. In her return, 2 1/2 years later, medals were no longer her goal. Her skating since her return is, quite simply, joyful. She has said that she skates because she loves it and because it's where she shares her artistry with the rest of us. 

At the end of what was a truly magical performance, she skated off the ice and said, with a huge smile on her face, "That's what I'm fucking talkin' about."

Joy. That kind of delight is available to each of us if we'll just let ourselves have it.

Ritual:

Make it a practice to include things that bring you joy into your life on a regular basis. It doesn't have to be anything big; it can be a cup of cocoa and a book in your favorite genre. It could be reading to your kids, or someone else's kids. It could be hitting the skating rink and pretending you're Alysa Liu, and just reveling in the joy of gliding along the ice.

What you do doesn't matter. What matters is that you do something and that you consciously acknowledge the joy. We can run by things so quickly that we miss some of the best parts of our lives. Be present to the joy. We humans are hardwired to notice what isn't working. Noticing what is takes practice, and it's so worth the effort.

Creativity:

This is a great month to make something like a "joy in the resistance" playlist, collage, zine, or poem. The point here is to enjoy yourself. Maybe you decorate home-baked cookies with something inspiring or subversive.

Perhaps you gather a group of friends and make beach art with found objects, driftwood, sea grass, or shells, stating a core belief.

During the height of the AIDS epidemic, activists said that they "buried their friends in the morning, protested in the afternoon, and danced all night." In a terrifying time, they made a point of staying connected to their joy.

I believe joy is part of our birthright as humans. Sorrow comes round often enough; joy is there to remind us of what's beautiful in life and keep us pointed towards a better future.

Commitment:

Choose joy as a practice, not a luxury. Choose joy because you deserve it and because there's no longevity in the work of change-making without it.

Commit to whatever ritual for joy that you create. Bring others into it as much as makes sense. Joy is great by ourselves and magnified when others are part of it.

If you want to experience the power of collective joy, watch Alysa Liu's free skate.

Remember, joy is your birthright, stay connected to it!

Until next month,
Omkari