....For the many of you that just don't have the means at your disposal to get back to a healthy place please do the hard thing and reach out to other people in the movement and ask for help. I say that knowing how hard it is to reach out, especially when you're not in the right place, but I can also tell you how amazing it feels when you do reach out and find out there are people in this movement who will be there for you. I have to specifically mention, here, anyone who's allowing thoughts of suicide to enter their minds. I don't think there are adequate words for anyone in that situation. All I can do is plead with all of my heart that you reach out and feel just how valued you are to others in this world and to God. I also ask everyone in this movement to be vigilant and make sure those around you are doing well. For anyone that wants to reach out to me, I'm always an email away.
The second thing I wanted to say to everyone is that in times like this, when the ephemeral world fails you time and time again, the best thing you can do is draw strength from something ethereal, by which I mean heavenly or celestial. For the vast majority of us I think that means drawing strength from friends and family, people who will be there for you no matter what and who mean something to you far beyond any Senate vote. But what I really mean is the way I've learned to stay committed to making change in this world is by drawing strength from religion, and my commitment to God. That means something very specific in my faith, but in the many spokes that make up the wheel of Truth, it can mean any number of things. Even a dispassionate student of history will show, I think, that the only sustainable revolutions are those that draw from faith. Don't believe me? Read historian Eric Hobsbawm and his analysis of millenarian movements in Primitive Rebels.
Finally, and most importantly in the context of this post, after you've done the first two things, get back into the fight. Flavia over at dreamactivist.org said it first and probably said it better: "There are battles everywhere, over access to education, in-state tuition, financial aid, driver's licenses... the list goes on. We have only just begun." I might even steal her Oscar Romero quote at the end of this post, too. He says it better than almost anyone. My only tiny qualm with Flavia's post is that she says "If you feel like giving up, you are entitled to do so." It depends on what "giving up" means, but I don't think anyone is entitled "give up," generally. By all means, take care of your body, mind, and spirit before you start going around trying to save the rest of the world. If you're not in the right place physically, mentally, or spiritually, taking a break to get on the right track is not optional, it's necessary. You can't clean the world with dirty hands...link to complete Citizen Orange post
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