Instead we put our heads down and work, and on the following Friday our Director tells us to "take care of ourselves." Everyone I know is shellshocked into a state of numbness (pointing finger at myself too). So we work, and work, and carry on because capitalism demands we do so. Be resilient, they say. Eff off, I say.
A community should pause in its grief when there is death. A society should close all its business, pause all normal activities, and come together for a day to collectively grieve when it has failed to protect its people. To mourn with our hearts, not just with our words. To acknowledge our failures and mistakes. To gather the wounded and hurting and console them. To say that what happened was wrong and that what we did wasn't enough. To take the necessary steps to prevent this from ever happening again. And resolve that it never will.
It's the all systems go nature of everything all the time that gets me. We talk about wanting to pause, but who really does? Acting while immobilized is a weird state to be in. I think there will be a price to pay.
"I push peas into the soil, and it does feel better. But a pea is not a child; a fresh raspberry is not balm for a broken parent."
No, it isn't, but it is a pea. The negative and the positive exist side-by-side.
"Especially in grief, for which there are many metaphors, all of which serve to deflect a little from the truth, the realness, of loss."
Those kids are dead and they're going to stay that way, never to be replaced. The people of Bucha still died in the streets of that town. If you try and swallow all the tragedy and grief of the world (or most of it, or even just chunks of it, just small chunks of it), you'll drown. Too much ordinary death & suffering every day, even on a 'good' day for one person to absorb.
Instead we put our heads down and work, and on the following Friday our Director tells us to "take care of ourselves." Everyone I know is shellshocked into a state of numbness (pointing finger at myself too). So we work, and work, and carry on because capitalism demands we do so. Be resilient, they say. Eff off, I say.
A community should pause in its grief when there is death. A society should close all its business, pause all normal activities, and come together for a day to collectively grieve when it has failed to protect its people. To mourn with our hearts, not just with our words. To acknowledge our failures and mistakes. To gather the wounded and hurting and console them. To say that what happened was wrong and that what we did wasn't enough. To take the necessary steps to prevent this from ever happening again. And resolve that it never will.
It's the all systems go nature of everything all the time that gets me. We talk about wanting to pause, but who really does? Acting while immobilized is a weird state to be in. I think there will be a price to pay.
"I push peas into the soil, and it does feel better. But a pea is not a child; a fresh raspberry is not balm for a broken parent."
No, it isn't, but it is a pea. The negative and the positive exist side-by-side.
"Especially in grief, for which there are many metaphors, all of which serve to deflect a little from the truth, the realness, of loss."
Those kids are dead and they're going to stay that way, never to be replaced. The people of Bucha still died in the streets of that town. If you try and swallow all the tragedy and grief of the world (or most of it, or even just chunks of it, just small chunks of it), you'll drown. Too much ordinary death & suffering every day, even on a 'good' day for one person to absorb.
I have often tried; it sucks that one cannot.
elm
good post
Thank you for this. I needed it.
Thank you, Nia. There's precious little of comfort these days, but your words help. Attention must be paid. Thank you. <3
Thank you for the lovely words, and thank you for sharing them with us.