The Worried Optimist

“People often depict radicals as extremely cynical. Trust, it takes a lot of optimism to believe that another world is possible.” — Sankofa Brown

I know many of us are breathing sighs of relief this week. It’s been years of trauma and pain. Any reprieve is welcome.This week has been hard for me, though. I have to admit it. It’s been hard to work, and the day after the US Presidential Inauguration, I woke up with the press of worry on my chest. I wrote about my reasons why, and hope you read this reader-funded essay.

I also know that many people might find me to be a downer, writing about worry at such a time. But for me? Acknowledging my deep sense of worry—that things are not okay, that the trauma is not over—actually gives voice to my abiding optimism that we can build a better society than the one we have. But to do so? We cannot slide into complacency and think the work is done. Every word I write and photo I snap and art meme I make is an act of optimism. Even the painful things. My pain and grief and rage are rooted in optimism and love.

All art—whether it knows it or not—is optimistic. Why create if we don’t want to connect? Why create if we don’t want to put something new out into the world?The very act of creation tells us that we can build the world anew.

What are some of your optimistic acts? What do you, or will you, create?

blessings - Thorn