Humans may be the only animals that can become obsessed with endpoints. If obsessed with is too strong a term, then confident in would be the replacement. As 2020 unfolded, I was reminded of the desperation with which Western civilisation limped to the conclusion of 2019 dragging behind us the burning dumpster that had been that years mascot.
Thinking in a linear fashion is a trap we have fallen into in recent centuries. There was a time when we observed the cycles of the earth and our part in them. In the world many of us inhabit, this is all but lost. Absent this basic understanding, we now look to artificially created conclusions as if the day that follows will bring with it respite or change. This is the reason why when signs of the pandemic first hit, a cohort of humanity stared in disbelief as 2020 looked at it’s predecessor and announced “Hold my beer.”
At the time of writing (if this ever gets published), we’re a few days in to 2021. My primary online source of interaction, these days more reading than interacting is Twitter. There I see the telltale signs of the same disbelief shown in 2020 re-occurring here in 2021, as signs of more virulent mutations of COVID-19 are detected and America’s 45th president is making phone calls requesting election fraud be committed for the good of the party lest there be consequences.
Instead of a new year’s resolution, how about a radical idea: let us consider this year 2020+1 with a mind to understanding that we may see no improvement in our collective circumstances unless we use what power (if any) we have to help make change. It’s the purpose of this site to investigate how to go about that.
Author’s Note: This piece was written and published before domestic terrorists breached the Capitol Building in DC. In a continuation of this articles spirit, these actions should not have come as a shock to anyone, however, the asymmetry with which insurrectionists were treated versus BIPOC protesters is an illuminating example of a functioning system of oppression. A primary tenet of this site will be learning to welcome the collapse of such systems.