Go where the pain is. Transform your pain into prose, into poetry. Do something creative with your suffering. Make a work of art of your pain.
How often have I heard that advice in one form or another.
There’s just one problem; I don’t want to go there. I don’t like dwelling upon my pain, the human monsters of this world whom take the forms of politicians, enforces, or part of corporation; all intent upon dehumanizing people to spread hate and satisfy their greed.
Thinking of such monsters sends me into a spiral of despair, which feels as if I’m dancing the World of Darkness’s Black Spiral Dance. The hateful and the greedy have turned our world into a world of darkness. I failed to stop it.
I cannot look away from what’s happening, not for for too long. Some of my anger and fear I must channel into words. I have to rage, in art, if nowhere else.
If I focus upon this reality for too long, I shall go mad, spiralling down into despair and hatred myself.
I think of the much more welcome advice of Anne Rice, a favorite writer who reshaped the world for me, opening my mind to complexity and wonder. Anne Rice advised writers to go where the pleasure is.
Such counsel is a breath of fresh air in a polluted space.
I not only want to follow this advice, but I need to. I must towards the pleasure and if possible, spread it. I must seek out joy, beauty in nature, art, music, and food. Beauty can be a sign someone took the time to make something look pretty, even if it’s a simple as a meal.
After I cook up some greens in a pan, put those greens on top of a good piece of bread with cheese upon it, covering the whole with roasted nuts; I’ve got a healthy, nutritious meal. It’s a small thing, but gazing at that meal can be a moment of beauty, while the greens lift my spirits and nourish me.
I cannot express how much I hate hybrid produce, lacking in nutrition and flavor. Such qualities are sacrificed to create fruits and vegetables that look better, has a longer shelf life, and screw the customer over.
Don’t even get me started on all the premade foods; from ice cream to jars of prepared sauce, filled with substances that are far too similar to what’s used in cleaning supplies.
I wonder about the dehumanization that goes on in corporations to mass produce hundreds of poisoned products that will slaughter entire populations. Accepting a single poisonous apple seems like an intimate, personal gesture.
None of these deadly products we can find in our grocery stores are personal. All of the poison lurking within them was done in the name of cheap short cuts and short-term profit for a limited few.
What those few don’t realize is they’re cheapening the quality of life for everyone.
Pleasure is becoming more of a treasure, difficult to find, but it still can be found in art, in music, in stories, and even in food.
Thank you to all of you who’ve continued to provide pleasure amidst the pain. Thank you to the small farmers, who go to markets with a few quality products, which offer up flavor and nutrition. Thank you to the artists, writers, and creative visionaries, who’ve bravely soldiered on during this dark times, to bring joy to us all.
You’ll always be one of my greatest sources of inspiration.