The Fear of Permanence

My brain knows change is constant and inevitable whether it is the state of my mind/body or our society. Everything is in flux at all times. Seasons are always in movement. My brain knows what emergent strategy teaches about cultural and systemic change. I know!My body feels scared that things won’t change fast enough and I will be stuck in a state of freeze forever. The people in Palestine, DRC, Sudan, our local areas that were killed by colonial state violence…we will never get them back permanently.My brain knows that what I’m feeling is grief, exhaustion, and fear for the future.My body is freaking out through my inflamed neck pain and the feeling of wanting to crawl into bed - and sleep for awhile.My brain wants me to be gentle on myself and not to be so self absorbed…because I have it so good. Haha!My body is feeling fast energy that is threatening to slow down so much that I won’t be able to do anything. And I hate that state. I rather be in the fast energy than the slow one.My brain is telling me that this is a natural nervous system response to the horrifying reality, and that I should just ride the waves. Trust the process. Recenter to be focused on collective liberation.My body says to just lay down for a few minutes. We can set an alarm..Tiffany’s Substack is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Get full access to LIBERATORY IMAGINATION at tiffanywongart.substack.com/subscribe