Things We Can Do
Long-term and short-term, near and far
These are difficult and painful times. With the U.S. election results, climate change and individual weather disasters, ongoing war in Ukraine and expanding genocide in the Middle East, as well as personal financial woes over housing, food and health care—just surviving—many of us feel pushed to the edge, or even over.
There’s a story that applies to this historical moment, the old children-in-the-river story. I met someone recently who didn’t know it, so I’ll tell it again. Gender is not relevant here, and dealing with gender pronouns became so annoying that I’m adopting zi, a gender-neutral third person pronoun used by the time-traveling and teleporting interdimensional alien Squid in my second Sci-Fi Metafiction novel.1
Someone was working by a river when suddenly zi saw a child being carried downstream by the swift current. Very alarmed, zi jumped in and rescued the child. But when zi was back on the bank and starting to dry off, here came another one! Zi jumped in and saved that one too.
By the time a third child came floating down a few minutes later when zi was growing desperate, zi noticed another person walking purposefully upstream. “Hey, why aren’t you helping me rescue these kids? Where are you going?” zi cried. The stranger replied, “I’m going upstream to see who’s throwing them in!”
So at a time like the present one, some of us drop everything and spring into action while others continue with long-range plans that may have a wider application. And if you’re one of those, you might feel guilty: Why am I sitting around writing books when people are dying? Are the arts useless, then? No. At their best, they’re a way of walking upstream and making a broader, deeper change.
Of course we don’t do just one thing at a time. Needs and desirable actions ripple outward: caring for yourself, your family, community, state, country, our world, and maybe even beyond. Some people focus on one level and some on another, either through necessity or personal taste, but all the levels need attention at times, so here are a few quick fixes and remedies.
Shield yourself as needed so you can stay functional, loving, and effective. Do your spiritual practices if you have them, and get outside, somewhere beautiful if you can. If you have fresh, sweet air available, breath it in. Or try this: In your imagination, surround yourself with light—I made a little egg around me this morning out of tiny light motes. Make a strong shield of light all around you, a vast protection of any shape and consistency you like.2
Here’s a funny one I just read and can’t recall where: You can’t think while you’re humming! I tried it and dang, for me it works! And since I habitually think like a squirrel on speed, it’s a great relief. There’s research online about humming, though maybe not citing this exact claim. (Singing or playing music can have the same effect.)
Feel like chewing your arm off with helplessness over Gaza? Try this, shared by a Facebook friend: “Next week, the Senate will return from recess and begin considering Bernie Sanders’ Joint Resolutions of Disapproval to block the latest sale of weapons to Israel. We need all hands on deck to get these resolutions to pass. Call 202-224-3121 every day through Nov. 21 to urge your Senators to sponsor Senate Joint Resolutions 111 - 116.” I’m excited to do this! Who’s with me?
Palestine and the spreading U.S.-funded nightmare are my issues, but there are plenty of others. Black and Hispanic friends and those outside the binary gender conception are pretty upset, as is anyone who’s apt to be targeted in this new American reality.
Most of the women I know are horrified by the Handmaid’s Tale plight of U.S. women and the fact that so many men voted as they did. Women feel shocked, angry, sick, betrayed, scared, or any combination. And these are no fainting violets, but strong and powerful people—creative, intelligent and able human beings.
Lovely idea from a lady on Facebook: She’s offering a place to stay in her home for women traveling from restrictive states for medical care. Find good ideas like that one, or implement your own. And if you’re not ready to reach out or get back on the horse, just take care of yourself as best you can, however that looks!
Personally, I’m subject to analysis paralysis and can get so far into the weeds of research that I come out with nothing. This has long been a barrier to sending aid to Gaza, though I’ve done it off and on. But so many worthwhile entities are vying for our attention and I’m never certain, in the rapidly changing situation, whether anything is getting through at all.
I’ve assembled some resources below for those who’d like to donate or dig further. Resource links include nine best charity ratings from Impactful Ninja3 and info from Heal Palestine4 and others. UNWRA has an online Situation Report dated 11.3.24 and a Gaza Supplies and Dispatch Tracker dated 11.8.24 with information about where and whether supplies are getting in.5 I sense these are updated regularly.
A last long Facebook quote advises us6, "This moment that humanity is living through can be considered a door or a hole. The decision to fall into the hole or go through the door is yours . . . . Take care of your home, take care of your body.
“Connect with your spiritual home . . . . Do not underestimate the spiritual dimension of this crisis. Adopt the perspective of an eagle that sees everything from above with a broader vision.” The writer tells us to see both the spiritual and the social dimensions, that both are needed.
“Grab your toolbox and use all the tools at your disposal. Learn to resist by the example of the Indian and African peoples: we have been and continue to be exterminated . . . But we never stopped singing, dancing, lighting fires and having joy.” Facing our fears and difficulties, we’re told to walk through the door.
What he says we can do now: Serenity in the storm, keep calm, meditate daily, make a habit of encountering the sacred every day. “Demonstrate resilience through art, joy, trust and love."7 See, art again. Ya Fattah! Oh Opener, please open our way! Amin.
The Book of Squidly Light, new edition published 2024. ALA/BlueInk selection for March 2020.
“Oh, Allah, make light in my heart, light in my tongue, light in my hearing, light in my seeing, light before me, light behind me, light on my right, light on my left, light above me and light beneath me; make light in my sinews, in my flesh, in my blood, in my hair and my skin, in my nerves, in my bones and my brain; make light in my soul, increase me always in light; make me entirely light.” Prayer of Light from Muhammad, Messenger of Light, peace be upon him.
Impactful Ninja lists “The 9 Best Charities Impacting Gaza” with ANERA and United Palestinian Appeal as the top two. The others include IRUSA (Islamic Relief U.S.A.), Save the Children and Doctors without Borders. All are 4-Star charities (highest rating) at Charity Navigator and all but one are Platinum rated at GuideStar.
https://impactful.ninja/best-charities-for-gaza/.
ANERA partners with Heal Palestine https://www.healpalestine.org/. “KHAN YOUNIS—On November 3, 2024, despite the ongoing harsh realities of invasion and systematic destruction affecting every aspect of life, the HEAL Palestine team, in collaboration with Anera, succeeded in delivering vital support to those in need. The team distributed 330 food parcels to 330 families, providing nourishment to a total of approximately 2,500 people in the Al-Karama camp area of Khan Younis.”
Also excellent are IRC (International Rescue Committee) <https://www.rescue.org/article/crisis-gaza-what-you-need-know> and CARE International, <https://www.care.org/our-work/where-we-work/palestine/>. Both sometimes offer matching grants. Aid from these two organizations can be directed to specific areas of the world upon request.
UNWRA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, was established in 1949; it’s the largest relief organization in Gaza and “supports millions of Palestinians daily. It’s a lifeline.” <https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/2/1/what-is-unrwa-and-why-it-is-important-for-palestinians>.
UNWRA’s’s refugee-sheltering facilities have been bombed repeatedly and 327 of it’s workers killed since October 7. It “employs 13,000 workers in Gaza alone,” and has been accused by Israel of the possible involvement of 12 employees in the 10/7 attack. The U.S., Great Britain, and others blocked UNWRA funding, which was essential to Palestinian survival. Britain has restored funding, but the U.S. has not. <https://www.npr.org/2023/11/13/1211781246/unrwa-aid-gaza-palestinians-israel>. Also, <https://www.unrwa.org/resources/reports/unrwa-situation-report-146-situation-gaza-strip-and-west-bank-including-east-jerusalem> and <https://www.unrwa.org/what-we-do/gaza-supplies-and-dispatch-tracking>.
Yeah, I hang out there a lot, but the people I hang out with are amazing.
Title: “Hopi Indian Chief White Eagle commented a few days ago on the current global situation.” The person posting added, “I honestly don't know if the identity of Chief White Eagle is real. Real or not the essence of this message feels important to consider.”
I'm all for going upstream! Thanks for the images.