Links for the Broken-Hearted

Things You Didn't Know You Needed in Your Life, edition 2

Truth: I’m getting a little tired of writing about myself. Not privately, of course, but out in the world.

I’d like to spend more time helping get other people’s stories out there.

Second truth: I’m having a hard time writing about much that isn’t sad or difficult these days, personally and globally.

So for now, here are some other people’s stories that are keeping me afloat in the world we currently inhabit:

1. Noha Beshir shares (in her words) “… the joys and challenges of being a visibly Muslim woman in a sometimes-unfriendly world.”

   Her Substack, Letters from A Muslim Woman, is beautifully written and important.

   

   From Noha’s post, To be a Gazan during Ramadan, Mar. 5, 2024

   2. If an alien got stranded on this planet, how would they see the human race?

   I just discovered the film PK and plan to watch it regularly when I need reminding of what’s important in this world. (Available on Netflix.)

   PK: “Which god should I believe? You all say that, it's only one god. I say, no... there are two gods. One is the one who created us all. The other one is the one created by people like you. We know nothing about the god who made us all. But the god people like you made is exactly like you...”

2. Heidi Priebe explains how shame works in a way that makes more sense than anything I’ve ever read.

   To love without expectation, you learn what’s not in your control. You understand that everyone has their own demons and nobody owes it to you to fight them.

   - Heidi Priebe

3. Having a mostly-hate relationship with smartphones, I was delighted to find Lisa Abend’s The Unplugged Traveler: a whole substack about her travels without her phone!

from The Unplugged Traveler

I tried to count all the clocks in the room. I studied my map with great intensity. I ran my fingers over the small brass plaques affixed to the underside of the bar and read the names of what I guessed, though will never know for sure, were regulars: Kapitan Diamanter, Schlingo. I wished Schlingo were there. He sounds like a guy who would have talked to me.

4. While not exactly what you’d call uplifting, my meditation teacher Derek wrote this video for The Breach about how Canada is helping to build Israel fighter jets. If you’re feel like “what can one person do?”, Canadian activists are introducing “hiccups” in the supply chain, which cause bigger problems than you might think.

(Want to send a message to Minister Joly about it? You can do that right here.)

5. On that note, the Gaza Zine is the only publication (as far as I’m aware) where Buddhist practitioners are actively calling for a dharma response to the genocide. AND calling out prominent meditation teachers for remaining “neutral”. I could go one with the quotes, but here are a couple:

Don't teach us about equanimity while they bomb hospitals.

“Something is fundamentally off for some sanghas to EVEN consider ‘neutrality.’ What does it mean, anyway? An excuse to do nothing.”

7. General strikes are a legal, nonviolent, successful way to show the government that we are no longer going to accept being ignored. Strike for Our Rights is an incredible organization working to support, organize, and promote strikes as a means of advocating for justice, equity, and systemic change.

SFOR founder Sarah Moe will be telling her story here (on this substack, I mean) very soon.

8. Finally, Caitlin Johnstone’s latest post gave me hope.

The empire has no answer to this. Seriously, how can a bunch of boring empire managers in DC and Virginia hope to compete once that happens? What are they going to do, win the young back by writing another Wall Street Journal think piece? Have Netanyahu rap about how Zionism is rad while Tony Blinken plays guitar? They’ve got nothing.

Do you have any other hopeful/helpful resources that are getting you through the night? Please share in the comments!

And keep up the good fight.

love,

Natalie