The following is from a discussion on the RC e-mail discussion list for working-class people.
How Is It on the Front Lines?
How are you doing on the front lines of the COVID epidemic, social unrest, climate change, and so forth?
I quarantined for two weeks so I could be with my ninety-five-year-old mother if it became necessary. And then I had to, when her leg got so that she could not walk. Then “mental health” issues of another family member became more intense, and I had to deal with that.
I have been living in two homes, trying to keep food in two houses, fixing many things that have been neglected, and dealing with finances and many, many medical providers. Hardly anything that I have to connect with is working properly.
I have been trying to balance between my friends on the very right and my friends on the very left on social media. I have had some successes in bringing them together and achieving agreement. I can bring people together who would never be friends with each other. I take photos on my morning walks in the outdoors before my mom is awake and share them. They inspire people from the left to the right.
I make good contact with the workers who are working in difficult situations. They appreciate that I am not angry with them when things don’t work.
A strength from my raised-poor background that other people often lack is that I don’t have to have things any particular way. I can be okay with situations in which there is little comfort. I am not attached to having things or needing to go to a restaurant.
It is hard for me to keep up with RC, but I am still a good counselor, which is always a surprise when I feel like I am a total mess. The brain is still working. And I have been noticing the clouds more than ever before!
I think I am the right person for the current situation. At times I feel like I have been preparing for this my whole life—for making sense out of chaos. I am able to help people have hope. I am good at keeping old people alive. Saving lives is such a good thing. I am stubbornly persistent. I am strong in the face of adversity. It sometimes brings out my best.
However, my health has been going downhill. I really need to get more rest and exercise. I am getting better at that, but it is not good enough yet. I realize that my death would not in any way be helpful to anyone, and it would be one more piece of discouragement for many people.
What are the challenges you are dealing with? What strengths are you noticing in yourself? Where do you notice your significance?
Thanks for your posting, D—. It was good to read, and good to have your questions about us as a group on the front lines.
I have been “flat” (discouraged) all week after the U.S. “social unrest,” worrying about the working-class people I could see there.
Exhaustion is big for me, too, and for most working-class folks. My friend, a young adult who lives with me, worked eight days straight in tunnels. My parents are ninety-six and ninety-two, and we are working hard to keep them in their home. I am still working in online delivery and am busy with COVID-19.
Your questions challenge my raised-poor and working-class patterns. As for noticing my significance, I notice it when people want to talk to me about things without me peppering them with questions. I notice it when I can see the intelligence of working-class people and can get behind it [support it], and when I can get people laughing when things are hard. I notice my ability to bring people together. That’s all I can think of. Thanks for asking.
Australia
(Present Time 203, April 2021)