“The unconscious comes before the conscious. The logic of the historic process comes before the subjective logic of the human beings who participate in the historic process.” (Rosa Luxemburg)
The small sign nestled in the “FREE PALESTINE” graffiti says “no lifeguard on duty,” which, I think, is evocative of an amorphous mood many of us are feeling today; the world is spinning off its axis with decades compressed into mere weeks in true ‘Lenin Lives!’ form (these being the final days of V.I.’s centennial), and a lot of us are feeling seasick. What are we to make of it all?
Do we scramble to connect the dots like those Kings of Tupelo? Do we double-down on one set in steadfast opposition to another? Do we withdraw once more into despair? Do we cling even more desperately to elation?
There is no lifeguard on duty. The ups and downs are just a fact of this uncontainable, roiling world. We can ride them, or we can drown. The choice is ours. But whatever we do, we’re not boxing this in.