i spent may long weekend of 2012 in montreal, for the anarchist book fair. on my last night there, i was lying in some grass with joey, when a man came by. neither of us sat up. he asked if we smoke, and motioned as if he were smoking a joint. we told him we couldn’t help him. he said it was a beautiful night, and it was. i’d never seen anyone so blissful. the way he looked at us was what got me; it was as if we were glowing and he tilted his head like a puppy, in utter amazement and joy. after stumbling over some words, and a couple periods of speechlessness, he told us we seemed like beautiful people, with what i think i can legitimately say was the biggest smile i have ever seen on anyone’s face, and that we made him very happy. he noted that we would likely never see each other again, but that he wouldn’t forget us. beer was offered, but we politely declined. he told us he came from mexico and was by himself and that we didn’t need to drink because we had each other, but he was alone, so it was okay for him, still smiling as big as ever. we remained lying in the grass for the duration of this exchange, although he struck such a chord in me i had to sit up near the end to really make eye contact with him. when he left, he yelled “i love you”, after walking quite a few metres away from where we lay. i welled up and basked in it. that was one of my favourite moments. it felt like the warmest, most gentle rain of genuinity drenched every part of my being. what’s also really great, is that in writing this, i’ve read it over a couple times, and i realize there is no way to properly express how i felt; this moment was purely ours. i feel supremely happy that i was a part of that.
I’ve been having trouble keeping track of days recently because each seems to feel like a lifetime, not in that they drag on but in that I feel so fully and radiantly alive in every moment that it’s hard to believe 24 hours can contain so much beauty and emotion. Something about the sunshine and sudden storms and electricity in the air and flowers and fruit bursting from lush greenery awakens the part of me that just wants to hold every moment and appreciate it for its preciousness, a part of me that had been stifled for awhile but seems to be making up for lost time with its ferocity.
| — | Carl Jung |
things that are not inherently awful or something you should feel ashamed of:
- being white
- being male
- being cisgendered
- being straight or heteronormative
- being able bodied
- being neurotypical
- being conventionally attractive
things that suck and you should feel ashamed of:
- denying the privilege that comes with being any of those things
- attempting to highlight your thoughts, views, ideas, experiences, etc, over those of the people you have privilege over when discussing their oppression
- complaining whenever someone of the oppressed group calls you out
- mislabeling, misgendering, or using slurs to refer to said oppressed group
- trying to showcase your allyship by over-exaggerating your beliefs or vying for attention for acting like a decent person
it’s really that simple.
i would probably look just as pissed too, considering the awesome living conditions i had been in prior to this happening.
spin the night by 777tonetta on youtube. i need this man in my life.
