When it is just people helping each other, which we witness more of course and unfortunately during dire tragedies induced by capitalist colonialism, such as with the LA fires, this is when we have people caring for each other in the most fundamental way.
There are no more distractions. It is just us.
We go the extra distance, we speak with extra softness, we pay attention to each other more. People are more aware of each other’s hunger, pain, and hearts.
When we strip away the greedy middleman, the developer, the agent, the CEO, the president, when capitalism’s clutches and attention on us are distracted is when we get to witness the shine and sliver of the potential of community care.
The community care that has been happening in LA, as well as the continuing care in Asheville and eastern TN, in Lahaina, Maui, all over Turtle Island, and all over the world, is possible because of the networks and community systems that the people put together during the start of COVID. And even before that, there were foundations already about mutual aid and community care from Indigenous and Black communities and legacies.
People often ask me, “What does community look like?” “How do I build community?” This is it. This is how you build community.
Capitalist colonialism tries to tell us that we do not need each other, that individualism is superior. But it is during these times
we have the clearest paths to each other, that we see how obvious it is that it is capitalism that we do not need.
We do need each other. We do care for each other. This is what liberation can look like.
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