As someone who has always had a worst case scenario plan (and all my chosen family know this, so I get messages whenever there is something really wild happening in our world), who regularly gives workshops on disaster preparedness, and grew up in a country that is still technically at war, a fact that is very clear to me in all preparation and strategy is the fact that we cannot survive alone. But you already know this by now.
Your survival and life plan will not work if you are trying to do it alone. We can’t survive and thrive alone over the long term. We weren’t mean to. Yes, there are people who do “lone survival” out in the “wilderness.” But this is different. They are taking time to do “lone survival” because they have community and society the rest of the time.
It is not difficult to witness the crises all around us and the more frequent emergencies that we are experiencing; in order to be alive, we must be nourished by others and also nourish them.
We need community not just because it is nice, but, and also, because it is essential for our survival, to our health, minds, strategy, growth, healing, understanding of the universe, protection. In that community are not only humans, but all animals, plants, trees, air, water, and the very land itself. All of those are considered community. We cannot survive alone.
For instance, it is clear that mutual aid is essential for liberatory work. And by definition, mutual aid only works through interdependence and community. So a good daily practice to develop, especially if you do not have this currently in any shape or form, is to turn toward each other whenever you are feeling lost, or you do not know what to do. Reach out and find each other.
When we say “join a community,” it does not just mean you are joining something that is always pre-existing, solid and static. It means you are part of creating that community itself. You are part of that. Online and in person, it can manifest in so many different ways.
Whatever you do, develop a praxis and ask yourself:
Is what I am doing right now contributing to community?
Is it adding to making myself part of and making others part of community?
We cannot survive alone. We simply cannot. Fortunately, we do not have to, either.
We have so much. We have so many. Look toward each other, beloveds.
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