The Fight

Surround yourself with people who are good for your soul. And fight on!

The Fight

words and protest photos by C.A. Matthews

Nowadays there are so many things coming at us all at once—climate disasters, political disasters, personal disasters—that it sometimes becomes so overwhelming that all you want to do is shout, “ENOUGH ALREADY! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

Only once you’re free from the stress will you be able to walk away from everything with your fingers in your ears and your eyes closed as you curl up with your favorite blanket in a corner of your bed like you did when you were three years old and then forget that the world even exists.

Too bad the world never forgets about you.

The world has a way of finding us no matter how much we try to hide from it, like it or not. It won’t leave us alone if we have half a brain cell or even a tiny gram of integrity. It will call to us and plead with us to take part in its happenings. It will call to us saying, “Help me get rid it of these evil and immoral elements and replace them with just and moral ones.”

And we’ll feel obligated to do so, until it all becomes too much for us again. Then we’ll curl up in a fetal position and sob, “Enough! Please?”

I’ve been hovering over the “Enough!” cliff edge for quite some time now, so I really appreciated reading Caitlin Johnstone’s latest poem. Here it is in case you haven’t read it yet:

Letting The Cruelty Of The World Break Our Hearts Together

By Caitlin Johnstone

Let’s allow the cruelty of the world to break our hearts, kind friend.

Let’s weep together at the shredded and emaciated bodies in Gaza, and at their mocking, cackling tormenters.

At the amputees and orphans in Ukraine and in Russia, and at the icy-eyed swamp monsters who put them there.

At all the gasping plants and wildlife as we make this planet uninhabitable, and at the ambition-clouded minds who keep this cataclysm rolling forward.

Let’s just let it all in.

Let’s let it shatter us.

We are not soldiers. We are not killers. Our hearts are not meant to be calloused.

So let’s let the cruelty of the world smash us to pieces, and scatter us like dust in the wind.

Fully surrendering to the anguish. Letting it immolate us.

And then seeing what remains.

Maybe we will find that life keeps on lifeing, even after we’ve let ourselves be swept away.

Maybe after we stop holding back the heartbreak in our absolute certainty that it will kill us, we — somehow — do not die.

Maybe after the hurricane of sorrow has been fully permitted to tear through us and have its say completely, we go on.

The lungs keep filling with air. The veins keep filling with blood. The light of the rising sun makes its way into our eyes.

And we slowly feel our strength coming back to us.

And then maybe we start to stir.

And maybe we let our bodies have a good shake.

And then maybe, when we are ready, we start to sit up.

And then rise to our feet.

And return to the fight.

Let’s allow the cruelty of the world to destroy us, kind friend.

And then find out what remains.

And fight on.

Myself and others readily identify ourselves as the “kind friend” the poem is addressed to. We left lots of comments below Caitlin’s post and had some interesting discussions. We all know what has been happening to ourselves and others like us. We complained about how many others don’t seem to care or even acknowledge that there are horrors like the genocide in Gaza or murders in the West Bank going on.

How did these “lucky sods” (as my British husband says) get born without half a brain cell and an ounce of integrity? Is our world simply flooded with sociopaths without empathy for others? Without a conscience that bothers them? Without a drive that makes them fight on for the good of others and the planet we share?

How did we become the kind friends who suffer greatly at times because we feel responsible for taking on the fight to bring justice, compassion, and peace into this world?

I don’t think any of us know the answer to those questions. Perhaps it’s better that we don’t. Why? Because knowing doesn’t always make doing the right thing any easier. Relying only on knowledge, we could over-analyze situations and reason that it doesn’t matter if we take a stand on an issue or not. We’ll give up.

If we're feeling paralyzed with fatigue, depression, or fear then we might be tempted to give up and let the monsters continue their destructive behaviors in the world.

For example, there was a man who came up to our line at a recent pro-Palestine demonstration, looked at our signs, and then looked each of us in the eye in a threatening manner and shouted, “You’re ignorant! You’re ignorant! You’re IGNORANT!” before stomping away. Now, I’m pretty sure that we weren’t the ignorant persons in this situation. Far from it. However, we’d have a hard time convincing this Netanyahu-wannabe that he was operating in the dark, both morally and intellectually.

Many Zionists have been brainwashed from birth. Our taunter simply didn’t care for anyone contradicting his deeply held beliefs in Israel’s superiority and the necessity for innocent Palestinians to die in great numbers to ensure Israel’s continued superiority and safety. Our printed and verbal rhetoric probably was painful to his ears and eyes and whatever few brain cells he might possess. Cognitive dissonance is real.

But standing on a sidewalk at a holiday festival isn’t the place to start a shouting match with a very rude dude. Verbally or physically fighting with strangers seldom gets them to change their minds, and it could send you to an ER or a jail cell. So, we ignored his taunts and jibes. He continued on his way.

We looked at each other then and sighed. Why does he have to be this way? is probably what most of us were thinking. We’ll never know the answer to that question, but deep down we know we can’t give up even if we are tired or scared or just plain fed up with dealing with a**holes.

We need to surrender to the moment and mourn this lost—the lost of this man to the evil propaganda machine of the Zionist-controlled military-industrial complex—and then carry on with our messaging that Palestinians are humans with rights, too.

Our heartbreak is real and painful. Life continues and the cause we protest continues because the ethnic cleansing continues. We acknowledge that the work we do is necessary and can’t stop, so we take the arm of a fellow comrade in the fight and get back up on our feet and get back into the fight. Our consciences are telling us that we need all of us working together to set things right so that someday even people like the rude dude will understand that genocide is wrong and should never happen to any group ever again.

So what does the “fight” really look like? What are we getting ourselves into when we say, “We will fight on” when tackling the injustices in the world? Perhaps the fight is anything that keeps you sane and moral and kindhearted in the midst of all the world’s horror and depravity. I let my anger at the corrupt and violent system keep me going most days, but it is draining.

Perhaps Caitlin is right about giving in to our heartbreak and sorrow. Perhaps letting ourselves give in to our tears works as a way to cleanse our souls of the doubts and fears we hold, strengthening us for the fights to come? Perhaps it reawakens our compassion for others, including those who would taunt us or wish us harm?

Perhaps a broken heart makes us fight all the harder still?

Could it be that our shattered hearts can be put back together like broken Japanese pottery is with glue and gold dust? We become much more beautiful as human beings for having suffered and lost and then healed back in love, the love we receive from our fellow soldiers in the fight.

Keep protesting. Keep speaking out. Support only those political candidates who truly support the people, not the oligarchy and endless bloodshed. Share your stories of heartbreak and challenge with others to encourage them in their fight as well. Every small act done with the intention of bringing more good and justice into the world counts.

Kind friends—let us fight on. For tomorrow we may win!

Here are some shared thoughts I hope will keep you in the fight:

What carest, dear, should sorrow trace

Where dimples sat, and should

Her dove-grey cloud to settle 'neath thine eye?

The withering of thy curving cheek

Bespeaks the spending of thy heart.

Lips once full are bruised

By biting of restraint. Wax wiser, dear!

To wane is but to rest and rise once more.

~Patience Worth

He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is IMMORAL. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice. And if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are IMMORAL as well as UNJUST. —Thomas Aquinas

Related Articles and Other Interesting Links

Counting the dead in Gaza: difficult but essential https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(24)01169-3/fulltext

‘Disturbing Milestone’: Israeli Settler Attacks in West Bank Surpass 1,000 Since October 7 https://www.commondreams.org/news/israeli-settler-attacks

A compound crime: Israeli army hits Gaza family, uses them as human shields, and runs over their mother https://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/6385/A-compound-crime:-Israeli-army-hits-Gaza-family,-uses-them-as-human-shields,-and-runs-over-their-mother

US-Israel relations: America will stop at nothing to maintain its global hegemony https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/us-israel-stop-nothing-maintain-global-hegemony

OMG Haaretz Is Hamas Propaganda Now! https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/omg-haaretz-is-hamas-propaganda-now

Former Israeli PM Admits Israel's War Crimes Can't Happen Without US Support https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/former-israeli-pm-admits-israels

The Obsolescence of War https://wagingnonviolence.org/cnv/2024/07/the-obsolescence-of-war/

Oh No, Now The US Has To Stop Imprisoning Ex-Presidents For Their Crimes!https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/oh-no-now-the-us-has-to-stop-imprisoning

"Gaza Is Complicated!" No It Isn't. Grow Up. https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/gaza-is-complicated-no-it-isnt-grow

Israel Has Forcibly Displaced 1.9 Million Palestinians in Gaza https://truthout.org/articles/israel-has-forcibly-displaced-1-9-million-palestinians-in-gaza/

Israel’s Starvation Policy in Gaza Is Forcing People to Eat Tree Leaves https://scheerpost.com/2024/07/04/israels-starvation-policy-in-gaza-is-forcing-people-to-eat-tree-leaves/

Israel Bombs Yet Another UN School in Gaza as It Enters Month 10 of Genocide https://truthout.org/articles/israel-bombs-yet-another-un-school-in-gaza-as-it-enters-month-10-of-genocide/

War Has Forced Gaza’s Children to Grow Up Far Too Soon https://scheerpost.com/2024/07/07/war-has-forced-gazas-children-to-grow-up-far-too-soon/

Rupert Murdoch: Israel’s Most Powerful Supporter https://www.mintpressnews.com/rupert-murdoch-israel-most-powerful-weapon/287794/

IDF Knew: New Report Reveals The Truth https://rumble.com/v55b6uj-new-report-reveals-the-truth.html

BlackRock & Wall Street banks are profiting from Israel's crimes in Gaza, UN experts say https://geopoliticaleconomy.substack.com/p/blackrock-wall-street-banks-profit-israel-gaza

Documentary Film 'Tantura' Exposes The True Origin Of Israel & The Brutal Fascism It Represents

Supreme Court declares America a presidential dictatorship https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2024/07/02/wfvt-j02.html

The Supreme Court Criminalizes Being Homeless https://scheerpost.com/2024/07/05/the-supreme-court-criminalizes-being-homeless/

Biden Reportedly Considers Dropping Out as Polls Show Him Losing Key States https://truthout.org/articles/biden-reportedly-considers-dropping-out-as-polls-show-him-losing-key-states/

Until Julian Assange Is Pardoned, Press Freedom Remains at Risk https://www.truthdig.com/articles/until-julian-assange-is-pardoned-press-freedom-remains-at-risk/

Britain's New Zionist PM Protected MI6 Torturers, Paedophile Jimmy Saville & Hunted Assange https://rumble.com/v55sesa-britains-new-zionist-pm-protected-mi6-torturers-paedophile-jimmy-saville-an.html

Trusting the ‘Five Eyes’ Only https://scheerpost.com/2024/07/05/trusting-the-five-eyes-only/

This Civilization Is Deeply Unnatural https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/this-civilization-is-deeply-unnatural

Happy Censorship of July! youtu.be/9LqlzgLsRJM?si=bEvynPcHlBN9J_yF

Letting The Cruelty Of The World Break Our Hearts Together https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/letting-the-cruelty-of-the-world

“You can’t be bystanders!”: Holocaust survivor endorses July 24 demonstration against Netanyahu in DC https://www.wsws.org/en/special/pages/landing/holocaust-survivor-rene-lichtman-endorses-july-24-demonstration-against-netanyahus-visit-to-washington.html

US Elections 100% Bought Off! (Here’s How) w/ Lee Camp youtu.be/KzPuJIa9yHw?si=aXD8ZHuZm2HFmbur

After an embarrassing presidential debate, people in the US seek a third option https://peoplesdispatch.org/2024/07/05/after-an-embarrassing-presidential-debate-people-in-the-us-seek-a-third-option/

Pali-Rican Solidarities: The Dizzying Parallels of Colonial Occupation https://scheerpost.com/2024/07/07/pali-rican-solidarities-the-dizzying-parallels-of-colonial-occupation/