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Combating hopelessness

campanula said:
For over 200 years, farmers in east anglia practiced the Norfolk crop rotation...or 4 course system. I imagine there are similar methods in Nebraska, Yuwipi. My farmer neighbour still adheres to this exact system (although he grows sugar beet instead of turnips). However, there are so very few small, mixed farms...and for people outside of farming families, it is an over-capitalised, closed shop of massive land tenure systems and intense soil wrecking agriculture. Some parts of industrially farmed Norfolk are almost wild-life deserts with highly managed islands of National Trustified ersatz pastoral redoubts. Urban bees are frequently healthier than their rural relatives..Soil is a precious declining resource. Planting a seed is a true act of hope...and gardening, which requires no great outlay, no specialist tools, can be practiced by everyone and is a truly immersive, sensual, creative, nurturing experience - what's not to love?
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Most of the farmers around here use "modern" farming methods and follow the book of tables the seed/fertilizer/pesticide manufacturers give them. My father used to use organic methods, cover crops, and crop rotation when he was farming it. I think that takes better care of the land than farming by "the book."
 
After the despair from the election result (and well into winter up here) I need to combat the feeling of hopelessness.
So ...
I'm going to do the bird boxes and garden planning / pruning ready for the new year.
Those I know I can achieve.
For other things; help a friend with the fight for PIP etc and with the DWP ... maybe some other activism
Try to get some more projects for the workshop

And finally, some self improvement measures - take more exercise and better diet. (Watching I don't drop my already low blood pressure).

[I will have to cut myself some slack in January - first anniversary for my father dying - and at least one more funeral]
 
SheilaNaGig said:
Isn't it weird and fucked up that connection with nature, planting seeds, enjoying the company of plants and thinking of the Plant realm as important and significant is considered to be revolutionary or subversive or odd.
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It's difficult to resist full-on hippy mode here and I am cautious about centreing 'nature' as the focus of activity (although it is an area where I feel comfortable and has profound environmental relevance). In some ways, it is almost incidental to the collective action of reclaiming public space. with added value. I really like the idea that we are not being passive consumers and can also find common ground (literally) and affiliations which are not predicated on (tribally toxic) positions.
 
brixtonscot said:
The following quotes are from January 2019 article looking at work of Mark Fisher & Capitalist Realism....

Capitalist Realism as.....a widespread sense of resignation over the foregone conclusion that neoliberal capitalism is the only game in town.....

...He saw the rise of Donald Trump and Brexit as a reaction to that resignation: both represented a “fantasy of nationalist revival,”.....

( and devastatingly mistaken )

... Capitalist realism is beginning to break in the United Kingdom, where Jeremy Corbyn is on track to become the next prime minister. Mark saw this before his death.....

( hope against hopelessness ? 10 million people voted for Corbyn led LP )

The Beginning of the End of Capitalist Realism
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I've found I've had to put several threads here on ignore due to what he is criticising. Only recently have I had to do this. "Calling" people out for example:
weaponizing identity to bludgeon each other rather than build an effective movement
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He is right to say class is important.
 
campanula said:
It's difficult to resist full-on hippy mode here and I am cautious about centreing 'nature' as the focus of activity (although it is an area where I feel comfortable and has profound environmental relevance). In some ways, it is almost incidental to the collective action of reclaiming public space. with added value. I really like the idea that we are not being passive consumers and can also find common ground (literally) and affiliations which are not predicated on (tribally toxic) positions.
Click to expand...
reclaiming space for people in general and not just for private enjoyment of a few rich people is a radical idea that predates any hippy ideas. I'm finding green politics, guerrilla gardening, enviromentalism, exinction rebellion etc all very hopeful and fits in well with ideas of looking after ourselves, each other and world.
 
Gramsci said:
I've found I've had to put several threads here on ignore due to what he is criticising. Only recently have I had to do this. "Calling" people out for example:

He is right to say class is important.
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Not sure what you are saying about other threads (is it relavent? - please don't bring beefs from elsewhere here, that gives me no hope at all)
We know you think class is important. I always thought the best ideas come from the bottom up the top down.

How do we support each other to combat hopelessness?
I think hope must come from many directions in many forms.
 
friendofdorothy said:
Not sure what you are saying about other threads (is it relavent? - please don't bring beefs from elsewhere here, that gives me no hope at all)
We know you think class is important. I always thought the best ideas come from the bottom up the top down.

How do we support each other to combat hopelessness?
I think hope must come from many directions in many forms.
Click to expand...

I was agreeing with the article. I thought you agreed with it.

Who is the "we"?
 
campanula said:
It's difficult to resist full-on hippy mode here and I am cautious about centreing 'nature' as the focus of activity (although it is an area where I feel comfortable and has profound environmental relevance). In some ways, it is almost incidental to the collective action of reclaiming public space. with added value. I really like the idea that we are not being passive consumers and can also find common ground (literally) and affiliations which are not predicated on (tribally toxic) positions.
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This collective action does go on. I do see it in my area.

People banding together to try to save an adventure playground, sports club run by volunteers to help local children. I could go on.

There is in my area ( Brixton / Loughborough Junction in London) a lot of small things going on. A few of which I'm involved in.

So its about keeping space for collective use outside of need to generate profit. Things that are socially useful like providing adventure space for children.

What I had been hoping is that a Labour government would get to power to step in to guarantee future of say adventure playgrounds.

Secondly Corbyn Labour party did mean my local New Labour Cllrs behaved a bit differently. Now I'm afraid that will change.

So it feels hopeless as locals I know who have been involved in local campaigns may fail in long term.

On the other hand I have found it does me good to be part of some kind of local collective action.

Finding the time is the problem. Which goes for a lot of people I know. They would like to do more but a lot of their lives are spent working for a living.
 
SheilaNaGig said:
Not just working, but struggling to make ends meet, being exhausted by the inability to do so, stretched thin with nothing left over.

It’s a very effective and efficient way to keep the masses under the heel.
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Look after yourself - hope you have some time over xmas break lined up to take care of yourself.
 
This is a film made in Brixton as part of a project by the Museum of London about recording ordinary people.
They posed the question
In a time of political and economic unrest, what gives you hope?
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It is a film about young activists meeting older activists with a general thread of hope through it. There is a lovely bit when one of the Cressingham Gardens Activists says something about maybe realising you can't change the whole world but you can change your corner of it. It explores subjects as various as gay street theatre in the 70s to community gardening in Loughborough Junction now. The young activists gave me a sense of hope.

We The People – free film screening, Brixton Library, Tues 26th Nov 2019

We The People (@WTP_Brixton) on Twitter

There have been free local showings but that is all so far, hopefully it will be on the museums website eventually.
 
Gramsci said:
So you are a spokesperson for Urbanz and people in general?
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no. Was an apology not enough? I don't want an argument

edited to reflect what I meant better:
friendofdorothy said:
Not sure what you are saying about other threads (is it relavent? - please don't bring beefs from elsewhere here, that gives me no hope at all)
I know you think class is important. I always thought the best ideas come from the bottom up the top down.

How do we as Urbanz/people in general support each other to combat hopelessness?
I think hope must come from many directions in many forms.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
I'm feeling hopeless and am struggling to cope in a cruel mean world.

Its friday night and I'm full of cold and feel like screaming...
 
friendofdorothy said:
That sounds very dark. Are you ok?
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I guess it is very dark , reflecting the dark times we are living through.
I posted it as some attempt at explanation - and hopefully only temporary.

Otherwise , I'm more miserable than usual.
Had to go to Dulwich Community hospital at 3am this morning for pain in my leg.
Cab driver going tried to charge me £20 ( £10 for return )
Home now & resting x
 
brixtonscot said:
I guess it is very dark , reflecting the dark times we are living through.
I posted it as some attempt at explanation - and hopefully only temporary.

Otherwise , I'm more miserable than usual.
Had to go to Dulwich Community hospital at 3am this morning for pain in my leg.
Cab driver going tried to charge me £20 ( £10 for return )
Home now & resting x
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Is your leg any better? Sending positive vibes.
 
friendofdorothy said:
This is a film made in Brixton as part of a project by the Museum of London about recording ordinary people.
They posed the question
It is a film about young activists meeting older activists with a general thread of hope through it. There is a lovely bit when one of the Cressingham Gardens Activists says something about maybe realising you can't change the whole world but you can change your corner of it. It explores subjects as various as gay street theatre in the 70s to community gardening in Loughborough Junction now. The young activists gave me a sense of hope.

We The People – free film screening, Brixton Library, Tues 26th Nov 2019

We The People (@WTP_Brixton) on Twitter
.
Click to expand...

Maybe we need to kidnap some young energetic , optimistic activists to contribute here to cheer us up :)
 
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