In her eloquent comment on The Art of Losing, Tereza Coraggio writes:
“I’m gobsmacked—Godsmacked as Mary’s spellcheck cast it—by the quality of your commenters, who are so much a part of your piece that it’s hard to tell where you end and they begin.”
I, too, am Godsmacked by you, dear readers, and it is you who inspired the following poem, which I offer as an emblem of my gratitude to you on this day of Thanksgiving.
What I Like About You
by Margaret Anna Alice
You are humble, courageous, and kind.
You are witty, wonderstruck, and wise.
You are logical, intuitive, and sharp.
You are emotionally intelligent and intellectually curious.
You are observant, insightful, and analytical.
You are funny, joyful, and compassionate.
You are creative, resourceful, and resilient.
You are independent critical thinkers.
You are relentless readers and researchers.
You are Badass Apocaloptimists.
You challenge authority.
You resist propaganda and psychological manipulation.
You care about truth, freedom, living beings, and justice.
You discuss differences with maturity and civility.
You oppose war, fraud, corruption, tyranny, and democide.
You have integrity.
You think deeply and feel deeply.
You take responsibility for your actions and words.
You invest time and attention in what matters.
You model meaningful lives.
You embody gratitude.
You possess purpose and passion.
You light up the world.
Your tender hearts are as open as your minds.
You live love.
You Magnificent Dappled Beings
What I wrote over three years ago in With Thanks to You, You Magnificent Dappled Beings still holds true today:
“Dear Friends,
“I hope it’s okay that I call you a friend. I know we’re technically strangers, but I feel a camaraderie with you, despite never having spoken. I feel you, too, share my passion for unmasking totalitarianism and awakening the sleeping before tyranny triumphs; otherwise, you wouldn’t be here reading this.
“To say I’m moved by your belief in my work would be an understatement. This may sound strange, but I may be most touched by the fact that you guys—based on where my articles have been reposted, tweeted, and shared—span the full range of the political spectrum.
“It shows me we are capable of transcending the artificial partitions erected to divide us. It shows me that when totalitarianism threatens the planet, those with eyes to see and ears to hear can set aside their differences to decry tyranny. It shows me there is a glimmer of hope that we can escape the dystopian future every instrument of authoritarianism is dragging us toward with the seemingly irresistible force of gravity—because we far, far outnumber them … if we can come together.”
On Christmas Eve 2021, I wrote:
“Reading through the comments on my last post (and at all of my posts, really), I find my heart swelling with tearful gratitude for this wondrous community we have created together.
“You are brilliant, you are courageous, you are kind.
“You make me think, you make me laugh, you make me feel.
“You brighten the world with your luminous presence, and you give me hope for the future of humanity.
“Thank you, dear readers, for relentlessly seeking truth, for gallantly resisting tyranny, for choosing love over fear.
“I am proud to call you my friends.”
I am profoundly grateful we belong to the same karass. As Kurt Vonnegut writes in Cat’s Cradle:
“We Bokononists believe that humanity is organized into teams, teams that do God’s Will without ever discovering what they are doing. Such a team is called a karass by Bokonon …”
“‘If you find your life tangled up with somebody else’s life for no very logical reasons,’ writes Bokonon, ‘that person may be a member of your karass.’
“At another point in The Books of Bokonon he tells us, ‘Man created the checkerboard; God created the karass.’ By that he means that a karass ignores national, institutional, occupational, familial, and class boundaries.”
Lead On
In the video at the top of this post, I am honored to share a brand-new freedom song published by another member of our karass, Dr. Robin Kelly, a New Zealand physician, poet, and musician some of you may recall from his conversation with my close friend, collaborator, and interviewer Doc Ahmad Malik.
As I was composing this post on the eve of Thanksgiving, this song landed in my inbox with the following note from Robin:
“From the muses this week - a plea for leadership from the heart. Your selfless gift to us all.”
Several days prior, Robin had shared his song Truthseeker in an email where he wrote:
“I’m listening to Michael’s beautiful Forgotten Keys, and reading your moving substack ‘The Art of Losing.’
“I wrote ‘Truthseeker’ after losing someone very close to me in 2013. I am reminded of the melody on listening to Michael’s (more sophisticated!) work of art.
“Any way ... this is for you both.”
And Lead On is for you, beloved readers.
Lead On
by Robin Kelly
Lead on you lovers of life, you lovers of freedom
Hold on Hold on
Hold on to what you behold, to what you believe in
Cherish each moment of gold, each moment of life
Cherish the hand that you hold, the roll of the dice
And never believe for a moment you’re losing the fight….
Hold on Hold on
Hold on to what you behold, to what you believe in
Lead on Lead on
Lead on you lovers of life, you lovers of freedom
Cherish each moment of gold, each moment of life
Cherish the hand that you hold, the roll of the dice
And never believe for a moment you’re losing the fight …
Hold on Hold on
Hold on to what you behold, to what you believe in
Lead on Lead on
Lead on you lovers of life, you lovers of freedom
Lead on Lead on
Lead on you lovers of life, you lovers of freedom
Lead on you lovers of life, you lovers of freedom
Lead on you lovers of life, you lovers of freedom
© Margaret Anna Alice, LLC
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