Oh wow, this is all I’ve been thinking about lately. What are my responsibilities? Where am I disconnected from community/care? What suffering does my comfort cause?
If it becomes overwhelming, which it often does for me, noticing the reverse is a helpful practice too.
One of the things that reading feminist ethicists has taught me is that while we all (rightfully) complain about the injustices of the world, at times it means we believe that disconnection and hate are winning, when in fact care and community are happening all around us, all the time, just often in ways that aren't sexy/marketed enough to notice.
Where are you already caring? Where are you already responsible? What have you already said no to so that others might flourish?
YES. I must disagree about the mushrooms though - I would argue we are in fact exactly like mushrooms, erupting from a web of interconnected and interdependent mycelium not always seen but always in play. I take this idea mostly from a piece I read by Ross Gay, which I shared in my post here and think you may enjoy. (I just reread it and hope you will too - skip my stuff and go straight to his little essay, which is jn bold.) (https://open.substack.com/pub/katiecowan/p/a-roll-in-the-fungal-duff?r=2ib8oc&utm_medium=ios)
All of which is to say about your post: great piece, very nourishing paradigm, yum yum yum, I always love having these ideas reinforced, and thank you. 😌❤️🙏🏼
I absolutely hadn't made the connection between mycelium and mushrooms — what a delight! That is such a brilliant image, thanks so much for this.
I'm reasonably new to Ross Gay, but his musings are such a gift.
Quoted from your piece: "Because in trying to articulate what, perhaps, joy is, it has occurred to me that among other things - the trees and the mushrooms have shown me this - joy is the mostly invisible, the underground union between us, you and me, which is, among other things, the great fact of our life and the lives of everyone and thing we love going away. If we sink a spoon into that fact, into the duff between us, we will find it teeming."
Love these thoughts Shane, thank you.
Thanks Jane!
Oh wow, this is all I’ve been thinking about lately. What are my responsibilities? Where am I disconnected from community/care? What suffering does my comfort cause?
If it becomes overwhelming, which it often does for me, noticing the reverse is a helpful practice too.
One of the things that reading feminist ethicists has taught me is that while we all (rightfully) complain about the injustices of the world, at times it means we believe that disconnection and hate are winning, when in fact care and community are happening all around us, all the time, just often in ways that aren't sexy/marketed enough to notice.
Where are you already caring? Where are you already responsible? What have you already said no to so that others might flourish?
YES. I must disagree about the mushrooms though - I would argue we are in fact exactly like mushrooms, erupting from a web of interconnected and interdependent mycelium not always seen but always in play. I take this idea mostly from a piece I read by Ross Gay, which I shared in my post here and think you may enjoy. (I just reread it and hope you will too - skip my stuff and go straight to his little essay, which is jn bold.) (https://open.substack.com/pub/katiecowan/p/a-roll-in-the-fungal-duff?r=2ib8oc&utm_medium=ios)
All of which is to say about your post: great piece, very nourishing paradigm, yum yum yum, I always love having these ideas reinforced, and thank you. 😌❤️🙏🏼
I absolutely hadn't made the connection between mycelium and mushrooms — what a delight! That is such a brilliant image, thanks so much for this.
I'm reasonably new to Ross Gay, but his musings are such a gift.
Quoted from your piece: "Because in trying to articulate what, perhaps, joy is, it has occurred to me that among other things - the trees and the mushrooms have shown me this - joy is the mostly invisible, the underground union between us, you and me, which is, among other things, the great fact of our life and the lives of everyone and thing we love going away. If we sink a spoon into that fact, into the duff between us, we will find it teeming."