Come seguito ideale del post di ieri sul non fare niente con accezione positiva, mi sembra doveroso condividere i passaggi che ho sottolineato da un libro che fa proprio del riposo una forma di resistenza al capitalismo: Rest is Resistance di Tricia Hersey.
I wish you rest today. I wish you a deep knowing that exhaustion is not a normal way of living. You are enough. You can rest. You must resist anything that doesn’t center your divinity as a human being. You are worthy of care.
The systems have manipulated and socialized us so that we stay exhausted. We can remain stuck in a never-ending cycle of trauma. If we are not tapped into the truth of our divinity, there is the possibility of continued brainwashing. I have been asked thousands of times, “How do I rest and work so I can make a living?” or “I would love to rest more but I have bills. How is it possible?” I have been presented with the desperate question by so many exhausted people and it speaks to the crisis we are in as a culture.
Capitalism has cornered us in such a way that we only can comprehend two options. 1: Work at a machine level, from a disconnected and exhausted place, or 2: Make space for rest and space to connect with our highest selves while fearing how we will eat and live. This rigid binary, combined with the violent reality of poverty, keeps us in a place of sleep deprivation and constant hustling to survive. The work of liberation from these lies resides in our deprogramming and tapping into the power of rest and in our ability to be flexible and subversive. There are more than two options.
We are grind culture. Grind culture is our everyday behaviors, expectations, and engagements with each other and the world around us. We have been socialized, manipulated, and indoctrinated by everything in culture to believe the lies of grind culture. In order for a capitalist system to thrive, our false beliefs in productivity and labor must remain.
We don’t need to have our eyes and mouths wide open searching to accomplish more, to be more, to do more. Grind culture has normalized pushing our bodies to the brink of destruction. We proudly proclaim showing up to work or an event despite an injury, sickness, or mental break. We are praised and rewarded for ignoring our body’s need for rest, care, and repair. The cycle of grinding like a machine continues and becomes internalized as the only way.
The Rest Is Resistance framework also does not believe in the toxic idea that we are resting to recharge and rejuvenate so we can be prepared to give more output to capitalism. What we have internalized as productivity has been informed by a capitalist, ableist, patriarchal system. Our drive and obsession to always be in a state of “productivity” leads us to the path of exhaustion, guilt, and shame. We falsely believe we are not doing enough and that we must always be guiding our lives toward more labor. The distinction that must be repeated as many times as necessary is this: We are not resting to be productive.
Can you imagine a few hours a day of not being connected to your phones or email inboxes? What feelings rise inside when you imagine it? What if this day was extended to a full day or a full week? A month? What would you replace the hours of online engagement with? Could a hobby be cultivated during this time that could give you pleasure? Would you have more time to daydream, rest, nap? Would you go to bed earlier? Does it feel stressful to think about not having your phone nearby?
We must detox intentionally and often if we are to find rest. Without examining the hold social media has over our lives, we will never be able to push any rest movement forward. It’s simply not possible because social media is an extension of capitalism. It is a marketing tool. The developers and designers of our current platforms are not leaders of a billion-dollar industry simply so we can all stay connected to our family, friends, and communities. It is used for this successfully by many, but please remember it is not the goal for capitalists. The goal is to keep you scrolling long enough that you become a consumer. The goal is for you to buy, buy some more, and stay on as long as possible until that happens. We are not resting because we are online for hours and hours a day, distracted and exhausted. This is why we must view rest as the ultimate disruption of capitalism’s tricks and plans.
Rest is Resistance
Buon riposo e grazie a L per l’apprezzamento e gli stimoli.
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