It seems like we are living in a time of deconstruction- deconstruction of faith, empire, patriarchy, food systems. Collectively, many of us have our eyes and hands focused on the task of deconstructing these systems that are no longer serving our world. The irony is Trump and his followers are set to the same work. The difference is they have a plan on what and how they want to reconstruct it all. Unfortunately, their plan reinforces the profits and power of the wealthy few on the backs of the most vulnerable, or expendable as they see it, of our society.
Most of the world (and those within America who voted against Trump) are speaking out against these self serving plans. We know that deconstructing the existing systems is necessary. They are broken. But the problem is, we don’t have a plan. We don’t have a vision for what we want to rebuild, and this is our tactical disadvantage. And Trump knows it. He knows that if he can keep us all caught in his circus of theatrics and outrage and fear, he keeps us scrolling away on our phones, and all our energy and creativity is drained from our souls. Every moment we give to watching his circus we are actively participating in his success.
For the last 20 years all the artists have imagined and created has been dystopian- a self-fulfilling prophecy maybe. In our collective imagination we haven’t imagined building something new, only the destruction of the old. What happens after dystopia? According to all the dystopian stories told over the last 2 decades, humanity fractures into small groups that are doomed to a state of constant survival and power struggles over the few resources left. Is this really our predestined future? I think collectively we believe this to be true. We have accepted this future.
My parents grew up watching a man walk on the moon and dreaming of all the amazing breakthroughs and experiences waiting for them. My children’s imagination of the future is filled with dread of climate change, the return of fascism, digital ‘bro’ligarchy ruling our world, and world-wide pollution and contamination. How does this lead to any meaningful plans to rebuild after the deconstruction? How does this dystopian narrative give us any of the colours or words to imagine something more than endless destruction? If all the artists, painters, storytellers, musicians, and poets can dream of is misery, what hope do we have to stand up to the fascism taking hold in our world?
Aren’t the artists the prophets? As artists, as prophets, are we to be lead in imagination by the king? In several Old Testament Bible stories, we are told that a prophet will be executed by God if they bow to the pressure of pleasing the king with their prophecy. We also see many prophets who spoke the truth of their prophecy to a king and were therefor executed by the displeased ruler. Prophets are rarely well accepted. Can we be led by a great imagination of what could be, or do we yield our imagination to the selfish desires of the richest few? Can we dare to dream of a better future and put our talents and tools to the work of conveying our imaginations to the rest of the world? And after we create our art, are we brave enough to share it, even at personal cost, because we believe that our imagination is not fantasy, but a prophecy of the world that waits for our children?
The resistance that is needed right now is not easy. The greatest act of resistance is to take our eyes off the circus and dedicate ourselves to the work of dreaming the new, and sharing it, so our collective art becomes the prophecy of the future. We need the stories, songs, and imaginings of a world where wealth, power, and resources are distributed fairly. We need new policies and business structures where a balanced ecology is of more value than an ever-increasing profit share. We need political systems that truly represent all people, and communities that care for the most vulnerable, because they understand that the hurt of others hurts us too. We collectively need narratives and spiritual practices that teach us that we are inherently good as humans so our internal radar can become attuned to the good in each other. We need to imagine a reality where fascism doesn’t get a chance to win because art, not war, overcame it.
“When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn’t become a king. The palace becomes a circus”, a Turkish Proverb. We must actively resist the entertainment of the circus, and dedicate ourselves to dreaming, planning, and organising the future we want to see and actively reject this idea that dystopia is our inevitable ending.
It is time to pick up our pens, our paintbrushes, and instruments. Whatever talents or creative ideas that we have, now is the time to share them. Express them. Breathe life into them. It is not the time to hide or keep quiet. It is through the act of creating that we create a new reality. Find others like you and create together. Form creative alliances and collectively, we can start a creative resistance that rewrites this dystopian narrative.