A Quote That Shook Me
The Quote
A little while ago I watched this talk John Green did about, in over simplified terms, the existential dread of the current climate (in all senses of the word) we live in today. After his talk, the floor was opened for questions. At the 46-minute mark, someone asks:
"... What advice, encouragement, etc. do you have, for the artist, the writer, the creator, in dealing with the work of what you, and what Jesus, speaks?"
Context: Rectifying injustice, the poor being poor no longer, and the liberation of the oppressed.
To this, John answers: (edited because speech and text flow differently, especially in a Q&A)
"We have to respond to reality as we find it as artists, but we also have, I think (I mean I'm a little old fashioned in my thinking about writing) I think the author's pretty dead even though he wont shut up on Twitter. When I look at the art that encourages me right now, I think hope. Radical hope is very punk rock. It is very counter cultural. It is very not of the moment and that is where a lot of what I'm reading and a lot of the art I'm looking at is. Where I find the most encouragement is in celebrations and explorations of joy, and of real solidarity. Looking at systems instead of at individuals. Looking at the big forces that shape us maybe through individual lenses, but not so much through that 19th century or mid 20th century massive focus on the individual spirit rising up and taking power. Instead looking at how power flows among us. That's the stuff that gets me so excited right now. Like Kaveh Akbar's poetry."
That is the quote. Writing it out, void of context, does diminish it a bit. I absolutely recommend you listen to the whole talk. Regardless, I want to write, fiction and nonfiction, that captures the punk rock attitude of radical hope. It's so Jesus. It's so needed right now. It speaks to my soul. It's who I need, it's who I wanna be, it's who I Am.
Radical hope is all that matters.
Also, it sounds like I need to check out Kaveh Akbar's work.