Of pop-mycology and you and me

"The antidote to this isn’t just voting differently or arguing online — it’s rekindling a cultural value for human dignity, mutual aid, and solidarity. It’s educating ourselves and others, calling out the rhetoric when we hear it, and refusing to internalize the logic of cruelty. It’s reminding each other that worth is not earned through wealth, and that survival should not be contingent on winning the brutal lottery of capitalism." - Oliver Kornetzke

THIS. This is what we're trying to do here at FTS Collective.

Not just speak out against ... but speak up for.

So, what does that really mean? The way I see it, it's good ol' community involvement.

Yes, family connections are vital. Yes, friends and chosen family can be essential. Yes, #ParentingIsPolitical (raising dragon-slayers and all that). But I am increasingly convinced that we have missed an important piece.

As pop-mycology* tells us, it's the network that really matters. The connective tissue. The support systems.

*Did I coin the term pop-mycology? I haven't heard or read it anywhere else, so, maybe? Though I certainly haven't researched to say that definitively. But in case you don't know what I mean: Fungus networks have played prominently in recent pop culture hits, see Last of Us or Mexican Gothic, and the interdependence of other life forms on their neighboring fungal networks has also caught attention, see the many takes on the "the largest organism on earth", a fungal colony in Malheur National Forest in Oregon". Mycology is the study of fungi - yes that's the plural of fungus. And it seems to me that a somewhat shallow understanding of how fungi do what they do has captured the public consciousness in a way that allows us to use related metaphors when we think about networking and interdependence. Thus: pop-mycology. But I digress ...

So, when you think about what matters to you from a community standpoint, what comes to mind? Our answers may differ wildly. Or there may be some common ground. (I'd like to think there's always common ground.) But either way, there is something I know to be true: Behind every quality-of-life metric is a support system of some sort. And within those support systems? PEOPLE.

So the question is: Which one of these support systems are you involved in? If the answer is none, I have good news for you: You have an opportunity to make change!

Easier said than done, you might be thinking. But I have to tell you: Hope might be the thing with feathers, but Action is the thing with wings.

So let me walk you through my current connective Action, if example is leadership.

• Inclusion is a core value for me. The beating heart of a community. So I'm doing my best to help keep our summer Pride festival going. Donating my skills, time, and funds. Working together with others who share my values. Claiming space for all of us. (Is this common ground for me and you? Join us: Start here!)
  

• Libraries are one of the places my heart lives. A home base for so much that matters so very much. So I recently joined the Friends of the Library organization that supports our city's library. This is sort of like a PTO or Booster organization (although in some ways very much more, especially in an era of de-funding). I bet there is a similar organization that supports your local library, so if this is common ground for me and you, call them up, and ask how to join! And it was actually the experience of attending a recent meeting of this organization that planted the seeds for this very rumination. Because I found none of my fellow Gen X-ers there. There are people who have been carrying these support systems for decades (bless them!). If you're in my community, I bet we both know them, or at least know of them. The heavy lifters, quietly connecting us all, usually with little notice and even less thanks. (There goes that pop-mycology metaphor again.) Finding satisfaction, I'd imagine, in knowing they're "saving what they love," as Rose Tico said. (Yes, I know that story and her part in it is in conflict with the platitude. But in and of itself, it's a mantra for me, a motivating statement. "That's how we're gonna win. Not fighting what we hate, saving what we love." But I digress ... again.)
  

  So what's the lesson here? There are conversations being had, choices being made that absolutely WILL affect your life. Maybe it's about the library. Maybe it's about something else you value. Whatever it is, you HAVE to step up and join the support system. Find a way to be in those conversations directly. Trust me, your voice has value. Take the first step. Ask the question: How can I support this community asset that I care about?
  

• The arts are lifeblood for me. I mean, really, the thing that pulls me forward. Sometimes the only thing. For me and my household, actually. (How lucky am I?) And even luckier: We have an incredible group of working artists who are the guides and caretakers for an absolutely AMAZING home for artistic opportunity in our community: Marion Community School of the Arts and the CSA Civic Theatre. If you don't know about their offerings for all ages, you should definitely explore their website. We are deeply involved with the organization year-round, but what I'm working on right now is supporting their annual scholarship fundraiser, the Ignite auction. How you can help, if you'd like:
  

  • Register for the auction today! That way you'll get notifications when it goes live here in a few weeks.
    

  • Don't want to bid? You can make a donation outright.
    

  • Want to donate a service, experience, or item to the auction? Click here to view the donation letter.

All this to say ...

We all have to step up and do something.

Protesting is great. It is absolutely a way to begin to build solidarity. But it doesn't have to be part of your "do something" to make your Action matter! (And if it already is, great! But Action is still going to be needed from you.)

So, think about what you love. Think about what (or who) is in danger right now. And then find ways to put your love into Action.