What Up Looks Like When You Are Down
The menacing sky,
Tumbles and swirls.
The thoughts in your head,
More blisters than pearls.
Darkness crashes down,
With fever and doubt.
Deafening but no sound,
Pressing in, pushing out.
Still a fire burns,
Enfolding and true.
The light that ends the dark,
Burns inside of you.
Wow. That was weird. I haven’t written a lyric or poem in a decade at least. But, this morning it seemed like I should. I know… it ain’t exactly Yeats, but the act of writing the words felt pretty nice.
I guess part of the reason I felt like writing them was this overwhelming sense that we are in a battle. A battle for positivity.
Anyone who reads/watches/listens to the news these days almost certainly would feel the sky is falling. Things are straight up insane right now. Regardless of where you fall on the political spectrum, the endless cycle of anger and hatred, perpetuated by broadcast and social media, feels like a hurricane. Relentless, punishing. A constant onslaught of negativity. Extreme, vile, divisive, conspiratorial rhetoric is peddled like a marketing campaign for anxiety.
Still, I believe there is hope. Why? Because I’m seeing a movement forming among some of the smartest, most insightful people I know. It’s a movement that espouses kindness, compassion, supportiveness. And what thrills me the most? This movement is being led by artists. Specifically artists who are central to the Web3 movement. They are actively supporting each other and encouraging people to connect. They are making beautiful, fun and inspiring pieces that defy convention and change the way people think about art… and, maybe even, the way they think about themselves.
Of course, there will be those who are quick to dismiss this as some sort of silly trend. “What are a few artists selling jpegs online going to do that could possibly stop the negative energy out there?” they’ll undoubtedly ask. Well, I think legendary media and culture futurist, Marshal McLuhan said it best when he referred to art as an “early warning system.” Artists, he posited, are always on the leading edge of things that are beginning to change. I couldn’t agree more.
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So I guess the question is, where does it go from here? Well, change is hard. Turning this ship away from our self-conjured iceberg certainly won’t be easy. But what if these creators — the ones who are standing up to the negativity and shouting, no more! — started getting everyday people like you and me to catch their vibe? What if kindness, acceptance and encouragement became a thing? What if we move from cutting others down and strive, instead, to find ways to lift others up? Yeah, I hear ya, this is veering perilously close to the realm of self-help hyperbole. But, wouldn’t it be cool if we just decided to follow the artist community’s lead?
It won’t be easy. The powerful platforms that flood our consciousness day and night, profit massively by algorithmically amplifying words and images specifically designed to foment division and conflict. It will take people of all shapes and sizes — all political and religious points of view — consciously separating from the negativity. Focusing not on our differences, but on our shared humanity.
Maybe we could start our day with the thought of “how can I help?” Maybe we could actively make an effort to support others, even those we might see as competitors? Maybe, after all we have been through, we were to just tune out the negative energy and, instead, spend our days making (or, at least, supporting those who make) things that inspire positivity?
Gertrude Stein famously referred to art as an “antidote for the emptiness of existence.” Amen. I’m not certain if this movement will truly take hold. But, the artist’s early warning system is flashing, telling the world that we need to be kinder, more tolerant, more supportive. We should take heed.
As for me, I’m all in. Of that, I am positive.
The Battle for Positivity