Free time in confinement gave me an opportunity to think about my situation in the context of Quakers, Extinction Rebellion and my social enterprise. The reason I found my niche with these three is that I always seek and communicate the truth, no matter how uncomfortable it is. This comes in part from an education acquired during my travels, and from my status as refugee / foreigner, certainly privileged but less well off outside the local bubble.
My insatiable curiosity was not only a reliable motor, but also a means of safeguarding me vis-à-vis my hosts, whom I supported if not understood but never attacked. Middle class are those identified by the owning &/or political class to be placed in positions of leadership. I found myself midstream — fulfilling this role of course but within my integrity — so I decamped as soon as I was pushed outside of it: I thus had no career in the classic sense … but so is this post-modern period anything but classic! The pandemic and the climate emergency only highlighted what began after two world wars.
I have a privileged view at the edge of the arena, below the seats but not in the median itself.
That’s why I worry so much about all manner of things, and why I do co-counselling: it certainly is not easy for me or those around me, but it is a continuous process I undertake consciously. Cambridgeshire Quakers give me a spiritual home, my own family of choice supports me, and my family of birth as best they can, as do my friends & colleagues depending on whether they also seek their own truths. Last but not least, my social enterprise plans to foster a supportive local environment.
Here are the three demands by Extinction Rebellion of the authorities on the climate emergency: tell the truth, do not delay and act outside politics. Likewise I will not stop pushing for as much clarity as possible— if we cannot change the facts, we can change their understanding — as soon as possible and outside the framework of our own environs.
We all do this jointly and severally, and staking out a few of my markers may help us stay all together.
