We are here whether we like it or not.

And now we respond to our epoch in a responsible manner.

I am grateful that god has taken the disposition of things completely out of our hands. We would all feel like even bigger pieces of shit had we all been more in charge of the world and how things play out. But the kicker, and there is always one, is that we are also at the very same time as having no control over anything at all — given the responsibility over how we react to the arrangement of all this depressing nonsense. So, here we are when a lot of shit is hitting a lot of fans and it’s making a terrible mess. And it’s making some of us cry ourselves to sleep because it stinks so fucking bad. And all we have to do? Act with immense courage, immense moral clarity, and immense love for one another or we flunk the test.

We are only here to witness this moment because we are supposed to be — and how lucky we are to be the ones that god plucked from other timelines to be here and now. To be courageous and loving because I would not be able to sleep at night if I wasn’t.

And if you don’t believe in god, certainly you believe in history. Hard to deny history although many people do especially when it hurts their feelings. But history arranged for you to be here whether you like it or not. There are two avenues for all of us. Imagine judgement day or some other holiday. Either god OR your little shit of a grandson will ask you what you did when the Palestinians were being massacred and our politicians ordered fascist militarized forces to beat and brutalize our young students. Brutalized for what? Acing the test. Acting with courage and moral clarity in a moment where it’s required of us.

May we all have an answer that doesn’t make our stomachs turn inside out from shame.

I can’t fully comprehend the responsibility we have because we are here in this moment rather than in any other point in human history. But I hope we carry it together until we collapse. And I hope that we experience it honestly — that acting with moral clarity comes in waves of ease and hardship and discomfort and fear. But for the sake of whatever you believe, rip the bandaid off and face the fascists wherever they are because they will burn in hell and in history. I am sure of both of these things.

Danaka Katovich is the co-director of CODEPINK.

Originally published at

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