Not all of us are Willing to be Monsters
Most of us know the famous quote by Italian philosopher and political theorist Antonio Gramsci, “The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born: Now is the time of monsters.”
But, not all of us are willing to be monsters, so what do we do while we wait for the birth of this new world?
As a student of history, I often think about the tumultuous years between rulers and dynasties. What were everyday people doing? For people like you and I, who are neither general nor soldier, diplomat nor warmonger; those of us who neither direct nor are directed by the violent tide, where do we fit in? What do we do while the world crumbles around us?
I often read the lamentations of those of us privileged enough to have steady incomes and safe homes; we understand the irony of the ability to live a quiet life against the background of a burning world. I can’t help but believe we are not the first to live in such a contradiction.
The difference between our modern lives and the ones lived for millennia before ours is that more often than not, work had tangible meaning. Not to say your job isn’t important, but it’s likely that the work you do every day does not directly impact the wellbeing or livelihood of the people in your community. Our predecessors saw the direct line from their work to its impact. Potters saw neighbors storing and cooking food in the pots they made. Masons saw families living in the homes they built. It was easier for people in professions like these to see how their work not only sustained their communities for the time being, but how they would continue to, no matter how hot the fires of war burned. They knew that after the fires ravaged villages, cities, and nations, their work would still be necessary. No matter the royal, president, chief, or dictator that was to come, those everyday people knew they would have a place in the new world.
Bakers, teachers, scribes, tailors, masons, potters, cobblers. Their work is a testament to the timeless necessity of skilled craft. Let me be clear, my suggestion is not to quit your job and start making shoes, but a class wouldn’t hurt. I believe that engaging in work that endures can give us the confidence to endure as well.
To answer the question, “What do we do now?” We do what we’ve always done:
We write, draw, paint, dance, and bake. We create.
We sew, knit, mold, and fire. We repair. We cook, talk, share, and read together. We love.
We hold each other close and meet each other’s needs. We do the timeless work that keeps us connected, not just to each other, but to our collective future. In this time of monsters, we choose to stay human.
Photo: Anna Tarazevich
