whiterosebrian - Tumblr blog

whiterosebrian · 3 days

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It's about time that I tried making a new colored drawing to share with my very, very small handful of followers as well as anyone else who happens across my profiles. I made this to put on the front cover of the next volume of my personal journal, and all such images have a white rose motif, hence the flower that this owl is carrying. Trying to make the markings look like they belong on feathers was the most tedious part of the whole process. How well did I do overall?

#owl #rose #flower #white rose #great horned owl #bird #boids #birb #digital art #drawing #illustration #full color

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whiterosebrian · 11 days

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Chorus of Lineages

In the book on writing poetry that I’m currently going through, one of the chapters offers Jungian shadows, both personal and collective, among the different sources of inspiration. Poetry, according to the author, is a means of examining those with honesty. Even before reaching the chapter’s end, I got an idea to examine the historical and societal construct of whiteness. I must confess that the idea also came from a disastrous exchange with an Asian-Romani witch; I was clumsy and insensitive in asking about her understanding of the metaphysics of ethnic lineage. Within this exercise, I opted to again experiment with a structure involving tail-rhymes, including a substantial shift at the conclusion.

I was taught to respect people regardless

Of the color of their skin or their ethnic extractions.

No group deserves to be distressed

Or reduced to a mere disposable abstraction.

At home and school, I learned of how

The treatment of people who differ is unfair.

I learned to ignore shades of brown

And offer humans equal care.

I knew myself as a member of the majority.

Systemic racism sees me as the norm.

I knew of others as being minorities.

Systems treat them as lower lifeforms.

Only after years passed

Did I see the full extent of silencing,

Defamation, enslavement, and destruction in the past,

With lingering effects on daily living.

The people on this land labeled as minorities

Need more than kind treatment,

Needing freedom and true equality

So they can enable the land’s healing and ascent.

Instead of a faceless mass of humanity,

The lineages of Mother Earth, in their diversity,

Would be freed together, from Anishinaabe to Arabic

To Sioux to Desi to Latin to Germanic

To West African to Celtic to Sinic

To children of Aztlan, so none would be superfluous.

With all their gifts, they form a chorus

Of varied voices harmonized to sing

An incantation for renewing all things.

#original poetry #poetry #verse #poetry on tumblr #social justice #original poem #poem #equality #racial justice #antiracism #rhymes #rhyme #heritage #lineage #justice

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whiterosebrian · 18 days

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Night of the Lonely Dead

I’m still looking through a book on writing poetry and looking through a section on sources of inspiration. I just looked through a chapter on death and grief. Among the options for writing exercise, I chose one in which I would imagine what the dead do and feel in their afterlives. Again, I experiment with tweaks on the ballad form, which uses tail rhymes on alternating lines, though here I juxtapose tercets within sestets. Also, how would you say my repetitions of “lonely dead” and “veil” turned out here?

The lonely dead barely see through the veil,

Hazy and darkened and foggy and rippling.

They still desire to tell their entire tales

And show their faces to those who are willing to see.

It seems as if only psychics, shamans,

Witches, and lunatics sense the dead clearly.

The lonely dead attempt to grip attention

By imposing chills, nudging objects,

And scrambling radio signals across dimensions,

Across the veil, with barely any force.

Men of science understandably dismiss

Any discussion of spirits as asinine folklore.

The lonely dead watch the living on our side

Of the veil continue giving hugs,

Watching chirping robins, and drinking chai.

They wait to be healed and freed to rest in peace.

Befriending the dead is worth a try,

Possibly resulting in mutual deep relief.

#original poetry #original poem #verse #poetry #poem #poetry on tumblr #poets on tumblr #ghosts #paranormal #spirits #hauntings #haunted house #lonely #death #dead #afterlife

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whiterosebrian · 26 days

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Pained Fatigue

I wrote this after a long absence that I don’t wish to explain—let’s just say I failed to make progress in mental well-being. I started going through another book offering guidance on writing poetry. Of the options for exercises at the end of the first chapter, I opted to write about something that I do every day and how it might differ from what other people might do. Here, I experimented with a structure similar to ballad meter, with end-rhymes only on every second line. I’ll have to see if I can post another poetic exercise anytime soon—right now, I feel like I am a mere worthless parasite.

After merely four hours

Of bending and reaching on a concrete floor in a warehouse,

My back and neck always ache

With an irritation that seems to drone out loud,

Worse on some days than on others.

My spine and neck need their sweet relief.

Thus, on a bed within my bedroom,

I sink into the mattress and the pillow in defeat.

Even my thoughts and my feelings are weary.

I feel quite unable to focus and meditate.

With a cellular telephone in my hands,

I stream videos for several hours straight,

Mostly about video games,

Animated series, comics, and weird movies.

Sometimes, I try to expand my mind

With videos about religion, occultism, and history.

What about the ones who work

Many more hours every day

To provide their two or three children

With food and medicine and still have bills to pay?

With such a greater pained fatigue,

How can they give their families proper care,

Much less march for justice?

Even with real pain, I remain aware.

#poetry #poetic #original poetry #poem #original poem #poems on tumblr #poetry on tumblr #verse #rhyme #rhymes #ballad #labor

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whiterosebrian · 1 month

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Suicide and Satire

Several months ago, I stated that I would take an extended break from posting to social media to focus on personal rehabilitation. It seems to have gone poorly. For starters, the manual labor at the mass-mailing warehouse still causes pain and leads me to spend much time resting and recovering in bed, watching videos on my smartphone. The weather hasn’t been right yet for wandering outdoors for meditation. Due to multiple unhappy accidents causing delays, I haven’t been able to meet with a clinical social worker often enough and make much progress in counseling. Even apart from those complications, I came to realize that I can’t make significant progress in healing deep-seated personal wounds within a neat, limited timeframe.

I have issues. I have increasingly struggled with feelings of inadequacy, with self-loathing, with a sense of utter failure in life, with lifelong dreams that have seemed more and more distant and impossible. I still feel wounding from my years of trying to live as a proper Catholic Christian while also seeing the serious accusations and difficult questions about the religion and its claims of truth—further reinforcing my sense of having wasted my life. My autism has made relating as a normal human being difficult.

There is one further aspect that I have been tight-lipped about until now. The stigma around its discussion is understandable, as it could potentially encourage harmful actions. I’ve been plagued by thoughts of suicide. The doomsaying that I’ve seen around the Internet has provoked thoughts of life being utterly, utterly pointless. If everything is irreversibly doomed and no one is trying to save or restore or prevent anything, as a large number of voices suggest or bluntly proclaim, why bother doing anything whatsoever? Thus, my thoughts have turned to suicide being the only logical response.

Even apart from that, I’ve wondered if my personal existence in general has any purpose, given that I seemingly failed to achieve anything meaningful and made too many wrong choices. Am I merely a spoiled brat who brings nothing but pain and suffering? Am I merely a parasitic colonizer? Would my death somehow bring healing? I’ve tried looking online to see if “white guilt” ever becomes suicidal in the real world, but I’ve seen only mean-spirited right-wing mockeries of the entire concept. You might be pleased to hear that a new medication that I’ve been taking has reduced such extreme depressive thoughts.

I doubted that I could write about my personal torments in more detail here. I wrote about them more extensively in an outline of topics for discussion that I printed and handed to the aforementioned social worker—that in itself was draining. What I can more easily write about is possible plans for near future.

Are you familiar with the phrase Juvenalian satire? The likes of Mad Magazine and the Simpsons have led many to think that satire is inherently comical and silly—that type is called Horatian. Satire can also be quite dark. For example, Watchmen is a satire of superhero comics and general heroic narratives. The most infamous example of a dark satire, in this case about the pursuit of wealth and pleasure, is the horror novel American Psycho. That type of satire is called Juvenalian.

Concepts for a philosophical novel on cultural warfare have bounced around in my mind for nearly twenty years at this point. Fairly recently, I began typing developmental documents for a novel acting as a Juvenalian satire of Catholic fundamentalism. The very basic premise is this: a Heathen wizard tries to bring solace and healing (and later investigate a rumored though plausible conspiracy) as his college campus faces murders by a slasher likely radicalized by a reactionary order of Catholic priests. Considering the rise of audiobooks, I could see myself attempting to perform an audiobook after publication like some oral storyteller. I have considered going ahead and writing that novel as a means of working through my religious angst. Indeed, I would have started during January if I didn’t think that I needed to focus on getting help through counseling and meditation.

I may do that later. An organization supporting adults with disabilities (recall that I am autistic) has been building a new housing complex at a former military base. The construction is projected to be completed during the fall, and I will very likely move in shortly afterwards. I may take go on another extended break from social media after I move, focusing on the formal composition of the novel.

What shall I do in the meantime? Shall I write and post more poetic exercises? Incidentally, I still don’t think that I’m ready to seek out open-mic events yet, as I still intend to prioritize not only counseling but also continued magical research. I may yet make and post a new digitally colored drawing or two as well as a several sketches if I feel like I can do so. Don’t expect me to post frequently or regularly by any means.

I can’t expect you to say much regarding my personal problems. I do ask you that you contact your elected officials and put pressure on them to hasten the transition away from fossil fuels, encourage environmental restoration, work towards peaceful diplomatic resolutions in foreign relations, place stringent regulations on artificial intelligence, demand a ceasefire in Israel-Palestine, and take action on various current genocides. Whenever I post public journal entries like this, you’ll likely see more generalized calls to action, as I do believe that we all need to what we can for the Earth and all its inhabitants. I do indeed wish to personally make as big of an impact as possible.

#long text #self healing #writer #life

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whiterosebrian · 2 months

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Confession on Israel-Palestine

Ladies and gentlemen and nonbinary folks, if you want to know how my current break from social media has been going, I’m afraid that I can’t say much. I don’t feel like I’ve made much progress in self-rehabilitation. It doesn’t help that I haven’t been able to meet with the clinical social worker for counseling often enough due to delays in the first two meetings. It doesn’t help that the warehouse job still wears me out terribly. It doesn’t help that the weather here in Indiana hasn’t been quite right yet for outdoor meditation.

I’ve pondered when I might resume making and posting original work to my social media pages. I haven’t decided yet. That choice may depend on what the next month or so are like for me.

The main reason why I wrote this journal entry is to make a confession. Several factors led me to go off on my current hiatus from social media, which I intend to discuss in depth at a later day. However, what especially provoked me to quit posting and declare my absence was the latest flare-up in violence in Israel-Palestine and the back-and-forth polemics on social media. I felt unable to meaningfully address it.

I acknowledge the ethno-nationalist administrations in Israel that have grown more radically right-wing over the years. I cannot dismiss the reports of long-standing human rights abuses in Israel. I cannot dismiss the suffering and death involved in the establishment of the modern state of Israel. I dare not dismiss Palestinians who suffer and die whenever the violence flares up in that little strip of land! I further acknowledge that most people who join demonstrations against Israel have only the best of intentions.

Why haven’t I spoken out more often on Palestine, though? There are still too many cases where condemnation of Israel is a thin veil for condemnation of the Jewish people as a whole. Is Judaism not an ancient ethno-religion that has long-standing ties to Eres Yisra’el, the Land of Israel, however widely dispersed it may have been? As a white European living on Turtle Island, am I not much, much more of an alien than a Jewish person living near Jerusalem? Even considering ethnocentrism within the Zionist movement, is that still not a serious response to the long, tragic history of marginalization, persecution, expulsion, and eventual genocide? Doesn’t anti-Jewish hatred persist today? Doesn’t anti-Jewish propaganda come in the form of dog-whistles? Speaking as an ex-Catholic, I’ve seen Catholic fundamentalists claim to reject “racial antisemitism”—in a conveniently narrow sense—while espousing their usual anti-Jewish narratives.

Those sorts of dog-whistles have made me wary of much (not all, but much) of the rhetoric that I’ve seen. I don’t want to shut down or belittle Jewish people who express pain and fear. I do acknowledge the increasingly sharp divides—especially generational divides—within the Jewish community over Israel. I was also surprised to read about the historical real-world alternatives to political Zionism, most notably the Bundist movement, whose main principle was about establishing Jewish cultural enclaves throughout the Diaspora while agitating for socialist justice.

What of the Jewish people who still express fear of antisemitism and still express attachment to the land of Israel? I’m not supposed to dismiss their voices and stories as settler-colonial propaganda that needs to be censored, am I? I’m not supposed to regard them all as hyper-privileged, lying, greedy, bloodthirsty, all-controlling aliens, am I? I’m not supposed to ridicule them as passive-aggressive crybaby Nazis worthy only of isolation, am I? I’m not supposed to declare them all guilty of genocide and needing to be punished accordingly for the rest of their lives, am I? I’m not supposed to judge them all as Bad Jews and leave only a tiny remnant of Good Jews, am I?

Over the course of the reactions, rants, and reflections that I’ve written into my private spiral-bound journal, I noted a fixation on Jewish safety and Jewish freedom. Why? Euro-American guilt? Ex-Catholic guilt? Have Israel-supporting organization exaggerated the prevalence of anti-Jewish hatred? I’ve read of dissension within such organizations as the Anti-Defamation League and J Street. Surely, though, claiming that the entire world celebrates and pampers the Jewish people would be completely ridiculous.

You might recall the incidents of anti-Jewish intimidation and violence that sometimes appear in news outlets. Aren’t there people with big voices like Nick Fuentes who would gladly do gods-know-what to the Jewish people if they somehow took power? Hasn’t anti-Jewish propaganda spread beyond Europe as well? Aren’t there Islamic fundamentalists who call for the destruction of Jewish people, branding them as conspiring overlords or as apes and pigs? I hear about Jews and Muslims living in harmony in the Middle East in the olden days, but that narrative does strike me as sounding too good to be true—haven’t Jews faced discrimination and violence there too? I’m willing to be educated on the nuances within said narrative.

I trust that you understand that I reject the notion of collectively punishing Muslims, Arabs, or Palestinians. I wish for no group of people to be collectively punished, especially a group that has notoriously suffered domination and alienation and worse over centuries. Has something gone wrong my desire to stand with Jewish people? Is that why I’ve neglected to publicly speak for Palestinians? Once again, I dare not deny that Palestinians face suffering and death under the watch of a powerful Israeli state backed by other powerful states.

I’ve gotten the sense that I’m being pressured to choose which people to support—but I would be very happy to be proven wrong. I am not yet totally confident that the free-free-Palestine movement lacks undercurrents of demonizing and punishing Jewish people—but, again, I would be very happy to be proven wrong. The point that I’ve been gesturing towards this whole time is this: I believe in harmonious and joyous co-existence of various peoples and cultures on lands that they work together on healing and enriching. I’ll grant that phrases like “it’s complicated” can be cop-outs, but they can surely also be expressions of uncertainty over how to best resolve serious problems.

I ask you to write to and call your local elected leaders and put pressure on them to not only demand a ceasefire but also demand full civil and human rights for Palestinians. Surely that is something that we can do. I even wrote and mailed letters to Jewish organizations such as the ones mentioned previously, asking them to hold Israel’s leaders and elites accountable, stand up more forcefully for Palestinians, and seriously engage with Jewish anti-Zionists—not to lecture them as some sort of superior Aryan, but to encourage dialog as a fellow civil-rights activist. Did that in itself risk “mansplaining” antisemitism? I trust that I had good intentions. I wish for peace and freedom for all, and I wish to understand more fully how that can become a reality.

#palestine #israel #israel palestine #palestinians #jewish people #antisemitism #history #social justice #ceasefire #human rights #middle east #arabs

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whiterosebrian · 6 months

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Hiatus from Social Media

I’ve heard of mental health professionals and others talk about stepping away from social media to make lives better. I’ve been so reluctant to do so. I’ve tried so hard to gain supporters as a budding artist—I should hope not a failed artist, though. Even more importantly, I’m very grateful for what I’ve learned from other people who are different from me yet are just as human and important. I’m not willing to completely abandon social media. Nonetheless, there is a nearly compelling argument to be made for stepping away from time to time.

I have recently given serious consideration to doing exactly that. I’m not ready to publicly discuss what has led up to this choice, so I’ll only say so much. First and foremost, I have gone through sometimes severe existential crises. My mental health in general has been less than great to boot. I can’t rely only on reading posts on social media—and I don’t want to impose myself on certain people whom I follow. I need to focus more intently on personal rehabilitation.

I am now making the choice to temporarily abandon—not deactivate or delete—my social media profiles (though I could possibly delete a couple of them later). I intend to focus on personal rehabilitation. I have no idea how long this hiatus would last; it could last anywhere from two months to twelve months. If you choose to patiently wait for me to return and resume posting, I thank you. If you lose your patience and quit following, I don’t blame you. I do plan to log in during the next few days after this posting to see what responses I receive. Otherwise, don’t expect to hear from me again in the near future.

Thank you for looking through this text. Thank you for understanding and respecting my choice. May the gods and spirits be with you.

#hiatus #life update #wellness

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whiterosebrian · 7 months

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Linda Zhang

When still going through the anthology of Romantic poetry, I decided to skip the chapter focused on poets’ personal relations—I didn’t feel comfortable with posting any writings about my own relations. The final main chapter was about poets and poetry. I already had an idea for what I would write about—but I’m not comfortable yet with sharing how exactly I came across the topic for this exercise in the first place. Let me just say that Linda Zhang was indeed a real person with a tragic ending to her life. I did decide on alliteration instead of rhyme. With this post, I think that I’ve now finished this series of exercises modeled on Romanticism. I have to figure out what to do next. I would most likely turn my focus towards personal rehabilitation, in which case my posting would be even slower and less regular. I appreciate any of you who still follow and wait.

Linda Zhang liked writing

From her time as a bright and curious toddler.

With notebooks she observed the nooks and crannies

Of the daily lives of the denizens of Earth,

Considering whatever was beneath the surface.

She grew to sympathize with those who suffer.

More and more Linda wished

To raise her voice with radiant, inspiring,

Piercing, impassioned, serious verses.

She desired to save the living world.

Along the way, she lost her hope.

She saw only the omens of death.

She sensed herself as an isolated voice.

Before her death, she desperately asked

If a purpose for reciting poetry existed.

Linda ended her own life.

Crises demand that you prove the maiden’s

Final cries of panic fully

Wrong for the sake of lands and seas.

Forgive my digression, yet I ask,

Do words of wisdom accomplish nothing?

Are verses merely cute diversions?

Do poems come from powers that inspire

Or from simple clever tricks of tongues?

Forgive me for failing to give an answer.

I myself must consider the question in depth.

Please make Linda proud.

#poetry #original poetry #environment #poets #verse #justice #social justice #environmentalism #poets on tumblr #original poem #poem #alliteration

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whiterosebrian · 7 months

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Florida

Yes, I am still working on poetic exercises based on the anthology of Romantic poetry. I went through a chapter themed on protest and politics—the Romantic movement coincided with Abolitionism and the French Revolution. Grant you, I’ve already written multiple exercises on sociopolitical themes out of a sense of necessity. For this exercise, I decided to yet again use internal rhyme across lines, and I thought of structuring lines and stanzas to give the sense of sarcastic quips and satiric punchlines. Over the course of working on this exercise, I realized how much can be said with only so many words. The violently sarcastic tone that I aimed for seems to do so much heavy lifting, so I decided against writing more than I have here.

We welcome the absolute rulers of Florida!

We dare not dispute their laws!

Anyone who dissents is a dictator!

Arrest the Marxists and send them alone to the swamps!

Black voices are fully heard!

Nobody attacks sexual minorities!

Libraries operate freely!

Those who claim the contrary are giant corporations!

Ignore the Nazis marching with flags!

Nazis exist in Ukraine only!

Tsarist Russia is an ally!

Florida bravely resists cosmopolitan overlords!

White Christian empires bring

About a bright and happy world!

Do you yet understand the intent

Behind the strand of words which I spoke to you now?

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whiterosebrian · 7 months

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A handful of you may recall that I have very slowly assembled a beginning personal grimoire as a sort of foundation for my personal magical practices. Increasingly I have felt the need to replace pages and refine entire major sections. As a matter of fact, among the scanned pages that I've archived among my many drawings over the years, I've now quit keeping track of which exact pages I'm replacing. Here is a whole load of new hand-written and hand-drawn pages that I've made for my grimoire.

#grimoire #magic #wizardry #witchblr #pencil sketches #pencil drawings #runes #breathing #scrying #occultism #magic staff #amber #rune magic #ritual tools #pagan #knives #book of magic #occult #mystical

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whiterosebrian · 8 months

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Pengee Goes to Comic-Con

Please excuse the long delay between posts. There has been a lot going on with me lately. Among other things, I took a break from that anthology of Romantic poetry to partially read over a book on mindfulness from Thich Nhat Hanh that a behavioralist gave me. In any case, I returned to the anthology and read aloud samples of comedic poetry. Once again, I tried to model a poetic exercise on what I saw within that chapter. I thought that I’d write a simple narrative about my character Pengee. Sadly, it turns out that I’m hardly a comedian or jokester. This poem seemed more cute than funny. A self-imposed need for end-rhymes gave me difficulty as usual as well. Well, I suppose it’s just as well that I discover my personal limitations.

A caretaker of penguins at the aquarium brought Arturo,

Who gave delight by simply saying hello,

To the big convention for movies and games and comics.

The talking penguin joined

As a special guest on a mission to promote harmonic

Relations instead of toys.

Among the booths in which the vendors sold

Knickknacks and studios previewed movies to behold,

Arturo told a story about the isle

From which he hailed to beauties

In shimmering unitards, nerds with homely profiles,

And children who seemed at ease.

After evening came and cooled the city,

Arturo lounged in the restaurant, nibbling fishy

Morsels from a plate set down at the bar.

Drunken revelers warbled

And sang along with the penguin and proclaimed him a star.

They offered the seabird a cordial.

The duo returned to the convention center to partake

In karaoke, and Arturo sang about milkshakes.

Folks laughed and cheered, then the duo left.

In the convention center’s halls,

A woman curled in an isolated corder and wept.

The duo answered the call.

The penguin and his caretaker returned to the hotel for the night.

They discussed the panel arranged for the following daylight,

Intended to exhort the fanboys to commune with the environment.

The caretaker expressed her annoyance.

At the apparent apathy from every fanboy present.

Arturo expressed his confidence.

#penguin #poetry #verse #poem #narrative poetry #comic con #convention #original character #feral oc #rhyme

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whiterosebrian · 8 months

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Refined Letter to Democrats

I believe that I absolutely need to do my part for the cause of the environment. For that reason, I have mailed letters to multiple politicians around the USA (focusing on Democrats because I believe they are more reachable—which is actually unfortunate for reasons beyond this post). What I am posting here is the current letter to be printed and mailed, as I considered a need to make refinements to what I wrote previously. I am posting this to provide a template for you to likewise write to elected officials wherever you live. I urge you to seriously consider joining this effort of mine to reach out to elected officials.

Greetings.

It is true that I am not one of your voters. I am simply a man who cares for the well-being of the Earth, our common home. In fact, I have written variants of this letter and mailed them to your fellow elected officials and will continue to do so. I have been writing to elected officials such as you because I believe that you can do more to make concrete changes to both law and praxis than I can. I am also aware that that elected officials generally prefer short letters. However, I believe that I need to write a wide-ranging letter because the greatest environmental problems require a holistic approach.

Reports of extreme weather and brutal disasters have filled many, many hearts with dread and outright despair. You may or may not recall the case of a Buddhist activist who set himself on fire in front of the Supreme Court—and a handful of people expressed frustration that he did not gain more attention than he did. I have seen more than a few people on the Internet foretell immanent doomsday. You may already be aware of the need to transition away from fossil fuels and towards cleaner renewable alternatives. Of course, doing what you can to hasten the transition is utterly critical. Resisting the fossil-fuel industry and its lobbyists is utterly critical. I still wish to draw your attention to related issues.

I have seen a figure floating around social media claiming that Indigenous peoples make up barely twenty percent of the world’s population yet safeguard eighty percent of ecosystems. It is true that the one-with-nature Indigenous mystic is a crude stereotype, and I have no intention of reinforcing it. It seems, though, that even that stereotype has roots in reality, given the efforts to revive earth-based Indigenous spiritual cultures and the attraction of outsiders to said cultures. Even still, Indigenous activists have been demanding ample space for safeguarding their lands and neighboring lands. A handful of them even outright assert that the United States of America is an illegitimate colonial occupying force. I know that for a fact because I follow several Indigenous users and see posts within their orbits.

The brutal fact is that the USA has been built on the decimation of Indigenous peoples (along with the enslavement and forced transportation of Africans). There are multiple instances of the USA acting as an imperial force, such as during the Cold War. While I absolutely deny that there is some conspiring Uni-Party (much less a Jewish cabal), there is room to argue that the USA’s power needs to be reduced. Giving land back to Native tribes and nations and fostering their renewed sovereignty is not only a long-needed act of justice but also a crucial part of defending and eventually healing the environment.

When the war in Ukraine broke out, people all around the world feared the worst. The US government coordinated Western aid to the Ukrainian army. That led to screeds about the Military Industrial Complex. Yes, a very large number of such commenters are cynically exploiting leftist rhetoric to promote a reactionary authoritarian agenda. However, some are well-intentioned pacifists and anti-imperialists. Aiding Ukrainian allies in defending themselves from Russian imperialism is most certainly one thing. Further inflating our own already massively inflated military, however, is another. At a certain point, you need to admit that the Military Industrial Complex is real, as Dwight Eisenhower famously warned decades ago. That kind of money can be used far more productively for various social programs. Our military is a major polluter—another compelling reason to drastically reduce it.

When I refer to social programs, I am not simply referring to staples such as Social Security or public education. Infrastructures are flawed. Too many people are forced to drive long distances to reach places of employment in hopes of earning wages. Too many people are unable to access healthful foods nearby. Too many localities are built around automobiles instead of human traffic. Too often supplies and goods and foods must go through convoluted supply chains. This is surely not an exhaustive list. These sorts of infrastructures need to be rebuilt. Local communities need to rebuilt to be more self-sufficient, better able to thrive on their own.

Along with human communities, nonhuman communities also need to be rebuilt and revived. While perfectly recreating the wilderness is clearly impossible, historic landscapes and ecosystems do need to be revitalized as much as possible. Civilization and nature need to be reconciled. I understand that leadership in Scotland have been engaging in “rewilding” its landscapes. I should note that past efforts at conservation on our continent have excluded or removed the original inhabitants of various landscapes—rebuilding and rewilding should be done in concert with them. I should also note that many Indigenous languages did not have separate words for “nature” or “wilderness,” suggesting homes made among plants, animals, elements, waters, and grounds. Building that kind of society anew should help in healing the environment.

I have already mentioned the critical need to resist the fossil fuel industry. That should be a primary focus, though corporations in general need to be reined in. They are fundamentally motivated by money and the socio-political power associated with money. They are motivated by profits. They are motivated by limitless growth. Greta Thunberg has denounced the notion of limitless growth as a fiction. Corporations will pull every trick to keep their profits growing, hoard more wealth, and wield more power. They have pulled tricks for decades, such as Exxon Mobil’s recently revealed campaign of deliberate misinformation. Tougher laws need to be imposed to reign in corporations. Furthermore, corporations need to be made to reverse course and contribute to rebuilding infrastructures and phasing out fossil fuels.

I further propose a renewed campaign of public education for changing lifestyles to aid in transition—which would, of course, be in tandem with governmental actions. Yes, conservatives and outright fascists (a vanishingly thin line, sadly—the reason why I’m focusing on Democratic lawmakers is the radicalization of the Republican party) will inevitably screech about indoctrination. Let the demagogues screech. Every effort is needed to move more and more people to join the cause of mitigating the climate crisis, rebuilding society, and healing the environment.

All of this might sound like I advocate radical social change. I am indeed doing exactly that. I have become more convinced that radical social change is utterly important for defending and reviving our common home. Standard politics is not sufficient. Yes, safeguarding liberal democratic institutions is important. Fascism is a very real threat. Strengthening liberal democracy and living up to its highest ideals is also part of defending our common home. Fascism exploits crises. Fascism degrades living things, whether human or nonhuman, even when it claims fealty to a distorted Natural Law. The notion of degrowth has begun to gain currency among activists and thinkers—in the simplest terms possible, as the great transition is carried out, society needs to be radically restructured to rely on mutual care and self-sufficiency instead of financial and material growth or large-scale state power.

Again, a holistic approach is needed for major environmental problems. If my proposals here sound like vague generalities, that is because I am no expert. I thus need to reach out to people who can more freely delve into the logistics of a just transition and how to execute that just transition. Everyone needs to be involved in safeguarding our common home. I trust that I am doing my part. I trust that you will do your part as an elected official.

You may call me Brian Hart Whiterose.

#activism #climate justice #social justice #letter #politics #environment #indigenous rights #economy #infrastructure #rewilding #capitalism #ecology #decolonize #environmental justice

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whiterosebrian · 9 months

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This concludes the full collection of photographs from this year's GenCon. Did you like the full collection? This may or may not be the last GenCon--and, in fact, the last convention in general--for me. I've attended so many conventions over the years that the excitement drastically waned. The expenses of the experiences also weighed on my mind.

There's also a more important factor. I attended conventions as an aspiring illustrator and writer hoping to gain supporters and guides among fans and professionals. My understanding of my calling gradually shifted away from the "geek" culture. I am now on the very periphery at most. Slowly I delve into ancestral animism and its attendant culture. I believe that I must now go forth as an activist, poet, and spiritual practitioner.

The plush Pengee won't go away forever. You still might see batches of photographs here and there. If you wind up waiting anxiously, please understand why. Thank you. May the gods and spirits grant you many boons.

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whiterosebrian · 9 months

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I offer you a handful of vertical photographs from the fourth and last day of this year's GenCon. I must confess that I can get frustrated easily when playing Dungeons and Dragons. I wish to simply be as helpful as possible in a cooperative game, and when I don't even succeed at that due to unwanted die rolls, I feel like I can hardly do anything right. Anyway, there will be just one more batch of photographs of the plush Arturo Reyes Pinguino at this year's GenCon, so stay tuned.

#gen con 2023 #gencon 2023 #gencon #gen con #tabletop rpg #tabletop games #dungeons and dragons #dnd #warhammer #penguin #plushie #plush #warhammer fantasy #honor among thieves #seafood #fish and chips #beer #lord of the rings

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whiterosebrian · 9 months

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After eating lunch during the third day of GenCon, I attended a panel that I thought would delve into how to effectively write for audio and oral performances. However, it seems that my expectations weren't quite right--it was simply an overly broad overview on how to write for podcasts. Oh well.

After eating a rather expensive salmon dinner, I attended a pair of panels on puppetry. The first is meant to teach me improvisational comedy with puppets, and I was told to use one of the moving-mouth puppets provided. I learned that improvisation doesn't suit me well. The second panel consists of karaoke using puppets. I got to manipulate the plush penguin while singing aloud in character, just like I did last year. I sang Princes of the Universe from Queen. Several very audible cheers came out of the audience! Is that a good omen for when I begin performing poetry on stage? Of course, I'll need much more practice specifically for that.

#gencon 2023 #gen con 2023 #gen con #gencon #plush #penguin #one punch man #seafood #puppets

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whiterosebrian · 9 months

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Here is another batch of photographs from the third day of this year's GenCon, taken concurrently with the previous batch.

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whiterosebrian · 9 months

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Here's the first batch of photographs with the plush Pengee from the third day of this year's GenCon. You might notice that I'm finally getting the opportunity to capturr some really nice cosplay along with some really nice displays! Of course, a penguin will also want ice cream, though thankfully the weather also seems to starting to cool where I live. Stay tuned for more photographs!

#gen con 2023 #gencon 2023 #gencon #gen con #tabletop games #werewolf the apocalypse #hero quest #warhammer #ice cream #cosplayers #one punch man #final fantasy #super mario #pathfinder #starfinder #dungeons and dragons #magic the gathering #plush #plushie

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