the crisis
THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.
- thomas paine,
december 23, 1776
If we can't sleep, at least we can learn.
the good news is that i've had a nice few hours to catch up on some great and important learnings. the video above is a roundtable discussion by some top celebs in 1963 on 'the black question' - or was it - 'the white question' ? And on equality, justice, MLK, and the significance of the 200,000 strong march on Washington that took place on August 28 1963.
it was shared with me by a new current flatmate named Ashwin.
Which brings is on to goodnews number 2, that this year, hopefully with more sleep than tonight, i will be will be undoubtedly in the best place for me to live with Violet and Ashwin here in Delhi. just as Paine's quote painfully (ha!) captures the voice of people internally wretched by injustice, people here are also crippled by a legacy of suppression, hatred, and inequality. i feel blessed to live in a house with people who not only care deeply about this, but actually spend their lives trying to do something to work towards a better place.
these issues are not merely for trailing conversations and shrugging shoulders, this is a crisis.)
current time: 6:06 am
alarm time: 7:00am
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sleep possible: 54 min
