Attempts For Kindness
For my final intervention, I decided to follow the beliefs shown in Stacy Russo's book "Love Activism". In Russo's book, Love Activism is something that is made up of many different core elements that simply help oneself to become more at peace and learn to love themselves and appreciate others. Through sharing and giving kindness, others may begin to feel kinder themselves and spread it further. Being very outwardly kind is something I do not normally do, and all of my interventions up until this point have very much been targeted towards the negative sides of humanity. So I decided to flip the script of my persona and go out and be kind for once. DJ E.B.A. will attempt to spread kindness wherever he went.
Stacy Russo had many different aspects to Love Activism that I had taken interest in, that I explored for the time I had decided to fully envelop myself in this craft. The aspect that I had decided to show off in this post is my attempt at the aspects of Hope. I went out into my community and smiled at strangers, interacted and offered balloons and candy (which sadly no one took). Previous to my recording, a man jokingly asked if he could have one of the balloons I was carrying around and I gladly handed it over. He was surprised at my act of kindness and said that more people should act similarly to what I was doing. Since I was unable to capture the conversation and act on camera, I asked the man to write down what he believed should be done to spread positivity in the world. While others were also hesitant, I got at least one other man to write down his own perspective that I keep in that notebook. This small exchange reminded me a lot of Kimberly Drew's quote "Small actions foster change. Our
activism, like any other part of ourselves, develops
into something bigger than a singular experience"(Drew 61). It was a small exchange. It was something that would normally seem totally insignificant. However talking to that older gentleman, he told me that his neighbor had a kid and he'd love to be able to hand the balloon to him to pass forward the kindness. Within that short time we were in the same area, we kept giving each other nods of approval and friendliness. I never got his name, but his face is one I would never forget.
Aspects of Love Activism I didn't do on camera are the aspects of Self-Care and Mindfulness. These elements are inherently more personal and something that all should achieve to accomplish to live a happier life. Self-Care is about pacing yourself, understanding that while it is normal to push oneself, it is also normal to take a step back and breathe, relax. I often am bogged down at work, working long hours with only 1 break in 9-10 hour shifts. I overwork myself, so I took the advice of Self-Care into consideration. At any given opportunity I could, I would allow myself to unwind. I would go out for walks, head to the movies, and appreciate all the work I have done for myself over all these years. Life is not easy on anyone. We all have struggles unique to ourselves and sometimes we simply need a breather. Love Activism was something that encouraged such thoughts. "If men are to reclaim the essential goodness of male being, if they are to regain the space of openheartedness and emotional expressiveness that is the foundation of well-being, we must envision alternatives to patriarchal masculinity"(Hooks 33). Bell Hooks' chapter of Understanding Patriarchy, it really displayed that both women AND men are subject to the results of patriarchy. It is deeper than just men ruling and ordering things around, but also the expectations of what men can and cannot do. At work, I am expected to do every amount of more physical labor unless there is zero chance I am available to do so. It is expected of me and I joke around about it. I got time to think it and during my downtime, I got to appreciate both the benefits and downfalls of that thinking. I allowed myself to evaluate my state which Hooks mentions is something that is often not expected of a man. It was something rewarding on a personal level rather than a more outward level compared to my first objective.
There are many more minor aspects of Love Activism I partook in during the build up to the presentation. I said thank you to bus drivers, I had talks to close friends about their mental states and the status of their lives. I visited the World Trade Center Memorial. Things that I would normally think are mundane, but each play further parts into Love Activism. It is something that I would have never thought about, but it was far more interesting that I could have imagined. Putting myself out there for my practices of Hope felt like just a small taste of the future I have as a director, putting out works for thousands to see. Despite how little I got to show off, the acts of Love Activism is something mixed between outward and inward. I acknowledge myself as much as I do the outside world. I aim to be better and spread positivity. Love Activism is something more people should look into as it is truly a special type of activism.
Works Used:
Love Activism - Stacy Russo
The Art of Activism - Steve Duncombe + Steve Lambert
Understanding Patriarchy - Bell Hooks
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