Member-only story
Our Collective Dilemma
We have to love, live, and work together…
I write this from a privileged perspective. I am a white woman born into an educated middle-class family. Due to choices and luck, both, I have lived in poverty for the last 25 years. If I needed, though, I’ve always had access to resources- in that I knew I and my children would never be homeless, hungry, or lack access to medical care or a decent education. When my mother passed away, she left my siblings and me each a small inheritance. I live in an economically depressed, rural, northern Wisconsin town, relatively isolated from the wash of the pandemic. My circle of family and close friends all tend to keep to ourselves (and either work from home, for small employers, or own small businesses that are outdoor-heavy and people-light), and I’m a lover of solitude. All these things have given me an advantage.
Did you notice that I didn’t qualify the words ‘choices’ and ‘luck’? That’s because I think I’ve been afforded an opportunity here. I can’t say my choices were poor, and I can’t say that my luck was bad. See, I believe that the single most important thing in life is relationships. Once upon a time, I believed that all my close relationships would be with people who agreed with me… ha. I remember telling myself that I would never date a republican. Especially not a Trump supporter.