A Case for Radical Honesty

by Bailey Mead || 1,405 words (6 minute read)

I’ve been thinking about capacity a lot lately. Mine, the people I’m working with, the people I love.

It’s at an all-time low, y’all.

Collectively, we have not acknowledged what this means. As far as I can see, we are pretending.

I want to make a case for radical honesty. It is not working to pretend we can move at the same pace we used to just because our culture is obsessed with productivity and numbing out. Just because we’ve staked our identities on work. Now, I know that for many of us, our survival depends on faking it at work, and this may be why “quiet quitting” is spreading through the collective as a survival strategy, but we can be honest with ourselves, at least, that we are pretending.

We harm ourselves when we pretend, when we make a commitment without following through, when we fake it or lie. Our bodies lose trust in us. We have to live with the shame or shadiness or disconnection that occurs when we lie. We lose clarity. Take that burden off yourself.

We are living inside the lie of capitalism which tells us we are individuals, but our bodies are deeply interdependent. We are social creatures. Have you ever seen a whole field of deer whose white tails all go up at once? We are no different. Our nervous systems co-regulate with each other, and this happens faster than we can think. After six long years of tribulation, the entire field we exist inside of is filled with folks who are living full-time in one of these trauma responses: fight, flight, freeze, appease, or dissociate.

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The Warp — Ideas and Inspiration

|| 1 || Of course, let’s start with an introduction to Aruveda.

|| 2 || Coming in the next newsletter is an essay by Brad about the weirdness of non-profit fundraising. If you want to prime the pump, here are some great articles about the strange cultural space that non-profits inhabit:

We need to stop treating nonprofits the way society treats poor people from the always on-point Nonprofit AF.

The way we think about charity is dead wrong, a TED Talk by Dan Palotta

The Looking-Glass World of Nonprofit Money: Managing in For-Profits’ Shadow Universe from Non-Profit Quarterly

|| 3 || Interested in writing for The Whole Field? Hit reply and pitch your idea!

|| 4 || My favorite food writer, Tamar Adler, has a recent piece out for Wicked Leeks. Adler is the author of my all-time favorite cookbook, An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with economy and grace.

The Weft — News and Events

|| 1 || Tonight at 7 pm, Kiss the Ground film screening at the Vogue Theater in Manistee. Our own Daniel Marbury will be there alongside lots of local regenerative farmers.

|| 2 || The Alluvion is planning to open before the end of the year. We may not have every piece of equipment in place, but we hope to start hosting “soft-opening” shows and dialing in our booking process. If you’re waiting to book a space, stay patient! We’ll be ready soon.

|| 3 || In the meantime, check out our arts partner Mash-Up Rock and Roll Musical’s Queer Cabaret: Fall into Weird Fundraiser, Saturday, November 5th at 6:30 pm at the GT Circuit on 14th Ave.

|| 4 || Quick links to fun stuff around the area:

Unlock the Runway benefits a Mancelona Free Store for students; this Saturday from 6 to 9 pm. Tickets here.
Spooky Board Game Night every Sunday in October at Tabletop Underground
Wild Pages, our own local radical bookstore and zine distro, has moved slightly.
There are more Halloween Parties than I can possibly list. This is a great chance to support local music and local music venues!