[Xmca-l] Re: Love in the time of corona

Mon Apr 13 14:36:51 PDT 2020

Lois

Like this very much about love (and also for students and teachers please, even if equivocal about the reference to ‘wealth’ – I presume this refers to the workers and not capital).

It feels very aligned with the NHS support here in UK, indeed (lots of weekly spoon-banging and clapping) – even while we discover that front line carers’ voices are being suppressed by their own management bureaucrats. Not so sure about “When this is past…”: as I see it, this won’t ever be quite ‘past’ – we will see what or who is “past” in a while.

Staffs in A&E/NHS wards who go public about lack of PPE are being suspended or threatened with suspension and a culture of fear being imposed – if they are fired they will have no special entitlement to anything but the paltry starvation support (here £95 p.w.)  for heaven’s sake. Some have even quit so they don’t face death working without proper kit.

We should be (many are)  incandescent with rage about our governments’ inaction, delay, and criminal carelessness  …

Julian

From: <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu> on behalf of Lois Holzman <lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org>
Reply-To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
Date: Monday, 13 April 2020 at 22:00
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>
Subject: [Xmca-l] Re: Love in the time of corona

Expanding on love, thanks to Alfredo's inquiry, I send this with permission from the Global Play Brigade.
Lois

Ode To Our Frontline Workers

Global Play Brigade, April 12, 2020

Co-created online and on the spot by performance activists in Nepal, Israel, the UK, Nicaragua, Greece, Mexico, Denmark, Pakistan, the US, Spain, Belgium, South Africa

To all of you who have come to take care of us

To all of you who keep fighting

We are in awe of your perseverance

What can we give you, what can we do, how can we express our love

We are here for you as you are there for us

You give of yourselves everything you can, we want to give of ourselves whatever we can

We are committed to keep giving to you even after the pandemic leaves us

We will work for the transformation that your gift deserves

When this is past, we will all recognize what labor is actually important

We will remember that frontline workers are not just in the hospitals

But all the jobs that have built and continue to build the wealth and conditions from which we all thrive

We will find you, we will see you, we will be there with you

You are forever in our hearts, in our minds, in our words, in our souls

You are the candle saving the light

Illuminating us in this dark moment

We will create power so you can have all that you need

to make this world equitable and decent for every human being

We thank you, as frontline cultural workers, we are here for you, to serve you

(And if you want to see it get created.<https://mail.google.com/mail/ca/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgxwHMjvLPmpfVjzgdSPxXNWHJcZC?projector=1>..

On Mon, Apr 13, 2020 at 3:59 PM Alfredo Jornet Gil <a.j.gil@ils.uio.no<mailto:a.j.gil@ils.uio.no>> wrote:
Really wonderful initiatives of retooling/stepping up virtual activity, very inspiring and helpful, Lois.

I was drawn by the “love” in your post’s subject, and then was looking for the term again in the body of your message, but could not find it. I thought then that “non-knowing growing” and the generating of “hope and possibility” was it. Thanks for sharing.

Interesting connection between your group’s therapeutic approach to the situation and recent characterizations of the current situation as a world-perezhivanie.
Alfredo
From: <xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca-l-bounces@mailman.ucsd.edu>> on behalf of Lois Holzman <lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org<mailto:lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org>>
Reply to: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>>
Date: Monday, 13 April 2020 at 18:56
To: "eXtended Mind, Culture, Activity" <xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu<mailto:xmca-l@mailman.ucsd.edu>>
Subject: [Xmca-l] Love in the time of corona

Hello All,

Following the lead of others, I'll jump in. While NYC and state are in serious crisis and all its cultural and economic conflicts even more glaring, the vibrancy and energy has not disappeared. It's just different.

As Vygotsky is purported to have said, "A revolution solves only those tasks raised by history..." History has thrown us a monster.

Different too are the forces working to shape this extraordinary historical moment. Much of that shaping by those who are in positions of political and economic, etc. authority—and the pandemic itself—are creating fear and despair, both for now and the future. At the same time, the shaping being done by so many thousands of people and organizations that inspire and organize people to exercise their power and creativity for connectedness are generating hope and possibility.
I feel that palpably all day long.

We in the global development community are re-tooling and/or stepping up our virtual activities, many of which involve play, performance and ensemble building, not to take people's minds off what's happening, but to involve them in some "non-knowing growing" and participation in creating positive responses to what's happening that have the possibility to continue to be transformative of individuals and communities. A few examples—
     establishing a Global Play Brigade working across borders of nation state, culture and economy (so far performance activists from about 40 countries involved)
     offering Creating Connection and Building Community <https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Play-Sessions-via-Zoom-Opened-Up--Free-online-social-gatherings.html?soid=1101246158194&aid=qweSrQdaUGo> free play sessions via Zoom, each one originating in a different part of the world (about 150 people per session so far)
     taking our Creating Our Mental Health conversation/workshop series national and international in a moment when people are realizing how they feel is not inside them, not merely socially produced and organized, but social in its potential transformativity
      taking All Stars Project programs for poor youth and their communities in NYC, NJ, Dallas, Chicago and the Bay Area virtual

If you're interested in any of this and more, let me know. And you can always check out the social media listed in my signature.

Stay safe,
Lois

--
Access my latest article—Why be Half-Human? How Play, Performance and Practical Philosophy Make Us Whole (written with Cathy Salit)—and read the rest of this marvelous book, Social Construction in Action<https://www.taosinstitute.net/product/social-construction-in-action-contributions-from-the-taos-institutes-25th-anniversary-conference>, which you can download for free!

Lois Holzman
Director, East Side Institute for Group & Short Term Psychotherapy
Chair, Global Outreach, All Stars Project, UX
Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Vygotskian Practice and Performance, Lloyd International Honors College at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Address: East Side Institute, Attn:Lois Holzman
119 West 23 St, suite 902
New York, NY 10011
Telephone  +1.212.941.8906 x324
Mobile 1-917-815-2664

lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org<mailto:lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org>
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Blogs
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Websites
Lois Holzman<http://loisholzman.org/> | East Side Institute<http://eastsideinstitute.org/> | Performing the World<http://www.performingtheworld.org/>
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<http://allstars.org/>

--
Access my latest article—Why be Half-Human? How Play, Performance and Practical Philosophy Make Us Whole (written with Cathy Salit)—and read the rest of this marvelous book, Social Construction in Action<https://www.taosinstitute.net/product/social-construction-in-action-contributions-from-the-taos-institutes-25th-anniversary-conference>, which you can download for free!

Lois Holzman
Director, East Side Institute for Group & Short Term Psychotherapy
Chair, Global Outreach, All Stars Project, UX
Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Vygotskian Practice and Performance, Lloyd International Honors College at The University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Address: East Side Institute, Attn:Lois Holzman
119 West 23 St, suite 902
New York, NY 10011
Telephone  +1.212.941.8906 x324
Mobile 1-917-815-2664

lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org<mailto:lholzman@eastsideinstitute.org>
Social Media
Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/lois.holzman.5> | LinkedIn<https://www.linkedin.com/in/lois-holzman-5bb0594/>| Twitter<https://twitter.com/LoisHolzman>
Blogs
Psychology Today<http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/conceptual-revolution>| Psychology of Becoming<http://loisholzman.org/> | Mad in America<http://www.madinamerica.com/author/lois/>
Websites
Lois Holzman<http://loisholzman.org/> | East Side Institute<http://eastsideinstitute.org/> | Performing the World<http://www.performingtheworld.org/>
All Stars Project
<http://allstars.org/>

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