This is beautiful. You've articulated so many things I haven't been able to say or write. I oscillate between that "fuck it all" mentality and the "I have to write because it's the only thing I CAN do right now." It is beyond helpful though when writers DO write something that touches someone else. Even if it's just a "yeah, me too" or "yes, I relate." That's a lot of why I write because it's so damn lonely being a human being these days. Sometimes all we need to know is that we're not alone in feeling all the feelings. Thank you so much for being willing to share your gifts with us.
I have been reading many pieces about whether or not it's selfish to create art and take time for self-care in the midst of global tragedy ... and this one is my favorite of them all. It sums up the complexity of the ways we might respond to this question in any given moment and inspires ...
Thank you. I cannot find the words to explain why this article about the war and suffering in Gaza is helpful to me, as a person and as a writer, but I can say that I fel less alone. Thank you for writing this difficult thing.
Thanks for making some sense out of the mess Sonal. I think if we are living in a situation where we can make choices, have the security of living without fear, then we need to live/write/create as fully as our personal bandwidth can handle…without guilt. And yes, doing all the things we can do to push towards the big things…peace, compassion, inclusion.
“for writers, writing is the thing that connects us back to ourselves. It’s the creative expression that grounds us, that centres us, that feeds our soul. It returns us to ourselves. And we need that to get through the worst of times.” Thank you, Sonal! This really hits. I struggle between “it’s too self-indulgent” and “I don’t have time” -- neither of which is actually true. I write to discover fragments of truth and wisdom, and to show up as my best self when I leave my desk. I write, humbled by beauty, for those rare moments when words come to express my awe. To appreciate the world in all its wonder. It may sound abstract but beauty and love are “what we’ve got.”
This touched my writer’s heart and mind in all the right ways today. Thank you so much for expressing the whole spectrum of awfulness and the tiny magic of art all in one passionate essay.
Fuck It All's dilemma is a subset of a larger existential question, which is "why do anything at all beyond what is needed for basic survival?" I think the key to this is (1) we are each born into circumstances over which we had no control and then (2) as we mature we learn how to use or modify those circumstances to both survive and in some mostly small ways have a positive influence on our immediate environment. And that is actually asking a lot of a person, as their birth circumstances, even if physically comfortable, are not necessarily great and may require some personal effort to improve before much else can be done. And then it is difficult to extend oneself to others, but we do, or at least we can.
So writers will ask, "why write?" But your audience has the same issue, which would be expressed as "why read?" Both groups can feel guilty doing what they do with the world being as it is today. But the world has always had great problems, and we are not yet at a state of existence that even is close to what happened in the 1930s and 1940s (the Great Depressions and WWII), and I'd argue (from a US perspective) we aren't yet at the 1960s and 1970s with its political assassinations, riots and the Vietnam war. And yet in both eras art was still created and consumed, because it was needed. And it still is.
The immediacy of today's news can overwhelm a writer's ability to be creative, I understands that. But please keep in mind that there's a balance in the world between good and bad, and writers (and all artists) can help move the balance. A little. And that's a lot.
I'm so glad you wrote all those drafts and then sat with what felt true and continued feeling into it all to come up with this one, Sonal. Like so many, I've been wrestling with this exact question in my heart, along with some grief around family suffering on top of it all. I feel like the depth and truth you touch here gave me space to breathe, and, hopefully, reason to carry on writing. <3 Thank you.
Wise words! I absolutely agree with everything you've said, and let's be honest--you said A LOT!😂 I think that some folks would benefit from fun art right now. Read a fluffy, completely unrealistic beach book. Watch a Hallmark Christmas movie. Write something hilarious and life-affirming! Re-read or re-watch something that always brings you comfort. Eat treats. Have a laugh with someone irreverent and silly. Humor is the best medicine, with happy-ending fantasy a close second. RE-SET your brain!
This is beautiful. You've articulated so many things I haven't been able to say or write. I oscillate between that "fuck it all" mentality and the "I have to write because it's the only thing I CAN do right now." It is beyond helpful though when writers DO write something that touches someone else. Even if it's just a "yeah, me too" or "yes, I relate." That's a lot of why I write because it's so damn lonely being a human being these days. Sometimes all we need to know is that we're not alone in feeling all the feelings. Thank you so much for being willing to share your gifts with us.
I have been reading many pieces about whether or not it's selfish to create art and take time for self-care in the midst of global tragedy ... and this one is my favorite of them all. It sums up the complexity of the ways we might respond to this question in any given moment and inspires ...
Thank you. I cannot find the words to explain why this article about the war and suffering in Gaza is helpful to me, as a person and as a writer, but I can say that I fel less alone. Thank you for writing this difficult thing.
Thanks for making some sense out of the mess Sonal. I think if we are living in a situation where we can make choices, have the security of living without fear, then we need to live/write/create as fully as our personal bandwidth can handle…without guilt. And yes, doing all the things we can do to push towards the big things…peace, compassion, inclusion.
“for writers, writing is the thing that connects us back to ourselves. It’s the creative expression that grounds us, that centres us, that feeds our soul. It returns us to ourselves. And we need that to get through the worst of times.” Thank you, Sonal! This really hits. I struggle between “it’s too self-indulgent” and “I don’t have time” -- neither of which is actually true. I write to discover fragments of truth and wisdom, and to show up as my best self when I leave my desk. I write, humbled by beauty, for those rare moments when words come to express my awe. To appreciate the world in all its wonder. It may sound abstract but beauty and love are “what we’ve got.”
Dear Sonal,
This touched my writer’s heart and mind in all the right ways today. Thank you so much for expressing the whole spectrum of awfulness and the tiny magic of art all in one passionate essay.
It helps. Truly. Thank you.
Fuck It All's dilemma is a subset of a larger existential question, which is "why do anything at all beyond what is needed for basic survival?" I think the key to this is (1) we are each born into circumstances over which we had no control and then (2) as we mature we learn how to use or modify those circumstances to both survive and in some mostly small ways have a positive influence on our immediate environment. And that is actually asking a lot of a person, as their birth circumstances, even if physically comfortable, are not necessarily great and may require some personal effort to improve before much else can be done. And then it is difficult to extend oneself to others, but we do, or at least we can.
So writers will ask, "why write?" But your audience has the same issue, which would be expressed as "why read?" Both groups can feel guilty doing what they do with the world being as it is today. But the world has always had great problems, and we are not yet at a state of existence that even is close to what happened in the 1930s and 1940s (the Great Depressions and WWII), and I'd argue (from a US perspective) we aren't yet at the 1960s and 1970s with its political assassinations, riots and the Vietnam war. And yet in both eras art was still created and consumed, because it was needed. And it still is.
The immediacy of today's news can overwhelm a writer's ability to be creative, I understands that. But please keep in mind that there's a balance in the world between good and bad, and writers (and all artists) can help move the balance. A little. And that's a lot.
Thank you for this honest, empathetic, and encouraging take on writing through difficult times.
Thank you for sharing how you thought through the answers you wanted to give. “It’s what we’ve got.” Yes.
I'm so glad you wrote all those drafts and then sat with what felt true and continued feeling into it all to come up with this one, Sonal. Like so many, I've been wrestling with this exact question in my heart, along with some grief around family suffering on top of it all. I feel like the depth and truth you touch here gave me space to breathe, and, hopefully, reason to carry on writing. <3 Thank you.
Make of this what you will. This is where I am in my space in this moment.
MERCY
Gentle hands release,
A sparrow freed from the snare—
Mercy's first whisper.
Storm's rage quiets down,
Leaves brush the ground, still once more—
Mercy's soft respite.
Bread shared with the poor,
A hungry night now at peace—
Mercy's warm embrace.
Words of harshness fade,
A tender apology—
Mercy's healing balm.
A soldier lowers
His weapon, eyes brimming tears—
Mercy's silent plea.
Rival nations speak,
A white flag on the horizon—
Mercy's dawn breaks forth.
A judge's gavel rests,
Forgiveness trumps the sentence—
Mercy's justice reigns.
Angry mobs disperse,
A lone figure walks unscathed—
Mercy's shield holds strong.
A child's simple hug,
Melts the bitterness of years—
Mercy's purest form.
Candles light the dark,
A vigil for the lost souls—
Mercy's final grace.
"Make that magic." Yes, indeed.
Wise words! I absolutely agree with everything you've said, and let's be honest--you said A LOT!😂 I think that some folks would benefit from fun art right now. Read a fluffy, completely unrealistic beach book. Watch a Hallmark Christmas movie. Write something hilarious and life-affirming! Re-read or re-watch something that always brings you comfort. Eat treats. Have a laugh with someone irreverent and silly. Humor is the best medicine, with happy-ending fantasy a close second. RE-SET your brain!