I'm learning and here are some seeds, interesting things I've found, etc.
6.26.23
I'm about halfway through Fat and Queer: An Anthology of Queer and Trans Bodies and Lives. Its accessible and hitting me hard. Worth the wait.
6.24.23
2/24 hours into The Dawn of Everything. Its still an interesting listen but I'm trying not to burn myself out.
I want to make a Solarpunk link aggregator (think like newshacker) as I want something a little social but not a full blown forum to run. I am looking at Postmill but how many people will want to make a new account for yet another service? A big thing will be if r/solarpunk returns or if they make a new community elsewhere (or not).
I failed at reading the Communist Manifesto both text and as a graphic novel version. I had a better time with Marxism: A Graphic History which explained a lot of concepts in an accessible manner.
Next up is Fat and Queer: An Anthology of Queer and Trans Bodies and Lives, which I have been trying to get from my library for years.
6.21.23 part 2
The day is over. I listened to about 1 hour out of 24 of The Dawn of Everything by David Wengrow, David Graeber with Mark Williams (Narrator). It feels like what I've been looking for for awhile. A genuine deep dive into human nature without being reductive (as much as possible). I want to take it slow and not burn myself out but its exciting.
Cool Stuff:
6.21.23
I was trying to create a manifesto. Something to get across the idea of what I want from this space. I would like to connect with like minded individuals, swap ideas, share information, etc.
That said I was staring at a blank page. I have a very vague idea of what I want but at the same time...
As I was trying to solidify my thoughts I kept thinking about the root of Solarpunk. Most solarpunks/adjacent folk I respect emphasize community. They are often extroverted neurotypical folk. Likeable people.
I am not. I've never been able to have a large group of friends, or even a small group. Most normal folk find me cringey or off in real person. I've often been alone, or on the fringes of a community often missing THE DRAMA. Shoot I just discovered Yesterweb is mostly closed as I didn't live on the discord. I can't do discord or the bulk of social media. They are not accesible for my brain. It years for things like ye old forum/personal blog culture. Its slower.
As much as I like the idea of Solarpunk, when I think of a Solarpunk I and others like me can live its hard to find in the many resources. Most are much more aimed at conventional people. Which is most useful, but not to me. And this is my site.
So while I don't have everything ironed out, I want to try to focus on stuff that could work for a person like me. And adjacent who think Solarpunk is cool but then have a hard time seeing themself in the aesthetic/incorporating it into their life.
Related:
6.20.23
I was listening to a random episode of Doomer Optomism. The guest was John Michael Greer, he explained succintly his paper, How Civilizations Fall: A Theory of Catabolic Collapse. Its about the collapse of society. Of the slow decline versus bombastic apocalypses that media shows us. The resilience of small communities versus empires. It was a weirdly hopeful, about the small acts of community that build up. I recommend giving it a listen if you are feeling anxious about the future. Its not all of the answers, but no one person has those.
Now I'm falling into a deep dive of his work, which seem to be some books and posts.