Sean’s Blog

So I’m sitting in my office/studio in the middle of the night working on a paper and got blog announcements from Erin and Shawn. They seem like good company to be in so I’m writing one, too. Yeah, maybe I’m just jocking them, but isn’t that how anarchists usually take collective action?

I’m not going to be all political, though. I’ve been into a kind of personal/spiritual thing lately, mostly brought on by breaking up with Irina and by my little sister having a baby. I’ve been listening to alot of Coltrane (John and Alice) and thinking about how humans build relationships with each other and with the universe and what that says about the nature of love. I’ve also been tripping on what it is I want out of romantic relationships and why. And the politics of all that.

A couple of weeks ago Irina and I went to a group discussion on love and social justice work at SAJE. I got to be in a breakout group with Antonia Darder. It was the first time I’ve met her, something I’ve wanted to do ever since I saw the cover of her book Pedagogy of Love. There also was a really great panel discussion. Here are my notes from that night. They seem like a good first posting.

Love=Work Love is a verb

Love=God=Giving Life —– Love is not anti-intellectual, it transcends the intellectual.

I am you (yes, that means we are G.W. Bush)

Love is antidote to internalized oppression (think about jealousies and infighting amongst social justice workers)

Love is connected to hurting and being hurt

Love can become corruption

Loving the oppressor means destroying the institutions of oppression - ending racism would free my racist family members from being racist, ending sexism would free men from having to act hard

Private lives and social lives divorced from each other are a breakdown of love (love=unity/synergy)

Love is listening (not based on expectations) and correcting (dialogue)

Praxis of Love - Unity of action and inward journey

Love is key to working with youth

love = humility = accountability amongst loved ones

love is the opposite of accountability

love creates space for grief

love is a corporeal sense

love is across centuries (the social justice struggle is ancient)

Languages of love:
solidarity
integrity
healing/safety
peace
humanization

Naming love stifles it

Love is sacred and profane

Love is accepting the profane humanity of others, that it is human to act inhumane