All my life I’ve been met with skepticism when attempting to discuss my ideas. I’ve learned to not talk about my personal creations until I can reveal them in their fullness. In coming to understand the tenets of Abolition, and the movement to restructure the allocation of our resources so as to create a more whole, loving society, I find that I meet a similar skepticism as I imagine aloud the possibilities of such a society so vastly different from our own.
Abolitionist writers like Ruha Benjamin, Ruth Wilson Gilmore, Alex S. Vitale, Marc Lamont Hill, Angela Davis, Miriame Kaba, and so many others place their fingers on the beating pulse of an unjust system, and imagine a world that is not radical- rather, it coincides more accurately with the morals we hold up as our own: empathy, respect, peace. Some of the fiercest danger comes from our ignorance to see and understand what is happening, that in our neglect we perpetuate the ongoing cycle of trauma. The harm and violence are felt by all, though differently depending on where you are standing.
The difference between Abolitionist theory and our current system of values is that our culture also places a high premium on individualism, on property ownership, on “climbing a ladder” and “getting to the top.” These stories I’ve been told since I was a child don’t hold up against the experience I’ve had, and the lessons I’ve learned. I firmly believe that people are not separate as we think we are. Striving only for my own betterment blinds me to the greater truth that I don’t exist without everyone else around me, and that my every action is dictated in some way by others.
To whatever degree that competition is approved, inherently diminished is the value of cooperation to the same degree. When zero sum goals such as earning capital are the top priority, we forget that our true value is more accurately tied to how we help others, not how well we have done for ourselves. The world that I imagine begins with casting a light upon that which we don’t understand. The fear that comes from being told a story that says we are alone in this world scurries like a pack of roaches as we illuminate our minds to the truth. The truth I’m talking about: that most of us have much more in common with the victims of history than we do with those who’ve been privileged enough to tell it.
A new system is in the process of being woven that places the majority value on community, loving one another, mutual aid, and filling the dark spaces with light. To give money in an attempt to help groups of suffering people is called philanthropy, and is a band-aid over an infected wound treated by a doctor who profits from our extended ailment. To rearrange the policy, to put new people into the same positions without changing the system, this is called reform, and as things are constantly reformed they’ve proven to crystallize into a firmer defense against the very people asking for and demanding leniency and liberation.
To see when someone suffers, and to seek not only to help them, but to end the source of their suffering, this is love. This is our goal.
A system that allows for food deserts, health care and education impoverishment, and methods like cash bail which allows the state to hold poor people regardless of their guilt or innocence (and we mustn’t forget the inhumane conditions in which millions of people in prison, including migrants, are held captive) is not up to the standard I was raised to expect from our country.
A manifestation of the level of empathy, intentional communication, and action toward restorative justice that is required to change this system is the very product that we are looking to achieve on the other side. This is why I believe in Abolition, and I believe in Abolitionist Parenting. At the heart of it, Abolitionism is love. It is understanding, and looking beneath the surface level effects of the thing. Abolitionism looks at the root causes of harm.
Let’s believe in a better future, even when we are told it is impossible. Let us remind one another that a more wholesome world is available. It exists, if vaguely, in my mind, and it is clearer in the minds of others. We don’t need everyone to get on board, just most people, to agree that we ought to create something made of compassion, belief, and understanding. We need artists, scholars, philosophers, and children to push us through the ceiling of perception and move us into a greater tomorrow.
The world we are looking for is literally more beautiful than we can imagine. But let’s try.
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