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We are more equipped than we know

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January 30, 2017

A message from Sarah Jones, Tony award-winning playwright and performer and Thousand Currents supporter

I’ve been reflecting recently (and probably will for the next few years) on how each one of us is a container, large and resilient enough to hold the full range of human experiences—from celebration, joy and compassion to bewilderment, outrage and grief.

And even when it feels like the container might overflow with the messy imperfection of so many contradictory experiences at once, we are equipped to take care of ourselves and our communities, and to resist inhumanity in all its forms.

For me, part of that resistance is clinging stubbornly and even unreasonably to my faith in humanity for the long term, in the MLK spirit that “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” This, while fighting with a sense of urgency for justice right here, right now.

The other part is not trying to do it alone. I know in the past I’ve prided myself on total self-reliance (hello, one woman show…) but at a moment when our collective problems appear more daunting and, er, bigly, than ever, my only hope for maximum effectiveness is to be part of the collective solution.

Being part of the collective solutions means not only doing my work, but also self-care, resting as needed, and plugging into all the healthy love available. And that includes sharing these thoughts with you in spite of my fear of oversharing. As my character Rashid (rapper and sometime philosopher) likes to remind me, “vulnerability is the new strength, son!”

So this is part of my attempt at doing what I can to #MAHA (Make America Humane…At last) and I look forward to working beside Thousand Currents, its brave partners around the world, and others who are also committed to truth, beauty, and connection as the antidotes to fear-mongering, greed, and alienation from ourselves and others.

Wishing you an ever-expanding container filled with hope, courage, and possibility even in the face of unpresid… oops I mean, unprecedented challenges.

In solidarity,

Sarah