NSays’ Post

Today in History: 7th November – A Journey Through TimeToday marks another chapter in the annals of time, resonating with echoes of events that have left an indelible mark on the tapestry of human history. Join us as we unravel the significance of 7th November and delve into the extraordinary occurrences that have shaped our world.https://https://lnkd.in/dr2WqEHT

A critically important commentary on our life and times!

🌍💪 Let's dive into the Solidarity Economy! An article from Fortunately features Francisco Pérez, a solidarity economy activist, educator, and researcher. In his conversation with Ciera Michele Peters and Mark Hernandez Motaghy, they discuss why artists and the solidarity economy are essential to each other. Pérez, former director of the Center for Popular Economics and now an assistant professor at the University of Utah, emphasizes the power of cooperation in the solidarity economy: "Each of you brings something, but together, you all bring something else that none of you individually could deliver." The solidarity economy thrives on our collective efforts, and Pérez illustrates this beautifully. Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gagyTfrA #SolidarityEconomy #EconomicJustice #ArtistsAndEconomy

In the historical trajectory of Taiwan, the February 28 Incident is a painful collective memory. Facing this history, we need to pursue the truth, remove the stains, and, after profound reflection, further seek reconciliation in society. As a legislator, I bear the responsibility of passing on this history. For the land of Chiayi, the February 28 Incident has left an especially profound impact. Many Taiwanese elites, such as the painter Chen Cheng-po and the benevolent doctor Pan Mu-chih, were innocently killed in this tragedy, representing a tremendous loss to Taiwanese society and culture. The report by former Control Yuan member Yang Liang-gong clearly stated: "Looking at the incidents across Taiwan Province, aside from Taipei, Chiayi was the most intense." This not only highlights Chiayi's special status in the event but also led to the establishment of Taiwan's first February 28 Memorial Monument, National Memorial Park, and Memorial Museum in Chiayi. "The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting." To combat forgetting, we must annually review and reflect to avoid the tragedy's recurrence and should commit to the work of transitional justice. As part of Taiwan, we should all actively participate in this process, proving through our actions that the scars of history can be transformed into a force for pushing social progress. Just as in Mr. Chen Cheng-po's works during his lifetime, where he not only showcased the beauty of Taiwan's local customs and people, but also embodied the innovative spirit of embracing both tradition and modernity, our desire for beauty and harmony should not only resonate with the social values we pursue today, but also represent a firm commitment to a vision of future peace. Through commemorating February 28, we are working together for a more just, harmonious, and progressive society, hoping never to repeat or forget such historical scars.

Here's a sneak peak from Cardus’s newsletter for Christian pastors and leaders, Times Like These this week. Sign up here: https://lnkd.in/eVYmqF_V Deacon's Dispatch Do you notice how everything today seems to by hyper-politicized? Apart from the traditional fora for ideological debates, including Parliament, legislatures, and the media, I find that there is increasing pressure to plant your ideological flag in many social interactions. Even the parishioners at the church in Ottawa where I serve evince an occasional interest in what my political (or Political) views are. I exercise demureness, but it is often quite exhausting. With this in mind, I spoke sometime ago to a group of Christian parliamentary interns and asked them whether their party was a vanguard for the Gospel in Canada. They all said no, which was a relief. Yet, today's 24-7 news cycle and the ever-present opinions of social media's political commentators and pundits (Christian and otherwise) and the accompanying influence of our neighbours to the south exercise powerful influences on our ideas. It can be hard to resist this politicization of even the most daily of human interactions in the workplace, the school, the university, or the neighbourhood coffee klatch that are abuzz with these influences. The people that sit in the pews are struggling to filter these voices and weigh them against the truth of the Gospel. How can pastors help them in this struggle? How can we help Canadian Christians distinguish between an ordered and a disordered politics? This is a topic I find I grapple with a lot and I hear other Christian leaders say the same. What has been your experience? How do you guide your people in their political lives? I would welcome your feedback.

This week's article features more analysis of perceptions of Pierre Poilievre and potential lines of attack. If you haven't yet, plz subscribe! https://lnkd.in/gfC45YvC

If you were to ask me to tell you a story about these planetary moments of loss, of genocidal clearings, of migrant griefs, insufficient justice, and incarcerated activisms, I would probably tell you a story of 'embarkation' - a story that harks back to the periods of transatlantic slave thefts, and still whispers today how we are all being carried away, how we are being spirited away from settlement. A persistent trope in my stories is how we are becoming unsettled, how new carceral vessels have come to the shores of the modern - and how the exploration of ruptures within sealed spaces, openings within closures, offers a generative vision of politics desperately needed in these interesting times. In other words, white modernity is coming undone, hollowing out. This is both tragic and potentially liberatory. How do we convene new materialities of care where we fall? What does it mean to be responsive to a world that exceeds our notions of justice, choice, agency, solidarity, and wellbeing? In this public lecture, holding at the Saint James Place (Great Barrington, Massachusetts) on July 6, from 1:30pm, I will explore why I think radically different political gestures are needed to address the impasses of today's crises, why the myth of choice in an electoral year obscures the ways our bodies are held by forces that exceed freedom, and why sensuous solidarities as co-experimentations in the field of the unthought are potential ways of navigating the stuckness of politics. The Yoruba people say, "In order to find your way, you must become lost." And Edouard Glissant suggests that maybe it is the road - and not the traveler - that knows the way. Join us at this pre-carnival lecture. Register: https://lnkd.in/gxt-CMJq Bayo Akomolafe WEB DuBois Scholar in Residence for Trans-public Intellectualism, Schumacher Center for a New Economics (MA/USA)

Next in a series of posts for #blackhistorymonth. The "Lost Cause" myth still permeates today. The Lost Cause myth emerged in the aftermath of the American Civil War, primarily in the Southern states, as a narrative seeking to reinterpret the conflict and its outcomes. Central to this myth was the portrayal of the Confederacy as a noble and just cause, emphasizing states’ rights and downplaying the role of slavery as the primary catalyst for secession and war. The proponents of the Lost Cause myth sought to romanticize the antebellum South and its social order, depicting it as a virtuous society defending its way of life against Northern aggression. One key element of the Lost Cause narrative was the portrayal of Confederate leaders, such as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, as noble and honorable figures fighting against overwhelming odds. Their military prowess and supposed commitment to states’ rights were celebrated, often overshadowing the moral complexities of their cause. Additionally, the Lost Cause myth aimed to diminish the significance of slavery in the Southern economy and society, portraying it as a benign institution and suggesting that the war was fought over abstract principles of sovereignty rather than the preservation of human bondage. The Lost Cause myth exerted a profound influence on Southern culture and memory, shaping public discourse, historical interpretations, and even monument-building efforts well into the 20th century. Its enduring legacy perpetuated a distorted understanding of the Civil War, impeding reconciliation and obscuring the systemic injustices that underpinned the Southern way of life. While modern historians have thoroughly debunked many aspects of the Lost Cause narrative, its echoes persist in certain circles, highlighting the enduring power of myth and memory in shaping collective identities and historical narratives.

Liberaldom or liberalism? Do we have far too much of the former and not enough if the latter? What's the difference? It's how we live and act and talk in relation to others. Without liberalism we risk a slide into various forms of semi-democratic and snti- democratic life and attitudes. That might be ik for you if you are tge ones with power....but, what type of society would that be...and if you lack power...? So let's seek to return liberalism as a way of life to the benefit of all.

Read my review of “Things That Matter: Three Decades of Passions, Pastimes and Politics”, by Charles Krauthammer