Blind Field publication
Hi friends, I'm writing to share an essay I wrote that Blind Field published last week: All Good Trouble is Trouble.
I wrote this over the last few months after a lot of thinking about what it takes to change and what it takes to act, including a lot of frustrated thoughts about our analytic and moralizing attempts at inspiring action. The seeds of this essay were planted after a lot of discussions with friends and family and colleagues about what a "libidinal left" might mean, but they really came together after reading Dr. Saketopoulou's article on the death drive.
Now about two million people in Gaza are at imminent risk of dying from starvation. I'm full of a horrible dread and grief because of what news we will get over the next few weeks regarding their lives, and because of the dozens of people that are killed by Israeli soldiers every day while they look for food.
It couldn't be clearer now that no more analysis is needed. What we need is courage and fight. I wrote this essay because I am trying to figure out how we find it, together. Desperation & grief at this horror are rooting into us (even if we resist them). We should invite them in, feel our way towards them, & identify what it is they are motivating us to do. I think they lead us to courage, rage, & the kind of sacred care for life which gives our bodies the best ideas for what to do next. I hope we can save as many people as possible. It is awful that it's too late for so many. But we don't have to fail everyone. There are so many precious lives we could act to save and care for.
I end the article with a summary of a discussion I listened to on this Death Panel episode, and I'll reference it here: we should be planting the seeds of care and resistance like we are gardening in Gaza. Not because we are sure of a positive outcome, but because to plant is to live, and it's the only path towards ongoing living.
Here's the essay link again: https://blindfieldjournal.com/2025/07/17/all-good-trouble-is-trouble/
Sending love and care. -Monica
