Sometimes you read things right when you are meant to.

After taking some time to reflect on the election results, I struggled with inertia. Several thoughts of Are family and friends, okay? What can I do? Not this, again. Everything was at a standstill and there was no gas in my personal tank.

What’s helped so far:

  • Taking stock of how I feel and allowing myself to sit uncomfortably with it for a minute and let it pass.
  • Limiting the intake of news and social media
  • Extra animal time- I have two cats and two dogs. I have increased my time with them as a reminder to be in the present.
  • Remembering I am not alone

I found comfort in reading Mike Gaetani’s Q&A with Eric Klinenberg about the book Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life. The book discusses social infrastructure and helps readers identify and evaluate local institutions that help shape a community. The institutions are comprised of public spaces such as public libraries and parks. Klinenberg mentions that during his book tour he discovers how each community possesses a unique social infrastructure.  He highlights how some cities understand “a modest increase in local taxes produces a massive public benefit” because “libraries have become a critical part of the safety net, the educational system, and the local democracy” (Gaetani, 2018). Investing in libraries benefits everyone by providing a space that promotes social inclusion and equitable access to information. What I found interesting was Klinenberg’s response to why some cities fail to invest in libraries, “I think it’s because too many cities are led by people who don’t recognize the enduring value of libraries. Too many American elites – in policy, business, and philanthropy- see them as luxuries, rather than critical social infrastructures” (Gaetani, 2018).  Libraries are often seen as a place that houses books. Libraries are much more than that. They help bridge the social gap by providing communities with equitable access to technology, information, social events, and local resources.

Klinenberg’s book was written during the first Trump presidency. I very much relate to Klienenberg’s statement “today it feels like the house is on fire and there’s not much point in doing anything other than trying to put it out” (Gaetani, 2018).

via GIPHY

In skimming some of the pages in Klinenberg’s book, I stumbled upon this quote:

“What we need, now more than ever, is an inclusive conversation about the kinds of infrastructure—physical as well as social—that would best serve, sustain, and protect us (Klinenberg, 2018).”

After we take a moment for self care and check in on people, it’s time we start talking.

 

References:

Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences. (2018, November 11). Q&A with Eric Klinenberg. https://casbs.stanford.edu/news/qa-eric-klinenberg

Klinenberg, E. (2018). Palaces for the People: How Social Infrastructure Can Help Fight Inequality, Polarization, and the Decline of Civic Life (First Edition). Crown.