Halloween 2018 I called (unsuccessfully) for a zombie uprising on twitter. I didn’t find any fellow zombies that day, but saw something else happening: The declaration of Rebellion.
Excited (and since I couldn’t find any awakening zombies) I joined the rebels of XR, who resembled the spirit I was looking for. The poster series for the zombie uprising turned into a music video for XR and me into the person behind XR Germany’s twitter. One year later I lifted my eyes off the screen and my fingers off the keyboard and took time to reflect. And I am still processing. It was the first time I ever joined a movement. I got to know (in a very online way) many wonderful people and learned a lot. Two of the most important lessons being that there is no “beyond politics” and that change depends on collective action. The third important lesson is that joining the global struggle for climate & social justice does indeed feel like coming alive.
Sam Knights wrote two brilliant pieces (1. We Need To Talk About The Future, 2. The Climate Movement Must Be Ready To Challenge Rising Right-Wing Environmentalism) I relate to, regarding why I am not active with Extinction Rebellion anymore.
(WARNING: learning to come alive and work together, might be just as challenging with humans as it is with zombies, raised in a culture of braindead competition and consumption. Keep that in mind and try not to bite each other.)