"It is very difficult to be a man. And what it involves, for me, anyway, is an ability to look at the world and to say what it is." —James Baldwin, born on this day.
This quote resonates particularly strongly for me at the moment, as I'm increasingly experiencing fears for the future that I don't know how to productively speak out loud in public.
Baldwin has always struck me as clinging simultaneously to despair and acceptance. This is the world, he says. How can we live in it? That's important today.
Ah! I just realized that I shortened that Baldwin quote to fit into 140 the first time I tweeted it, years ago. But I have 280 now. Hold on...
"It is very difficult to be a man. And what it involves, for me anyway, is an ability to look at the world, to look at whatever it is, and to say what it is, and to deal with it, to face it, even if it does mean laying down your life, and in a way it always does mean that."
That's the stuff.
