[Marxism] The politics of mourning

["Jurriaan Bendien" <andromeda246@xxxxxxxxx>]

I'm not sure that a POLITICS of mourning is progressive in any sense,
particularly if one mourns for something that one never had anyway - because
mourning for what one didn't have in the past, isn't conducive to getting it
in the future. If for example you miss the rains in Africa, you should go to
Africa.

It's perfectly human though for a man to grieve because he feels his dreams
have been stolen, or a woman to grieve for the child that she did not have.
But surely dwelling on regrets is not conducive to resuming a constructive
life. More likely it involves reifying past mistakes.

I talked to Mum the other day, and she said, "when I die, you should play
"je ne regrette rien" by Edith Piaf", a song which expresses how she really
feels about her life, which was often by no means easy to live. Somehow she
shook off the losses and injuries, retained a positive, optimistic outlook,
made new friends, reached out to people, and is still well-liked by many.
Quite simply, she continues to love life.

Her experience continues to inspire me, particularly when I don't feel I
have a lot going for me in my life. It's not that I think things could be so
much worse - but that they could be so much better !!! Personally I don't
feel I can afford grief, I have to get on with things. Where there's a real
question, there's a real answer.

Jurriaan

Well I know how we tried
The millions of tears that we cried
Now we are hipper, we been thru the trip
And we can't be denied
With woman and man side by side
Make no mistake it's our future we're making
Bake the cake and eat it too!
We don't want no Big Brother scene!
Only people know just how to talk to people
Only people know just how to change the world
Only people realize the power of people
A million heads are better than one
So come on, get it on!

- "Only people", John Lennon


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