Manifesto: The Mad Farmer Liberation Front by Wendell Berry

Posted on by gracesmuggler
Red fox walking on a snowy road. Public domain.

Love the quick profit, the annual raise,
vacation with pay. Want more
of everything ready-made. Be afraid
to know your neighbors and to die.
And you will have a window in your head.
Not even your future will be a mystery
any more. Your mind will be punched in a card
and shut away in a little drawer.
When they want you to buy something
they will call you. When they want you
to die for profit they will let you know.

So, friends, every day do something
that won’t compute. Love the Lord.
Love the world. Work for nothing.
Take all that you have and be poor.
Love someone who does not deserve it.
Denounce the government and embrace
the flag. Hope to live in that free
republic for which it stands.
Give your approval to all you cannot
understand. Praise ignorance, for what man
has not encountered he has not destroyed.

Ask the questions that have no answers.
Invest in the millenium. Plant sequoias.
Say that your main crop is the forest
that you did not plant,
that you will not live to harvest.
Say that the leaves are harvested
when they have rotted into the mold.
Call that profit. Prophesy such returns.

Put your faith in the two inches of humus
that will build under the trees
every thousand years.
Listen to carrion – put your ear
close, and hear the faint chattering
of the songs that are to come.
Expect the end of the world. Laugh.
Laughter is immeasurable. Be joyful
though you have considered all the facts.
So long as women do not go cheap
for power, please women more than men.
Ask yourself: Will this satisfy
a woman satisfied to bear a child?
Will this disturb the sleep
of a woman near to giving birth?

Go with your love to the fields.
Lie down in the shade. Rest your head
in her lap. Swear allegiance
to what is nighest your thoughts.
As soon as the generals and the politicos
can predict the motions of your mind,
lose it. Leave it as a sign
to mark the false trail, the way
you didn’t go. Be like the fox
who makes more tracks than necessary,
some in the wrong direction.
Practice resurrection.

Health Equity (And All Equities) Won’t Get Better On Their Own

Posted on by gracesmuggler
 Figure 3 from The Misperception of Racial Economic Inequality by Michael Kraus et. al. Underestimates of the Black–White wealth gap from 1963 to 2016. Each of the small colored dots represents one respondent’s estimate. The large black dots represent mean respondent estimates of Black wealth when White wealth is set to $100. The diamonds represent the actual median Black wealth when White wealth is set to $100, calculated using federal data from the Survey of Consumer Finances (Bricker et al., 2017). Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals around the mean estimates.

I recently attended a lecture at the University of Michigan by Dr. Michael Kraus, a Professor at Northwestern University, titled The Narrative of Racial Progress. His research challenges how we understand progress, and how our assumptions about progress can work against actual change.

One powerful part of the lecture involved a question Dr. Kraus asks his research subjects: “In the United States, if an average white family has $100 in wealth, how much does the average Black family have?” He asks participants to estimate this answer across various years in our history and to project it into the future. The answers are revealing.

As Dr. Kraus shared, every U.S. racial and ethnic group overestimates the level of racial wealth equality in our country, but white Americans overestimate it the most. The truth is stark: from 1963 to the present day, the average wealth of Black families has hovered around $8 for every $100 held by white families. The number has moved slightly up or down, but it has never moved steadily upward as we might hope.

This gap between perception and reality speaks volumes. Many of us have internalized the belief that racial progress is natural—that it simply happens as time goes on. But Dr. Kraus challenged this narrative directly. He asked, “If you expect that progress happens naturally, why would you think policies are needed to increase equity?”

It’s a sobering reminder that the story we tell ourselves about progress is often a comforting one, but it isn’t necessarily true. Progress doesn’t happen without effort, and without policies and community-driven action, inequities persist or even worsen.

This connects directly to the work we do at the Epilepsy Foundation of Michigan and within our national Epilepsy Foundation network. We are continually seeking to understand the data and personal experiences around health inequities, so we can close these gaps and build health equity. If the average Black household holds only 8-10% of the wealth of the average white household, is it any wonder that these inequities echo across our health systems, education systems, and social services? Wealth shapes access to care, stability, and opportunities, and disparities in wealth contribute to disparities in health outcomes.

Dr. Kraus’s lecture was a crucial reminder: Equity, whether in health or economics, will not improve on its own. It requires foresight, intention, research, and tangible action. We can’t afford to be passive; progress demands our active participation.

The disparities we face today weren’t created by chance, and they won’t be dismantled by chance either. It will take all of us, committed to recognizing inequities, understanding their roots, and working intentionally to create a fairer future.

Reference: The Misperception of Racial Economic Inequality by Michael W. Kraus, Ivuoma N. Onyeador, Natalie M. Daumeyer, Julian M. Rucker, Jennifer A. Richeson.

— Renee Roederer

Mental Health Monday: Whatever You’re Feeling, Don’t Feel It Alone

Posted on by gracesmuggler
People with their arms locked around each other. Public domain.

I’ve been feeling election anxiety.

I know I’m not alone in this. I’m thinking of you, too — all people who will read this. I know some of you by name; others will just stumble upon this post. I am thinking of all of us and each of us.

It’s a physical anxiety I feel, one that is somehow present and up-to-date, and one that feels old, connected to the past. Time is co-mingling. I’m sure I’m not alone in this either. This kind of anxiety used to be a hallmark in my physiology, but it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this.

It’s not buckling me over. Daily life is still happening. And I’m finding things to delight in, just like typical me. But I feel this. This election is too close for me to be comfortable, especially with so much at stake. Between you and me, I actually think Kamala Harris will win. But I don’t know that. And I wish I could know that. And even if she does win, I think conditions on the ground and in some people’s hearts are dangerous. At a rally, Donald Trump recently said, “I am your retribution!” Why wouldn’t some of those people choose to be his retribution? Especially when we’ve seen them do it before?

Things feel unpredictable.

So I’ll share this: I am connected to an incredible community called Farm Church in Durham, North Carolina. I appreciate something that those community members often say to each other: “Whatever you’re feeling, don’t feel it alone.”

I think that’s a good message for a Mental Health Monday. Whatever you’re feeling, don’t feel it alone. Thanks for reading my feelings this morning. I hope you feel less alone in yours too.

— Renee Roederer

Marking Time Apart

Posted on by gracesmuggler
Mini Blueberry Muffins. Public domain image.

Lately, every Friday morning, I start my day the same way. Before I do anything else, I settle in to watch the newest episode of The Great British Baking Show, with a cup of coffee and a baked treat I’ve saved just for this. Today it was a warm apple doughnut with pumpkin ice cream. It makes Fridays feel different.

There’s something helpful about marking time apart and creating a moment that stands outside the usual routine. Whether it’s a favorite show, a weekly walk, or an hour for a hobby, these moments remind us that not everything has to be about productivity. They can simply be about enjoyment.

Today, I invite you to mark some time apart with a small ritual that lets you breathe a little more deeply, something that makes a moment feel different and outside of that race for productivity.

For me, it’s coffee, a treat, and The Great British Baking Show. It’s pastry week!

— Renee Roederer