I woke up, and the world was burning. Everywhere. Everything.
And there was no way to put out all the flames. Nor a belief that I really ought to. Because some fires are therapeutic, like a fever burns out an invading virus.
And some infernos can be a long time coming.
About 10 or 15 years ago, it was all the rage to talk about “drama.” And to denigrate it. Condemn it as something that’s always a bad thing. Unwelcome. Unwarranted.
Dramatic.
A few years back, that fell out of favor. “Drama is a word that’s used to silence people,” I was told. “To tell them that their concerns are a nuisance and that however they struggle to be heard is annoying background noise.”
“Don’t look over there,” the word drama says. “That’s only drama.”
Not despair. Pain. Damage. Not any of the more troubling realities.
It’s only drama. Nothing to see here, folks.
Further, it was said, the word was used a lot particularly to dismiss women’s concerns.
And I saw the point. I found that most of the time, if I were tempted to say that a person caused drama, it was easy just to not say that. And if it were important to point that out, you could just say “disruption” instead.
Because that was really the issue, for problems that irked me. The issue wasn’t that they were dramatic, it’s that certain behavior was disruptive. (For example, whisper campaigns, vendettas, social media wars, etc.)
And honestly… that was always the point. Whether you’re talking about petty interpersonal vendettas — or _drama — _or organized attempts to right unconscionable wrongs.
The point was always to be disruptive. To upset the status quo. Effect change.
I woke up, and the world was burning. Or maybe it’s been burning all along but it was easier to not notice.