The horrors persist, but we must remain silly.

There’s not a cute way to say this:

I feel isolated.

As a producer for TED Talks, I spend my life trying to combat the terrors of the internet and beyond by producing content that neutralizes misinformation and platforms ideas that can change everything. I travel the world and have relationships in every time zone.

So why am I still so angry and frustrated? And lonely?

(hi hello yes I’m being very vulnerable on the internet rn, buckle up)

There’s plenty of explanations for this. Social media, globalization, nationalism, the very possible death of democracy, etc. Clearly I have more personal inner work to do, but I know I can’t be the only one who feels like this.

Not in the world, not in the US, not in Tennessee, not even on my block in East Nashville. 

It’s cringe to call yourself an empath, but I have a lot of feelings lol. I feel deeply for anyone who shares their story. And if you’re like me, boiling over with righteous rage, a jaded millennial disappointed with our leadership and the regression of human rights, you might find yourself spiraling in dark circles of cognitive dissonance and the hopelessness of existing ethically in late stage capitalism.

(damn, that humanities degree really jumps out sometimes. wet blanket reporting for duty!!)

In my heart I am an activist, but ultimately, there’s a nonstop onslaught of expectations for perfect advocacy. You could say I hold some radical views as a result – but I won’t get into that. Ask me to grab a coffee sometime if you’d like to hear about them. I wanna know what your experience is, too.

Therapy helped me to work out my anxious self-centered worldview, squash white savior-y bullshit, and become proactive with my deep seated anger with systematic oppression. 

And here’s where I landed: 

There’s pain everywhere, but I should be where my feet are.

At the risk of sounding like a boomer, there’s something about how our culture used to be that I miss deeply: the power in knowing your neighbors. Research shows that when you know your neighbors, you’re more likely to be happy. You’re more likely to be fulfilled. To get shit done.

That said, I’m convinced you can’t get shit done if you’re not healing, if you’re not doing ok. I have a radical proposition: to connect with my peers, to improve our community, we can’t be bogged down by the hopelessness I was very dramatic about a few paragraphs earlier.

So here’s the radical part:

We must embrace being silly. We must have fun.

With silliness, we can laugh through the pain, armored with compassion and trust with each other. And we can get to work.

Bestie Fest is my challenge to you - a jaded native, curious transplant, some secret third thing - to go beyond knowing your neighbor.

Let’s keep Nashville silly, let’s keep Nashville strong.