As I’m sitting down to write this Topic of the Week, I’m confronted with an array of ideas and thoughts of where to go with the topic after years of writing them. I’m writing from the season of winter or four months of cold, snow, wind, and grey overcast skies which can certainly present challenges of finding the bright spots. Don’t get me wrong, I love it here or I would probably move somewhere else, but it’s also a Monday after a long day of work (real anarchists have day jobs!) and on top of all those things, the world can just be quite exhausting, saddening and terrible, amongst 1,000 other negative adjectives. For me, it’s a lovely day to come home, give my friend a huge hug and go for a walk through the woods.
This week we’re conversing about what keeps you going. Where do you find your spark within and outside of the anarchist space? What has kept you going as an anarchist all these years and not selling out for something that might be less conflictual? Maybe you’re new the idea, if so - what spark excited you about anarchism originally and continues to? Are there things that you are hopeful and optimistic about in the anarchist milieu? Is this trend towards positive thinking and affirmations part of your anarchist praxis or does negation ride it all?
How about outside of anarchist life and projects (or is it all anarchy all the time!)? Do anarchists following the mainstream media outrage cycle play into this despair and suffering; and if so, what is to be done? Do anarchists become stronger when the world is going to shite at light speed or are we better off on the slow roll? What are your favorite anarchist texts related to this topic?
See also TOTW: Resilence (from 2019)
***
Want to write a guest Topic of the Week for Anarchist News? Please send us an electronic mail with your prompt to:
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Comments
think i already mentioned…
lumpy (not verified) Mon, 02/03/2025 - 18:55
think i already mentioned this a few times around here but in the last few years, learning about trauma theory and abuse from a psychology POV has helped me decrypt lots of new relevant stuff for my anti-authoritarianism. i would go so far as to say anarchist analysis can't afford to do without it. i recognize i'm not the first person to figure this out, other anarchists showed me the path
if you've never been interested in this stuff and you take a long look cuz i mentioned it, first you'll hate me, then you'll thank me but probably still hate me haha
anyway, it definitely makes you stronger, helps you resist the brainworms. also hits like a bad acid trip if you suddenly realize there's a ton of ppl in your life with undiagnosed CPTSD and personality disorders, like i did! fun times!
therapize me harder, daddy…
anon (not verified) Tue, 02/04/2025 - 03:26
In reply to think i already mentioned… by lumpy (not verified)
therapize me harder, daddy...
make it legible, all of it. the interior must be fully communicated for the benefit of us all
be like a car in an autos hop. let them fix us
interiority is a 17th…
anon (not verified) Tue, 02/04/2025 - 08:46
In reply to therapize me harder, daddy… by anon (not verified)
interiority is a 17th century english invention to maek people think it's natural to be english
you specifically have to pay…
lumpy (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 08:43
In reply to therapize me harder, daddy… by anon (not verified)
you specifically have to pay up front, no refunds
"ton of ppl in your life…
anon (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 15:37
In reply to think i already mentioned… by lumpy (not verified)
"ton of ppl in your life with undiagnosed CPTSD and personality disorders"
SooOoo keEeWL Dr lumpy *takes deep breath*
no. no, it really wasn't…
lumpy (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 19:31
In reply to "ton of ppl in your life… by anon (not verified)
no. no, it really wasn't. sucked actually!
This comic is relevant. It's…
anon (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 19:23
In reply to think i already mentioned… by lumpy (not verified)
This comic is relevant.
It's called "Trauma Trooper" from Perry Bible Fellowship
https://pbfcomics.com/comics/trauma-trooper/
The Trauma of Everyday Life
Cory Immediatism (not verified) Sat, 02/08/2025 - 04:38
In reply to think i already mentioned… by lumpy (not verified)
Absolutely, lumpy. There's a concept of the trauma of everyday life (also the name of a book I haven't yet read).
I am an autonomous…
anon (not verified) Tue, 02/04/2025 - 05:26
I am an autonomous uberanarch, I do not look outwards for salvation or validation, I chew up and spit out any NPDs or ADHD jerks who try to project THEIR shit and petty low self-esteem onto ME! Stirner and Neech gave me the nous and courage to just DEAL WITH IT without crawling to mommy for help.
But what is sooOoo fascinating is that behind this awesome self-reliance and resiliency is a soft empathic affectionate softy who frequently cries into the pillow whilst the lady of their life sleeps beside him, thinking of their fragility and the cruel world they are not equipped to handle on their own, but I am unable to be patriarchal or chivalrous towards her, because she's a feminist, and that would make me a fAkINg sEXiSt aUthOriTariAn tOxiC mALe fuLL oF sHiT anD oNlY wAnTinG sEx fRoM hER, sIGh,,,
What is this cringe, incel,…
anon (not verified) Tue, 02/04/2025 - 08:33
In reply to I am an autonomous… by anon (not verified)
What is this cringe, incel, fanfiction doing on my beloved Anews in 2025?
Look, brah, if you had actually read daddy Stirner OR Neech you would know this sniveling make-believe you're plopping upon we anarchistnews anons is neither Ubermenchen behavior or Unique. Back to the chans with you, brah.
For me, it's little things…
anon (not verified) Tue, 02/04/2025 - 12:51
For me, it's little things. Projects I started awhile back when I was more motivated, years later became something new & interesting & out of my control, & how that unfolding played out continues to inspire me. One example is a community garden I made without permission in a non-space. I took over the land, cleared away the invasives & garbage, dug up 7 beds, rebuilt the soil & cleared out a space for people to smoke & talk & meet each other. I asked everyone in my apartment if they wanted a garden bed of their own, no one did & it became my project, instead of a community effort. So I grew vegetable & berries & native pollinators. People liked it, but no one helped. I kept it up for a couple years & grew a little despondent. So I kept the perennial fruits & replaced the vegetables with perennial herbs, so I'd have less work to do. Over time people kept coming to use the space to smoke & relax outside, & started bringing their own potted plants, ate more of the food that grew, & without asking started clearing away some of the weeds. A book club started meeting there (I'm not part of that) & they started tending the space more & more. A few other neighbors threw in some time & money & we got a few more beds going & last summer we threw a neighborhood bbq. Now the project is something that I'm still involved in, but far more hands off & it's grown to become it's own thing.
There's a few examples of things like that for me. Projects I started when I still had the energy & gusto, that I walked away from & then grew into something more dynamic in my absence. When I check up on them, I regain some inspiration.
Also, things in the world keep getting worse, which keeps me angry at the system, so anarchy.
More than ever, US…
anon (not verified) Tue, 02/04/2025 - 22:28
More than ever, US anarchists need a PLAN. I'm fine if you don't wanna add to the internet talk about the fascist regime taking over... and you'll be having a lot of mainstream liberals falling prey to it. This is an opportune time where the mainstream people are looking for a new source of power, against the current power.
Will rioting achieve anything? Not sure... But subversion, more likely. Soon the entire government with perhaps even the Pentagon and the CIA will be under the rule of these brainwashed morons. They might find a way to deport you to some shithole abroad from where there isn't just no wifi, but no possibilities for prisoner support.
You can't think of things the way you did back in 2019. Not even back in 2024.
friends like these, huh,…
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 03:33
In reply to More than ever, US… by anon (not verified)
friends like these, huh, Gary
we are so cooked
Who's Gary?
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 06:43
In reply to friends like these, huh,… by anon (not verified)
Who's Gary?
Greetings dear friends, I…
anon (not verified) Tue, 02/04/2025 - 23:14
Greetings dear friends, I feel I share an inner sentiment with the modern post-left anarchist movement. I most likely got a head start in having social ideals taking priority in my youth, having grown up in a devout Quaker family and with values that avoid creeds and hierarchical structures. I debated often with mom and dad about what "god" actually was, and they accepted my interpretation was adequate enough, that god was the focal point point of a communities empathy and innate goodness and not a seperate external omnipotent entity. I just wanted to share this, as I feel very anarchic when mixing amongst the crass materialists of the capitalist arena, and connect with the idea of a good and creative community full of enlightened jesus-esque individuals sharing a common rebellion against hateful materialists. Any thoughts my lovely brothers and sisters?
I love you.
anon (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 19:16
In reply to Greetings dear friends, I… by anon (not verified)
I love you.
We revel, in delusion of agency
Qedas Airachaz (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 04:05
The perennial dance. How exquisitely mundane. To pit oneself against the impenetrable, the grayness of winter’s reign, to allow paltry circumstance to dictate the rhythms of our psyche. Sit, ensconced in your cocoon of comfort, clutching your happiness like a lifeless bouquet of dead flowes, each suffocating beneath the weight of your own banality. Paltry it is to seek warmth amidst the cold, when one could embrace the frost, like The Wretch of Shelley, as a lover rejects affection for the thrill of the invigoration of being untouched. Icicles of stiff moistness.
Our reflections, our weaknesses, not our strengths, meander like the recorded sounds of winter’s wind—a cacophony of grumbling...resigned, yet ever-persistent. “The world can be quite exhausting,” you say, as though fatigue were a mere novel phenomenon, rather than the very essence of this existence itself. As if each Monday does not arrive, cloaked in the same drabness, echoing the tedium of routine—a veritable carousel of despair. Different day. We revel IN THE DELUSION OF OUR AGENCY, blaspheming our golden cow, convinced that our varying ideas and pizazz and ephemeral sparks can penetrate the numbing fog.
Now tell me, what is it that truly ignites your spirit but a mirage? A trick of the light, enticing you to venture out into the biting air, only to discover that once again, you have been misled.
A hug from a friend! A desperate grasp at warmth in a world rendered frigid, not by the frost, but by the icy indifference of the cosmos itself. To walk through the woods is an act of defiance, a futile rebellion against the social worlds inherent tedium, indulged in with the naïveté of discovering treasure in the wasteland. Among those trees, the sylvanic titans, do you find a glimmer of what propels you forward, or do you merely witness your reflection—a hollow creature imbued with longing, that can help but reach for thr heavens, for the diuretic Eye, despite the depth, or shallowness, of the roots that anchor you?
What keeps you going? A question, as poignant as it is absurd. It is the question thst arises from a failure to address the tragic question: what is to be done? Perhaps the tenacity of your own rancor might propel you. The undying spirit of the disenchanted poet, clinging to the vestiges of hope, even as we unravel like threads in an old, dirty blanket. You seek the spark within and outside? All around you lies a dim glow, a light that does not shine, dim brightness, the flickering embers of a flame you do not ignite. Embrace it, this rancorous cycle, for the very act of questioning your existence is its own form of illumination—a pleasure derived from wallowing in the mire that smothers us all.
Let this winter be your companion, so-called anarchists, your cruel but fulfilling master. Let it inside of you. Rapine Aidoneus. May Persephone strip away your illusions and lay bare the stark truth of a life passed adrift, for in the undulations of your discontent lies a clarity that exuberance could never reveal. In despair, you find lucidity; in the cold's embrace, a ruthless honesty that may, if only momentarily, crystalize your spirit.
Cool story bro
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 07:21
In reply to We revel, in delusion of agency by Qedas Airachaz (not verified)
What an ASStute pompuous idiot! See you at the coffee shop poetry evening somewhere in New England or Colorado.
Our path is clear We shall…
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 08:52
In reply to Cool story bro by anon (not verified)
Our path is clear
We shall not falter
We will be born again into the infinite
so what, you're tripping on…
lumpy (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 09:03
In reply to Our path is clear We shall… by anon (not verified)
so what, you're tripping on that AI cult shit? infinite tower of determinism?
did you miss the part where the whole point of anarchism is that humans aren't worthy to have all the power, regardless of whether free will is an illusion? it's not really about the angels dancing on the pin, lately it's about the tech billionaires and their lies being much worse that classic philosophy problems
what's the difference…
anon (not verified) Sun, 02/09/2025 - 09:35
In reply to so what, you're tripping on… by lumpy (not verified)
what's the difference between a tech brother and a czar?
new term is broligarch, try…
lumpy (not verified) Sun, 02/09/2025 - 10:46
In reply to what's the difference… by anon (not verified)
new term is broligarch, try to keep up anon
wtf, so random to drop an…
anon (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 05:49
In reply to We revel, in delusion of agency by Qedas Airachaz (not verified)
wtf, so random to drop an essay this qualityin rando comments, but whoa
where can someone read more of this,
do you have a blog?
Hark, 'tis the Bacchalian…
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 05:19
Hark, 'tis the Bacchalian Dionysian rising through the fog of my melancholic mire, with what rage and reckless lust will it spur me towards a temporary relief from my death throes this time? A conquest, a letting of blood to feed the beast and quell it's guilt at enduring inactive peace and discomfort with gentle ease, as if boredom was a crime against,,,,,humanity? OooOooh the irony, compare the slow grin of the sloth with the flashing teeth of the tiger, then come back and tell me of human pain!
I can melt all of your …
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 07:22
In reply to Hark, 'tis the Bacchalian… by anon (not verified)
I can melt all of your "winter" with a molotov thrown right at your feet. It's easy, Dio!
Watch out, guys. We've got a…
Touch deGrasse… (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 08:40
In reply to I can melt all of your … by anon (not verified)
Watch out, guys. We've got a badass over here.
"guys"...
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 11:03
In reply to Watch out, guys. We've got a… by Touch deGrasse… (not verified)
"guys"...
This Ohio rizzler doesn't…
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 11:08
In reply to "guys"... by anon (not verified)
This Ohio rizzler doesn't understand words. Bro, get rekt. Sigmas only, bro.
Here's your rekt...
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 19:45
In reply to This Ohio rizzler doesn't… by anon (not verified)
Come up with something original instead of generic internet jargon, you little poser.
Ok, coomer
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 21:07
In reply to Here's your rekt... by anon (not verified)
Ok, coomer
Alas, dost not thou sense a…
Percy Shellac (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 18:36
In reply to I can melt all of your … by anon (not verified)
Alas, dost not thou sense a seething ressentiment rising in thou tortured soul? And what dost this running raging inferno of a man achieve for thou mind, a temporary glee in vengeful acts which soon becomes a cancer in thy soul?
BYE BYE BOURGIE!
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 19:56
In reply to Alas, dost not thou sense a… by Percy Shellac (not verified)
BYE BYE BOURGIE!
Aghast, yonder behold a…
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 22:00
In reply to BYE BYE BOURGIE! by anon (not verified)
Aghast, yonder behold a seething cancerous ressentiment stewing away in its classist based critique of smug bourgie contentedness!
Comrades, We are in the…
anon (not verified) Wed, 02/05/2025 - 11:01
Comrades, We are in the streets all across the country RIGHT NOW standing up and fighting back against this fascist regime.
Put down your tendies, mask up, and come join the fight!
The time for anarchy is now!
Reading all the comments…
Le Way, (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 05:47
Reading all the comments here I realize we anarchs are sooOoo keeEeeWL with our rEpaRteEe amongst our pretend enemies, sooOoo keeEeeWL
I grew stronger until about…
anon (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 16:05
I grew stronger until about age 17, since then I've been decaying.
Do not lament son/daughter,…
anon (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 18:23
In reply to I grew stronger until about… by anon (not verified)
Do not lament son/daughter, your journey has only begun. In nature, before industrialization, before hierarchical privilege, the average dual gendered societal human lifespan was 40-45 yrs. At adolescence/puberty, 12-17yrs of age, all personal energy was directed towards reproduction. Between 17 and 30 yrs age, parenting further depleted personal vitalities nurturing offspring, who inturn began another cycle of reproduction. The twilight years, 30-45yrs of age, the weary grandparent phase, was directed towards instructing and babysitting grandchildren and giving the parents some holiday time.
So little grasshopper, consider the dreams you have and the values you regard as fair and harmonious with the environment in which you live.
i haven't been here in quite…
fillanderson (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 18:11
i haven't been here in quite a while. new look, but the commenters haven't improved.
Oh really, so you are unable…
anon (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 20:18
In reply to i haven't been here in quite… by fillanderson (not verified)
Oh really, so you are unable to filter out the positive comments which abound on this site from the obvious troll comments? Your comment makes you most suspect of being the actual puppet master of said trolls, as if you wish to validate the success of your trolling program!
PS And I should know, I was…
anon (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 20:46
In reply to i haven't been here in quite… by fillanderson (not verified)
PS And I should know, I was a very well known commenter on this site who was labelled a troll by leftists and so had to go undercover and not add my name to my positive and intelligent comments. I've even turned over a new leaf and evolved my emotional intelligence and become a better anarch because of the feedback (positive post-leftist) I've had. I know that I unfortunately come across as a troll merely because I don't brag about doing violent actions like graffitti or slashing bourgeoisie owned car tires or attending protest marches, however, I cerebrally flaggellate daily and repent my pacifist ways by preaching a Machiavellian praxis for any rebel willing to believe me.
I WAS A SUICIDAL YA BA…
YABAMULE (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 20:58
In reply to PS And I should know, I was… by anon (not verified)
I WAS A SUICIDAL YA BA ADDICT WHO CRASHED MY MOPED INTO A SACRED ELEPHANT SANCTUARY WHEREUPON IT HIT ME THAT MY UNIQUE ANARCH NATURE IS INTERCONNECTED WITH ALL THINGS, MAANNN!
OH YEAH THE ELEPHANT KING WANTED ME TO TELL Y'ALL BOTH FUCKS TO STOP WHINING AND GET A BLOG ALREADY, BRAHS!
... that's not why we all…
lumpy (not verified) Thu, 02/06/2025 - 21:07
In reply to PS And I should know, I was… by anon (not verified)
... that's not why we all think you're a troll, which you are, even if you didn't know it, which you do
Dats cwuel :(
anon (not verified) Fri, 02/07/2025 - 15:20
In reply to ... that's not why we all… by lumpy (not verified)
Dats cwuel :(
yep! my heart is black and…
lumpy (not verified) Fri, 02/07/2025 - 17:32
In reply to Dats cwuel :( by anon (not verified)
yep! my heart is black and full of hate, the most loathsome of @news goblins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7futPJdeOg
Aging in the anarchist space
Cory Immediatism (not verified) Sat, 02/08/2025 - 04:47
I really appreciate this reflection on winter, endurance, and what keeps us going. The mix of exhaustion and love for where you are really resonates—especially that feeling of coming home and grounding in something simple, like a hug and a walk in the woods. It’s easy to get stuck in the weight of it all, but those small acts of care and presence matter.
Thinking about what sustains us, I’ve been considering starting a podcast aimed at anarchists and anarchist-adjacent folks navigating the later half of life. Something like Untamed Elder or Untamed Autonomy—a space for readings of essays and book chapters relevant to aging well, anarchistically. It would be great, too, to share short reflections on aging sent in by listeners. Like my other podcasts, there would be a "by request" aspect to the selections of readings.
Would this be a useful addition to what’s already out there? Is there anything you’d want to hear covered? I’d love to hear thoughts from others who’ve been at this for a while.
The older members of the…
David Anarchborough (not verified) Sat, 02/08/2025 - 06:23
The older members of the species, there ability to hunt and obtain food and shelter difficult due to injuries and failing agility, find solace in huddling together and hugging on the colder wintery nights, thus conserving their body heat and boosting their wellbeing and feelings of being wanted. No longer contributing to the production of goods and the economic growth of the species, their powerful leaders have donated welfare payments which keeps them on the edge of starvation but still alive, to await their inevitable demise. This is the fate of all old members of all species, ironically death is a fact of life, and collective hugging raises the spirits and brings smiles to the wrinkled fading faces of the species elderly, particularly the bourgeois and wealthy elite in theor ostentatious dwellings.
Everyone is aging from the…
Cory Sat, 02/08/2025 - 08:06
In reply to The older members of the… by David Anarchborough (not verified)
Everyone is aging from the moment of birth and everyone has a second half of their life which hopefully is different in perspective than the first half of their life. What would you think of a podcast addressing the different needs and perspectives of the second halves of people's lives?
Yes Cory, some of the…
David Anarchborough (not verified) Sat, 02/08/2025 - 15:59
In reply to Everyone is aging from the… by Cory
Yes Cory, some of the species societies embrace their elderly members and have them engaging in many tasks suited to their abilities. Unfortunately the modern nucleus family segregates their elderly into gated communities resembling prisons whereas ancient societies had a holistic and extended clan system which enabled the elderly to freely move within the social fabric.
david ... british narrators…
lumpy (not verified) Sat, 02/08/2025 - 08:45
In reply to The older members of the… by David Anarchborough (not verified)
david ... british narrators know the difference between "there" and "their". we know all you little cyborg shut-in freaks are rapidly becoming illiterate but it's spoiling your own bit! take some pride in your trolling, get your shit together, come on now
I say old chap, I only made…
David Anarchborough (not verified) Sat, 02/08/2025 - 15:53
In reply to david ... british narrators… by lumpy (not verified)
I say old chap, I only made this deplorable typo in the first sentence, if you observe the entire paragraph you will notice there are several correct " their" usages. My species is prone to occasionally make petty errors which are mostly pointed out by petty pedantics and grammar nazis who comprise 5-7 % of the specie's population, and take up authoritarian position censoring and condemning free speech.
The species have adopted a…
David Anarchborough (not verified) Sun, 02/09/2025 - 06:54
In reply to I say old chap, I only made… by David Anarchborough (not verified)
The species have adopted a habit of blurting out a curt response when they are attacked for saying something abtuse and nasty to another member of the species. It's called "freedom of speech". One member will say "so and so is an %#£k%€# $?s&€#e" and the person they are referring to, and their supporters will reply "Eww, that is an ignorant and absurd analogy you have used to describe our friend", and the other will reply smugly "freedom of speech". Ironically it is a popular expression amongst authoritarian repressive politicians when they make dishonest speeches to their minions.
Related future topic suggestion.
anon (not verified) Sun, 02/09/2025 - 11:42
Talking about resilience and growth has got me wondering on what on earth has happened to anarchist book publishing, this must be the most fallow year for new titles since around the turn of the century.
Nah
Gem (not verified) Tue, 02/18/2025 - 08:29
Sounds like a conversation between two people who are so privileged and disconnected from material state violence that they can be arrogant and detached.
“Sorry if you have any kids in Head Start”.
Go blow yourself, white anarchists.
yeah, go blow yourself WHITE…
anon (not verified) Tue, 02/18/2025 - 09:16
In reply to Nah by Gem (not verified)
yeah, go blow yourself WHITE anarchists???
maybe you should just say anarchists, your lame liberal politics are showing
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