A thought on "thoughts and prayers"
Welcome to Hella Immaculate, I love you.
I’m Dave, a comedian, podcaster, storyteller, teacher, and abolitionist organizer. I love making light of heavy shit and taking frivolous things too seriously. Hella Immaculate is my existential, spiritual, political, creative-process-and-culture-obsessed alt-weekly.
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I’ve had this “thoughts and prayers” rant locked in my brain for years now but never loaded onto a page. I forget what inconsequential tweet triggered it this week. Even if you believe in nothing, I hope you enjoy the (non-religious!) logic.
“Thoughts and prayers” are unfairly lumped together. The knock on the phrase is it’s an empty gesture. But these are two different things!
Thoughts are inactive practically by definition (thought v. action = common dichotomy). We have all sorts of thoughts. We can barely control them: murder, revenge, terrible sexual urges. They just float in! There’s that “don’t think of a pink elephant” thought experiment that shows how weak our thoughts are. So, dismissing thoughts? I get it.
Prayers are subtly, but very, different. Prayer is an action. It doesn’t just take place in your mind. It’s directed at another party, and prayers are often said out loud. Whether you agree with the person praying or not, you have to reckon with the fact that most prayers are delivered in the belief that someone is there to hear them. And usually that Someone is the most powerful being in the universe, or even the CREATOR of the whole damn thing! So, beseeching that entity is a pretty big fucking deal.
Imagine you use Facebook for one of the few things it’s still good for: looking for work. You post,
Just got fired from the water reclamation district [I’m assuming this exists and refuse to Google it]. :\ I’ve got a lot of skills, experience, and great references. Here’s my resume. Any leads are appreciated!
The first comment is someone just saying,
Good luck!
Gtfoh with that thoughts-ass bullshit.
But oh, the second comment!
Hey! Poseidon god of the sea (and of water generally) is real, and I happen to have a direct connection. I can ask him with my whole heart to give you a job. I know he’s always looking. Oh, and I’ll do it every day, morning and evening, and I won’t give up until I get an answer.
You’d be like, “Oh my God! That’s so kind, and it actually sounds like overkill. Maybe don’t harass him and just ask once a week instead of twice a day?” You’d be bowled over at the offer, whether or not it panned out.
Prayers and thoughts aren’t close to the same category. Thoughts are the minor leagues, and prayers are the biggest waves in the ocean. A rookie baller vs. a tsunami. Prayers can rearrange geography.
Yes, that requires buying in to the belief system of the pray-er. But even if you don’t, you gotta respect the hustle. Prayers don’t preclude other work. (I know they’re often used that way, but addressing that issue kind of deflates my whole argument here, so… move along!)
If someone asks, “Want me to use my galactic ray gun on your problem?,” you might say, “I’m not sure that exists or would help with this problem exactly, but hell, couldn’t hurt. I’d at least love to see one in action.”
THIS IS MY PODCAST, THIS IS YOUR AFTERLIFE
My guest: Adwoa Agyepong, abolitionist organizer and friend of mine who is doing a lot of great work, especially on the Stop ShotSpotter campaign.
We talked: Ghanaian funerals, Ghanaian pop music, dying of snake bites, sunset mimosas with relative strangers, and going from being the person you hate the most to the person you love the most.
I thought I’d made my best-ever promo last week, but I’ve one-upped myself this week.
THEY’RE JUST, LIKE, MY SUGGESTIONS, MAN
Listen with me to this podcast episode about storyteller and Marxist art critic John Berger. I’m almost through it, and it’s spinning the way I think about art on its head. Not always in ways I agree with, and that’s exciting too!
Once I’m done with the episode, I’ll jump to Berger’s 4-part BBC docu-series Ways of Seeing. Watch it with me, and let me know what you think!
Answer me this: I’m thinking of starting a Patreon-only podcast for subscribers. I have 2 ideas.
“But, Like, Specifically”: Highly detailed conversations with creative people about how they accomplished specific craft and career feats.
“Meaning of Life Book Club”: Reading and discussing one book that speaks to the meaning of life, probably with lots of opportunities for listener contribution. First book would be one of my favorites: Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.
Would you join my Patreon to get either of these podcasts, or if you’re already a patron, which would you prefer? I might try both at various points, and you’d get them at the lowest tier (“Ice Cream,” $3/mo.) if you join!
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MAY I PLAY YOU A SOUND?
The might Low released their newest album, HEY WHAT, today. It’s the sound of the tsunami.
“More” is the track that astonished me most—made me laugh, then sway in awe—on first listen to an album that deserves to be approached whole.
Amen,
DM