The Subversive Power of Gratitude
Practicing gratitude is not as simple as being grateful
The train engine moved toward us, a transparent attempt on the part of the rail workers to intimidate the group of us sitting on the tracks. They blew the horn loudly, while the group chanted and waved signs protesting the recent explosion and fire that had happened during a train derailment in Mosier, Oregon a couple of weeks ago. Police were amassing, preparing for arrests in the din.
It was June 2016. I was among a group of 21 activists sitting on the tracks in an act of civil disobedience in protest of the ongoing destruction of the climate, ecosystems, and communities by the fossil fuel industry. The fire in Mosier, a small scenic town in the Columbia River Gorge, was only the most recent in a litany of train derailments, pipeline breaks, and gas explosions that left a trail of destruction and ongoing devastation in their wake. The derailment wreaked havoc in the town, risking immolation of the houses, affecting water and sewer services, and creating lung-scorching smoke for days. As an arts organizer, my job was to supply art to bring beauty and messaging to the action. While I have been arrested previously in civil disobedience actions, I hadn’t planned to do so that day.
