A rainy day and what we can learn from Dickens' Hard Times...

Mid-40s and rainy/windy start to the day. It's messy, to be sure. 

Today, I'll be shuttling Holly here and there, and in the interim, I hope to get my gift-wrapping done. And probably some house chores. The kids at school have a sub, and I'm told he's a good one, so I'm not going to worry. 

So, good stuff: when a student admits to having actually cried at the death of a character in Hard Times (Dickens!)-- others were outraged at his death. They are appropriately irritated with other characters, too. Just goes to show, Dickens is still relevant. Maybe even more-so these days, given the wealth and power inequities that are all around us. The lack of agency for the common worker. The lack of safety measures, clean air, water, the insufficiency of the mandated educational model... yeah, read it, if you haven't. It's not very long, but it packs a wallop. Dickens railed on and on about these issues in just about every one of his books. Change came, eventually. 

What does this tell us? That those with a public platform need to use their unique privilege to speak up, and loudly. And yes, there will be resistance. And consternation. But eventually, if enough people speak up, positive change can happen. Dickens says so. History says so. But o... we are all living the lives of Stephen Blackpool, at least in some measure. And we are all getting betrayed by the Tom Gradgrinds and Mrs Sparsits. Even the late hand-wringing of the elder Thomas Gradgrind can't fix the damage done to Louisa-- and to us all--

We need Sissy Jupes. We need kindness, imagination, and loyalty. And that, my friends, is what Dickens tells us.

Have a good day, and keep those you love and care about close.

C