Right now, it kind of feels like the world is falling apart.
Russia has invaded Ukraine. Texas governor Greg Abbott has directed state agencies to investigate gender-affirming care as “child abuse.” Anti-asian hate crimes are still occurring at alarming rates. And the pandemic continues on.
It’s a lot, and it’s kind of surreal to be reading this book now.
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The best science fiction stories are brutally honest and chilling, forcing you to take a step beyond the current reality and ask yourself, “what if?”
What if we did not do enough to address climate change? What if we continue to uphold capitalist ideals of placing profit over people? What if those who are most marginalized continue to be oppressed, exploited, expendable?
Butler paints her response to these questions in vivid clarity. She pulls no punches describing an alternate timeline in which human-caused climate change has driven the world into chaos. Neighborhoods must live within protective walls or else be devoured, sometimes literally, by the scavenging and desperate poor. Police and firemen serve only those who can afford their exorbitant fees, and the government is dangerous in its inefficacy.
And yet, she leaves us hopeful. Through Lauren Olamina, Butler offers us this true, real hope alongside the harsh realities of the world she’s created. Lauren discovers Earthseed–a faith, a people, a way of being–and declares God is Change. Change is unrelenting and ever-present, continuously shaping and being shaped, and Lauren believes Earthseed can shape Change enough to achieve its final destiny of taking root amongst the stars.
Do I believe in Earthseed? Not entirely.
But I do believe we have the power to shape Change. It is inevitable, so why not try? Why not do what we can to carve out space for ourselves, to influence its direction and imagine something new? I believe we all have power. No one’s fate is absolute. Everyone has the freedom of choice. Those choices may be between something bad and something worse, but it is still a choice.
There is power in that.
“Freedom is dangerous…
but it’s precious, too.”
(Reverend Olamina, p. 131)
In the Bible, the parable of the sower describes a farmer who tosses his seeds over different terrain. Seeds tossed on the path were eaten by birds, seeds spread on rocky ground grew quickly but withered fast without deep roots, and seeds on thorny ground choked as they grew. But the seeds on good soil flourished.
On what ground was Earthseed sown?
Some were the good soil, taking in Earthseed and growing their faith well, while others were the thorns, choking on their own paralyzing fear. The bible story would have us think that it is just the fault of certain land, certain people, that their seeds have not grown. “They must not be good soil,” we say.
But I don’t think the message is as simple as that. The nature of Earthseed itself is to change, to grow. Lauren is not a passive sower, tossing seeds and hoping they grow. She was cautious in sharing Earthseed, looking and listening for a time and people who would receive her message. She took the time to sit with those who seemed hesitant, working with them to give Earthseed what it needed to take root.
Perhaps, then, it is the responsibility of the sower to ensure the soil is ready for growing.
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Right now, the world is kind of falling apart.
What Parable of the Sower tells us is that we have the power to enact Change. We do not have to be ignorant to have hope. We can see the world as it is, recognizing its many flaws and feeling its pain as our own. And we can do something about it.
We are both sower and soil.
Some of us are ready to fight, to shape Change and envision a new world. We tend to others and help them grow.
Some of us need more time, more care. Some of us have been fighting for a long time and need to rest. That’s okay, too. Seasons change. You will receive what you need.
“In order to rise from its own ashes
a phoenix first must burn.”
(p. 159)
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I could not have written this post without the teachings of Andre Henry, adrienne maree brown, Cole Arthur Riley, and other decolonial, liberatory figures. Please learn from their work.
featured photo – evie s. via unsplash
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