I wrote this while living inside of a resistance camp in the USA, the camp was a prayer camp set up by Lakota people inside of their reservation, the Standing Rock Tribe's reservation, to protect their drinking water source from an oil pipeline.
02.09.2017
On this day.
This fight has taken a huge toll on me.
My family has paid stacks of cash to support my time here, as have my friends and even total strangers.
The earth has paid a huge amount for my being here too, we use so many resources in this fight.
I have found that my compatriots are often against me, and that people in this movement are bought out.
I have been betrayed by law enforcement and media.
I have sacrificed my safety, my security and my ability to pursue a lifestyle of comfort and ease.
I have walked away from jobs and even allowed a ticket to Hawaii to expire, so I could remain here in defense of the water and to support the warrior women and youth of this movement.
However, anything I have given, anything I have lost, anything which has been taken, is nothing compared to the price paid by future generations, the price paid by the river, the cost which our planet's air will pay, and the toll taken on the swimmers, crawlers, flyers and walkers.
Our animal relatives cannot speak out against this greed, against this corruption, our animal allies cannot defend themselves, or comprehend the scope of destruction facing them.
As much as I have given to be here, as much as others have given me, it's a small, small pittance when compared to the value gained by billionaires, they profit on all sides of this fight.
They will profit from the oil, it's extraction, transport, refining and consumption, they profit from the jail's holding brave water protectors, they profit from the militarization of police, selling weapons of war and training the cops in their use, they profit from the poisoning of the water, having already privatized water which once belonged to us all, and they profit from the mental distress, selling drugs illicit and prescribed, having been invested in the black market and big pharma.
Our reality is based on value, and our measure of value is misguided.
Real value is emotion, feelings and experiences.
Real value is safety, for our children and knowing that the youth of future generations will know abundance of water, food, and shelter.
Real value is not measured in dollars, instead measured by our ability to provide for others that which all are worthy of, life.
#HowToBeAWaterProtector
Here is a link to my FaceBook post
