Suspend Disbelief: Polaris Manifesto Part 5
I am a commitment to the impossible
Greetings! This is Part 5 in a series about myth, speculative fiction, and social change. Catch up on the rest of the series using the links below.
Part 0: Introducing the Polaris Manifesto (article)
Finally we have arrived at the heart of my mythic epiphany: the world we live in operates through a conformity consensus, meaning our mores and ways of life emerge from a collective social contract that preceded us and that we continually reify through our own actions. Put more simply, all this shit is made up! And to me, if none of this is "real" then anything is possible. As a mythologist, it's important to note that I'm not denying the presence of the divine or numinous and his/her/their/its involvement in the creation and maintenance of our world. I study myth because I believe that divine order and intention exist within the cosmos, whether we can discern it or we can't. However, I also believe that we co-create the world alongside whatever divine order there is, and we thus have a significant influence on the constructs of the human experience. Enter science fiction, one of the great loves of my life.
Speculative fiction author N.K. Jemisin is someone who uses fiction and what-if questions to interrogate our assumptions about the world. Her award-winning fiction contends with questions of power, religion, politics, and human psychology, which brings a nuanced human element to fantastical stories of other worlds. The world-building in her stories is palpable and lauded because she creates sci-fi and fantasy that challenges how we function in the present. The stories of magical beasts and super-powered humans do not bypass our tendencies toward hierarchy, hoarding, and domination. Jemisin dissects the constructs we're living in, shows us their fault lines, and dares us to imagine worlds where power flows differently. That’s not just storytelling; it’s a speculative blueprint for transformation.
It's not uncommon for someone to ask me what the solution is when I am loudly and publicly complaining about the many social ills of the United States. Occasionally they ask in bad faith but most often the question comes from genuine curiosity or desire to get to the root of the problem. Sometimes we just want someone to tell us what to do to make our problems disappear so we can get on with life and be happy. I'll be the first to admit that I don't have the solution to our problems because there is not one simple magic trick of a solution to change the world. In fact, we should be suspicious of people who claim to know exactly what to do to address all our problems because that is a slippery slope into authoritarianism. What I believe, though, with every fiber of my being is that inspired action and imagination have ushered forth many changes that previous generations once thought impossible; it is a world-altering combination.
We take impossible action every day. People once believed it was impossible to travel to space, and now a handful of companies launch space junk into the sky with troubling frequency. Didn't those ladies just go to space talking about a feminist revolution? We do impossible things all the time.
There is, however, a tangible difference between the social construction that abolished chattel slavery and the social delusion that resulted in the tragic sinking of the Titanic, plus the subsequent implosion of Titan submersible whose occupants wanted to ogle the tragedy at close range in 2023. Human ingenuity bleeds into hubris often, and the myths warn us against our own demise.
What we call fancy, fantasy, and fiction today could one day be facts of life for our descendants. To quote Edward George in Last Angel of History, "The line between social reality and science fiction is an optical illusion." We can have the world we want when we we accept that we are the greatest obstacles to overcome.
Let me make myself clear: I do not mean that transformation is an easy matter of bending the world and others to our will with brute force and sheer determination. Our road ahead is arduous and fraught with struggle, conflict, and obstructions. "Our" refers to groups of people aligned in vision and purpose, who organize ourselves towards the new systems and constructs we want to birth.
If we want a new world, we can have it. There is a reason for the adage, "Anything is possible."
Because it is.
Creative Prompts
Use these prompts to pull a new world from your imagination. Whether you're a writer, a visual artist, a musician, or something in-between, use that spark of imagination to invite us into your creative vision.
Reflecting on your life, what is something you've achieved that you previously believed was impossible?
Who or what told you that achievement was outside the realm of possibility?
How did you feel when you achieved that supposedly impossible feat--in your mind and your body?
What still feels impossible for you now?
Do you know of others who believe in the same im/possibilities as you do?
CEUs
It's important to me to share other audio, text, and video resources that may help you tap into the wave of wisdom that informed this part of the Polaris Manifesto. I've curated several free resources on Are.na for you to enjoy, and a shorter list of pdf and epub materials for paid subscribers below. Enjoy!
Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you choose to purchase books using my Bookshop affiliate links, I will receive a small commission on your purchase.
The Last Angel of History short film
"Impossible" by Brandy and Whitney Houston from Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997) clip
Interpreting the Sacred: Ways of Viewing Religion by William E. Paden book
N.K. Jemisin on world-building at WIRED25 video
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