Kindness. Care. Love, and other emotional stuff.

Energizing emotions are hard to predict, gauge, and not always linear.  And they may appear in the most unexpected places.

Last night, I tuned in to the largest Zoom call ever under the #AnswertheCall2024 banner: 150k+ white women had answered the call from a previous massive Zoom call with 44k+ black women. Zoom crashed from the sheer number of sign-ons, but eventually the technology caught up. Another 27k watched and shared messages on YouTube. Over $2M was raised in 2.5 hours for the Kamala Harris presidential campaign, and several known figures, including the artist Pink and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, spoke.

I found out about the call on Threads. I’ve had two accounts for maybe a year, one personal and one for EI, and recently, I’ve realized it’s a pretty amazing place. I am likely somewhat biased in who I follow, but regardless, I am stupefied, in a good way! at the sentiments that I encounter there – full of kindness, caring, and yes, even love.

The support and consideration in responses to the outpouring of feelings, opinions and questions on a multitude of topics, women-to-women, is a joy to read and take part in. The intellectual depth, made by intelligent and thoughtful women, is, to say the least, a refreshing change from the name-calling and put-downs that are par for the course in today’s mainstream online discourse. It’s also a platform where the childless cat ladies have found a home, only five days after the announcement of Harris’ candidacy.

The openness that people of all shapes and forms express has been surprising and unexpected, and yet so very welcomed - respectful, and again, filled with kindness, care and love.

I believe that the organizing for Harris presidential bid is a driving force behind the tonality in the conversation. The development of an awareness of women’s voices, that have been silenced for so long is palpable; voices that are, and at risk of being, silenced even more. When people come together for whatever reason, when women hear other women’s stories, it’s a good thing. Clearly, there are men on the platform, and they participate in the same vein, mostly, or risk receiveing a barrage of comments to clean up their act.

I will join text banks, because #IunderstandtheAssignment. With Threads platform, more of us will hear how we can become more fulfilled and most importantly, filled with expressing and experiencing kindness, care and love.

Although I’m not a frequent poster on any social media platform, I will share this blog post on Threads. The emotions that flow, the energy I experience is uplifting, literally emitting a cascade of bravery, daring me to emulate. The wave is building, and Threads is part of making that wave stronger.

Emotions can never go wrong; all we have to do is show respect. And kindness, care and yes, love.

 Addition: Since publishing yesterday, the Women’s March put out the following message that “(t)his week, over 135,000 Women’s Marchers joined our organizing calls to get marching orders on how to get involved in this pivotal election year.” LFG!

Image from internet.