Reconstitute and Perverse

Friends,

"My heart is moved by all I cannot save: So much has been destroyed I have cast my lot with those who, age after age, perversely with no extraordinary power, reconstitute the world." —Adrienne Rich
Friends,

The usual focus of my SEP is one word. Tonight I am using two key words: reconstitute  and perverse, both unusual and provocative words from the Adrienne Rich quote above. The complexity of juxtaposing those two words describe for me the radical complexity of the world we inhabit at present.

The dictionary definition of reconstitute is "to build up again from parts; to reconstruct;  to change the form and organization such as an institution, (or the "world “ as Adrinne Rich would have it); or "to restore something that is “dried" to its original state by adding water to it.”  It is not clear to me if we are in the process of reconstituting the world or whether the world is reconstituting us. It may be some of both, of course, but right now  pandemics, climate disruption, and racial turmoil are very much in the lead "reconstituting” role.

What is increasingly obvious is that our personal lives, our regional and geographic lives, and life on the whole planet are all being “reconstituted," hopefully in the direction  of a positive “restoration” to an original form that is still being defined. Put another way, the global crisis of a combination of climate disruption, the Covid-19 pandemic, and now the intensified exposure of racism are forcing us all to figure out how we want to reconstitute our lives so we are on a path of the restoration of the  inalienable rights, human dignity and worth that I want to believe initially aspired, at least, our nation’s original guiding  purpose and philosophy.  Referring back to the definition, our planet has been “dried” out from so much hypocrisy, neglect and exploitation that it now needs  the “water" of truth and reconciliation - and restorative action - so that it can return to its original life-giving form..

But the word hat really caught my eye in the Adrienne Rich quote is the use of “perversely:” She suggests that rather than the obvious, accustomed, and easier way of change, in reality life transformations are messy and often perverse. The word perverse is seldom used as far as I know, and when it is, it suggests a negative connotation. We would not like to be called perverse. But the actual connotation turns out to be a special, perhaps paradoxical, kind of negativity, namely people are perverse when they, according to Rich’s intention and to the dictionary, "show a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences.” And Rich suggests this method may be the most effective in the long run.

The great drama of our current tumult across the country is around the incensed response to the repulsion and sadness of the murder of George Floyd and the intensified exposure of historical and current racism in American culture the event aroused. The black community, especially, and many whites and others, will no accept the status quo of police brutality, use of incarceration as a means of control, intimidation and disenfranchisement, and systemic economic disadvantaging based on race, that is, the policies, practices and ideas that maintain racism. What I believe Adrienne Rich is suggesting is that even those without particular power, over time, do contribute to reconstituting the world through our “unreasonable and unacceptable,” conscientious, nonviolent resistance to injustice and exploitation - “in spite of the consequences.”  Using this same definition, of course, Trump might claim, at least, to be "righteously perverse” with "unreasonable and unacceptable" blatant disregard for law and human dignity, So it is extremely important that those who act “perversely,” in the definition suggested by Rich, like  taking down a Christophe Columbus statue, renaming military bases associated with the Confederacy, naively stripping responsible law enforcement, for example, act in such a way that we do not simply become that which we abhor. The ultimate goal is reconstituting the hearts and minds of our people and bringing our “perverse” efforts under the guidance of resiliency, perseverance, kindness and mutual respect.

Adrienne Rich affirms solidarity with those willing to join others in the messy, “perverse" process of attempting to get our world restored and reconstituted, hopefully a notch or two better than before. For me personally, I find great encouragement in our early Quaker history where the steadfastly faithful, outrageously nonconformist  movement survived forty years of brutal oppression and political and social upheaval. And they came out on the other side with a transformative vision of a theology that made God’s presence more accessible, equality as a central principle for generations to come, and proclaimed and lived out an alternative to participating in war. You may also have similar personal or historical examples.

I want, somewhat desperately, to believe that what seems like such chaos now will usher in new and lasting possibilities for substantive advancement of morality and just, humane practices. From my perspective this evening, the foremost question is can we, personally and as a nation, find the character and will to maintain our sights on the possibility that the horrible wrongs of racism and environmental degradation, among others, can be changed, and can we faithfully commit to lives of cooperation and respect. Better yet, can our experience of global vulnerability lead us to a renewed sense of loving even those other “perverse” people of all stripes we need to live with.

Peace,

Tom

difficult
unreasonable
uncooperative
unhelpful
obstructive
disobliging
unaccommodating
troublesome
tiresome
annoying
vexatious
obstreperous
disobedient
unmanageable
uncontrollable
recalcitrant
refractory
rebellious
willful
headstrong
self-willed
capricious
wayward
cross-grained
stubborn
obstinate
obdurate
pertinacious
mulish
pigheaded
bull-headed
intractable
intransigent
inflexible
thrawn
cussed
bloody-minded
bolshie
stroppy
balky
froward
contumacious
contrarious
h
Opposite:
accommodating
cooperative

    contrary to the accepted or expected standard or practice.
    "in two general elections the outcome was quite perverse"
    h
    Similar:
    illogical

irrational
unreasonable
contradictory
wrong
wrongheaded
incorrect
irregular
inappropriate
unorthodox
backasswards
h
Opposite:
reasonable
Law
(of a verdict) against the weight of evidence or the direction of the judge on a point of law.
sexually perverted.
h
Similar:
perverted
depraved
unnatural
abnormal
deviant
degenerate
immoral
warped
twisted
corrupt
wicked
base
evil
kinky
sick
pervy
sicko

Origin
late Middle English (in the sense ‘turned away from what is right or good’): from Old French pervers(e ), from Latin perversus ‘turned about’, from the verb pervertere (see pervert).
law
sex
adjective
adjective: perverse

    (of a person or their actions) showing a deliberate and obstinate desire to behave in a way that is unreasonable or unacceptable, often in spite of the consequences.
    "Kate's perverse decision not to cooperate"
    h
    Similar:
    awkward

contrary
difficult
unreasonable
uncooperative
unhelpful
obstructive
disobliging
unaccommodating
troublesome
tiresome
annoying
vexatious
obstreperous
disobedient
unmanageable
uncontrollable
recalcitrant
refractory
rebellious
willful
headstrong
self-willed
capricious
wayward
cross-grained
stubborn
obstinate
obdurate
pertinacious
mulish
pigheaded
bull-headed
intractable
intransigent
inflexible
thrawn
cussed
bloody-minded
bolshie
stroppy
balky
froward
contumacious
contrarious
h
Opposite:
accommodating
cooperative

    contrary to the accepted or expected standard or practice.
    "in two general elections the outcome was quite perverse"