I suppose there's something superficial to my pre- #pandemic #self. After all, instead of focusing on the present, I was living in the future, a future that never came to fruition. There is something shallow and thoughtless about that— #capitalism needs us to be in that mindset so it can sell us a lifestyle. So much of #neoliberalism is about becoming ourselves through #consumerism, as though buying certain clothes, eating certain food, and paying to go certain places will make you a certain type of person, an enviable, Instagramnable one who can convince others to spend money to be just like you!

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't taken in by that, but I also want to give myself some credit, since my pre- #covid life was largely focused on activism, and I was very much a true believer when it came to #socislism and building a better, more radical, more just world. I had selfish aspirations, but I also had more selfless ones, and I wanted to be more than just a consumer.