Misery Manifesto

En Francais, misere. Espanol, miseria. Auf Deutsch, elend. Misery is a worldwide phenomenon. It pervades all socio-economic classes, ethnic backgrounds, health statuses, and religious proclivities. It lives in Boise and in Bangladesh. Founded on the principal of "thinking globally, acting locally", we, the MiserBunch, get together every Monday at our favorite corner table at the perpetually unpopulated Union Bar to let the misery flow. It's a mixture of group therapy and gossip corner, emotional archaeology and art party. In any case it's our party. And we can cry if we want to. Usually we don't, but we could goddammit! It is our one moment in the week when we don’t have to be polite, productive, or prudent. No one has to "take care" or "have a nice day"; nobody has to have her finger on the button, be on the ball, or hit the nail on the head. It's a time for friends, lovers, ex-lovers, friends of friends, casual acquaintances, and enemies to get together, get down, and be as painfully real as one can be in mixed company. The mood is as different as we are each Monday, but one thing is always true: if at any point in the evening a miserable moment arises, we know what to do-grab a napkin, a piece of receipt tape, or a scrap of notebook and lay that trouble down in words. The next part is our version of bingo. The MiserMan or MiserWoman shouts out, "misery!" and the conversation stops long enough to cradle that person's pain with our undivided attention. Sometimes the "miseries" provoke empathetic stories or jokes; sometimes we simply receive them and let fall away. In any case, the philosophy is that, once exposed, all things begin to shift. Our hope is that by allowing ourselves to be truly, painfully miserable, we will, in fact, increase our happiness factor. The belief is that happiness is not a solo project and by working together, we better the lives of our friends and enemies and everyone in between, starting here at the Union, and then concentrically across the planet. We invite you to join our project by sending us your own miseries or simply by holding the space for our own when you view our blog. Keep in mind that all miseries are created equal, so "the chain came off my bike" is just as valid as "my best friend committed suicide". Just write "I am miserable because..." and then whatever ails you. For our heads, our hearts, our spirits and the power of all of us.

In misery and magnificence,
The MiserBunch