The Beast of Times

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The Beast of Times, a play directed by Mark Valdez starring Adelina Anthony and D’Lo, was perhaps one of the most refreshing, hilarious, unpretentious, brilliant and painfully honest plays I have ever attended. The play examines political consciousness through animal characters that are personified as present day political activists (in the animal world). Issues such as conflicts within activist organizations and revolutions are brought to attention and the play made me think about the infinite complexities of society and how systems of oppression work in such intricate ways that make it difficult to reach definite conclusions for resolution.

How do we send out a universal message to the entire population of the world that is comprehensive and relatable for all? It seems impossible, because our identity politics are shaped through drastically different experiences as we all come from various environments, cultures, and families that give us different sets of challenges for each individual. Differences cause conflict oftentimes but, as philosophically cheesy as it sounds, I think the process of going through conflicts is what makes life a beautiful experience as we learn to understand things that we are first apprehensive about.

Being aware of the blatantly obvious forms of oppression and prejudice that the mass too often seems oblivious of can put one in a lonely and painful place, especially if the person experiences such prejudices directly as the victim of being a minority. For activists it may be incredibly frustrating, infuriating, and exhausting trying to fight for causes that never seem to be heard by the mass, but I think it’s important to remember that change takes time. The most we can do is continue to try our best by being the best person that we can be; by having our actions align with our core self and beliefs and setting examples for others. Each of our actions and beliefs count! After all, as Gloria Anzaldúa said (and as quoted in the play): “The revolution begins at home”.