Albert Einstein famously said, “Problems cannot be solved from the same level of consciousness that created them.” This idea resonates deeply with me, as someone who is queer, Black, and nonbinary. Existing at the intersections of these identities provides what I call a triple consciousness—a heightened awareness that draws from multiple perspectives to confront the challenges of our society. It’s a lens through which I attempt to address some of the most pervasive problems we face today: disconnection, dysregulation, disparity, dysfunction, and diseased imagination.
"when to earth and brute is added in an environment of men and ideas. Then the attitude of the imprisoned group may take three main forms, a feeling of revolt and revenge, an attempt to adjust all thought and action to the will of the greater group, or finally, a determined effort of self-realization and self-development." -W.E.B. DuBois
Triple consciousness is an expansion of W.E.B. Du Bois’s concept of double consciousness, which describes the tension of seeing oneself through one’s own eyes and through the lens of a dominant culture that devalues one’s identity. For me, triple consciousness emerges from navigating life as queer, Black, and nonbinary, embodying multiple layers of difference in a world shaped by systems of oppression.
This positionality is not just a burden; it is also a source of creative and critical insight. It allows me to see how the dominant paradigms—rooted in whiteness, patriarchy, and binary thinking—fail to solve the problems they’ve created. Instead, this triple consciousness offers a vantage point to envision solutions that transcend these paradigms, centering interconnectedness, healing, equity, and liberation.
The Problems We Face
The issues I aim to address are interconnected and systemic, but they manifest in distinct ways:
Disconnection:
A loss of meaningful relationships with ourselves, each other, and the earth. This disconnection is a byproduct of individualism, colonialism, and capitalism, which prioritize profit and productivity over relationships and community.
Dysregulation:
The inability to navigate emotions and maintain balance in a world that constantly triggers trauma. Oppressive systems create environments where stress is normalized, leaving individuals and communities in perpetual states of anxiety or numbness.
Disparity:
The pervasive inequalities in wealth, opportunity, and access to resources. These disparities are deeply rooted in historical and systemic inequities, particularly those tied to race, gender, and class.
Dysfunction:
The breakdown of systems—whether political, economic, or social—that no longer serve the common good. Dysfunction is the result of prioritizing power and profit over human dignity and environmental sustainability.
Diseased Imagination:
The inability to envision a world beyond the current structures of domination and control. Diseased imagination keeps us stuck in cycles of fear and scarcity, preventing us from dreaming and creating liberatory futures.
Solving Problems Through Triple Consciousness
Einstein’s insight reminds us that the solutions to our problems require a consciousness fundamentally different from the one that created them. Queer, Black, and nonbinary experiences often resist binary thinking and fixed categories, pointing toward a worldview that values fluidity and connection. The systems that perpetuate disconnection, dysregulation, disparity, dysfunction, and diseased imagination are rooted in hierarchical, binary, and exclusionary thinking. Triple consciousness offers a pathway to transcend these limitations.
Being Black and nonbinary in a world that denies and polices both identities requires a deep engagement with the body as a site of resistance and creativity. This embodiment challenges disembodied and transactional approaches, offering a way of being that is grounded in lived experience and relational ethics.
This is not an abstract idea; queerness inherently disrupts norms and invites us to imagine new ways of being. it is lived, embodied, and practiced. This imaginative power is essential for healing a diseased imagination and envisioning a world beyond oppression. It is conjure—the process of bringing together the wisdom of the past, the possibilities of the present, and the vision for the future to create something liberatory and life-giving.
Triple consciousness fosters a unique ability to name and confront systemic injustices. It calls out the lies of supremacy and scarcity while offering alternative narratives rooted in equity and abundance.
To embrace this new level of consciousness, we must be willing to sit with discomfort, to unlearn the narratives of domination, and to listen to voices from the margins. It is in these voices—particularly the voices of queer, Black, and nonbinary people—that the wisdom for transformation resides. This is not just about solving problems; it’s about reimagining the very foundations of our world and building something beautiful, equitable, and free.
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