Rest Is Resistance: A Manifesto

In Part 2, Hersey, also known as the “Nap Bishop,” delves into the power of dreaming and daydreaming, as she frames them as acts of resistance and vital components of rest. Hersey’s narrative is interwoven with personal reflections, historical context, and a strong sense of spiritual and communal connection. She opens with a dedication to her ancestors, as she acknowledges their stolen labor and expresses a commitment to reclaiming the lost “DreamSpace” as a form of reparation and collective healing.

Hersey shares a daydreaming experience during a period of grief where she envisions a utopian planet free from societal ills like racism and sexism, a place where rest and dreams fuel existence. This vision, featuring figures like Trayvon Martin and Breonna Taylor in peaceful repose, highlights the healing potential of daydreaming and its capacity to offer solace and alternative realities. Hersey emphasizes daydreaming as a form of rest accessible at any time, a practice often stifled by a productivity-focused culture that devalues imagination and introspection.

Reflecting on her childhood, Hersey recalls moments of connection with her environment and herself through daydreaming, and she laments how societal pressures gradually encroached upon this personal space. She critiques the pervasive “grind culture” that prioritizes constant labor and productivity over individual well-being and spiritual fulfillment, reiterating, “You don’t have to kill yourself spiritually or physically to live a fruitful life” (123). Hersey argues for a radical reevaluation of rest, viewing it as a subversive act against the capitalist framework, which commodifies time and dehumanizes individuals.

The “Dream” aspect of Hersey’s rest movement is presented as a gateway to metaphysical and spiritual freedom and offers a reprieve from the constraints of a linear, pragmatic existence dominated by capitalist values. She calls for a suspension of practicality to embrace the boundless possibilities of dreaming, while advocating for a collective awakening to the detrimental effects of grind culture on the human spirit and psyche.

Hersey then connects the act of dreaming with historical and cultural narratives by drawing inspiration from Black religious thought and liberation theology. She cites the influence of Womanist theologian Emilie Townes, whose work differentiates between liberation as an ongoing process and freedom as a transient state, to articulate the continuous nature of the struggle for rest and emancipation. She describes how this distinction reinforces her view of rest as a dynamic, ever-evolving practice that challenges the static nature of oppressive systems.

Hersey focuses her message on the concept of the DreamSpace, a metaphysical space where individuals can engage with their innermost thoughts, fears, and aspirations. She outlines practical steps to cultivate this space, emphasizing community building, disengagement from digital distractions, and a return to more intentional, slower-paced living. She states that her call to action is not just about individual rest but about fostering a collective ethos that prioritizes care, connection, and mutual support.

Moreover, Hersey recounts the impact of her Collective Napping Experiences, community events where participants come together to rest and dream. She describes these gatherings as sacred acts of communal resistance, where individuals collectively confront and reject the demands of grind culture. Hersey shares anecdotes from her Nap Ministry sessions, where participants experienced deep emotional release and a reconnection to their humanity through the simple act of resting together. She describes these stories as illustrations of the depth of societal conditioning around busyness and productivity, as well as the healing power of acknowledging one’s right to rest. The emotional responses of participants, ranging from tears of realization to expressions of gratitude and connection, underscore the deep-seated need for rest and the power of collective healing.

Hersey furthermore emphasizes the violence of grind culture, as she describes it as a system that perpetuates trauma by devaluing the human need for rest and enforcing a relentless cycle of productivity. She critiques the capitalist framework for its role in disconnecting individuals from their inherent worth and divinity, which is not tied to their output or achievements. The narrative shifts to Hersey’s personal journey, who, through her own experiences of exhaustion and cultural trauma, deepened her understanding of rest as a radical and necessary act. She recounts how the historical accounts of enslaved individuals in the book Slave Testimony influenced her awakening to the need for rest and the dreaming of alternative realities where liberation and healing are possible.

Hersey recounts her grueling schedule during graduate school, offering a critique of the academic system as a microcosm of grind culture and highlighting the normalized expectation of overwork as well as the detrimental impact it has on mental and physical health. Using this personal reflection, she underscores the broader societal issue of burnout and the internalization of productivity as a measure of self-worth.

Hersey states that in establishing the Resurrect Rest School, a Nap Ministry initiative, she seeks to educate and provide a space for communal rest and learning, drawing inspiration from the Freedom Schools of the 1960s. This initiative is portrayed as a counter-narrative to the superficial engagement with rest on social media and offers a deeper, more intentional exploration of rest as a form of resistance. The school embodies the principle of dreaming as a collective endeavor, which is essential for challenging the oppressive structures of capitalism and white supremacy.

Hersey additionally extends her discussion of dreaming beyond the act of sleeping; she states that it is about envisioning a world where liberation and justice are attainable. She emphasizes the importance of love and community care in sustaining the movement for rest and resistance, and she challenges the individualistic and exploitative nature of grind culture. She advocates for a shift in perspective that recognizes the power of rest and dreaming to disrupt the status quo and catalyze social change as she strongly believes that “[g]rind culture has created a bunch of exhausted, disconnected, and traumatized people moving through life, unable to tap into their true power” (126).