Today at Civic Center in San Francisco, a small but raucous crowd of citizens calling attention and voicing opposition to the vicious dismantling of our government and international reputation, met with cheers and honks from just married couples and drivers passing by alike.
The plan for the hostile government takeover was always to sow chaos, fear, and pain, to break safety nets, alliances, environmental protections, the economy, civil and human rights of all kinds, everything.
For those of us who read Project 2025 or listened to the retribution talk, none of this comes as a surprise. But while this first part was scripted and there’s not much we could do about it, how this plays out depends on all of us.
I get that a lot of folks are exhausted, dispirited, and feeling hopeless. And I feel that too. But what I tell everyone who asks how I can keep my optimism is that my sense of hope is of a strategic nature, because a) I know that widespread defeatism is exactly the goal of fascists, b) you cannot develop good resistance and resilience without the belief that adversity can be overcome, and c) the more people I see convinced that we can beat the bully and who are willing to stand up and fight, the more inspired I get and thus I figure my own attitude can have the same effect on others.
If you believe as I do that we are all connected, then every small individual thought or act counts towards the whole. And for me, I’ve found that being in the streets with fellow human beings who feel as committed to pushing back as I do really helps in keeping my North Star shining bright in the darkness.
This is just the beginning of a long and arduous road, on which many twists and turns will have to be mastered. Let’s help each other navigate and give encouragement along the way.
“…I figure my own attitude can have the same effect on others. ” It most certainly does!!
Thanks Ruth. Hope you’re doing as well as can be.