Hands Off!

I will march in Brattleboro this Saturday. I considered going to Montpelier, to participate in a larger protest, but this will be my third action in Brattleboro this year and each time I participate I feel blessed to live in this community. People here, like many people across our country, care deeply about the demise of our democracy. Taking to the streets in protest feels empowering. Protests matter; they make a difference. The slow coup that is ongoing in Washington can be stopped by the people. There is evidence throughout history and around the world that when people rise up in protest change occurs. There is power in solidarity.

I have avoided politics in this newsletter over the past year, but activism breeds resilience and this is a column about resilience. I have observed that friends and acquaintances who are most dragged down by the shenanigans of our current government are those who avoid digging into the news (reading just headlines), avoid making calls or sending postcards to elected officials, and avoid protests. Hoping something will change but doing nothing to affect that desired outcome leads to a sense of powerlessness, in any aspect of one's life. Those who are not part of the solution are part of the problem, and being part of the problem is a hopeless situation.

Is this a call to action? Perhaps it is. After all, I push resilience here, and activism breeds resilience. Keeping one's head in the sand does not. Simply hoping that things will change for the better does nothing. Simply complaining, or commiserating with like-minded people is a waste of time and energy. What are you doing to save our democracy?