Open thread: What's your chosen method of resistance?
It’s Friday, late July, the Dog Days of Summer, you might say, and we’re overwhelmed not only by the heat, but also by the incessant stream of bad news emanating out of the nation’s capitol — and much of the rest of the world. So much stupidity, corruption, cruelty, death, despair. So little compassion, empathy, peace, love, and understanding. It’s maddening, frustrating, and heartbreaking.
But we can’t surrender or resign ourselves to it. We must resist, even if only in very personal, private ways. So I’m wondering how you resist or, if you prefer, how you cope with it all. Do you write letters to your congressional representatives? Go on a long bike ride or run? Yell at the television? Immerse yourself in nature? Get in social media flame wars? Monkeywrench (essay coming soon on this topic)? Have an extra glass of wine or four? Pet your dogs and cats? Or something else.
Whatever it is, I’m aching to hear from you all! This one’s even open to non-paid subscribers. So go for it.
Buying power is my biggest muscle. Choose how and where you spend your money.
Second biggest muscle is kindness. Have compassion for all things, especially during a reactive moment. Coping mechanism is boundaries around screen time and taking back that scroll time to spend it with others having real conversations again. I love watching the bumbles and honey bees making the most of the time they have in this summer of abundance.
This might sound a bit strange, but I've been spending my time having down-to-earth conversations with conservative friends to get their views/thoughts, and sharing my own. It helps to round out their news sources which have bias, and helps me make sure I'm still thinking correctly with all angles. I know it's not much but I find it helpful.