The short, short version to how we can get grounded, in the midst of the chaos up in these United States:
People.
We do it with community and connection. That doesn’t have to be complicated.
The divisiveness, threats of violence, fear, intolerance, threats, and whatever else are pervasive. It’s overwhelming.
What do we do in response? What can we do?
We create community and connection with the people we know (and have yet to meet) who share our values of kindness, tolerance, civility, inclusivity, democracy, pluralism… and so on.
We anchor ourselves in building and strengthening the kinds of connections we want to see in the world. We grow those out. We build on them. Little cells of stability and strength. We work out from those, and build more.
It doesn’t have to be complicated. It might be just having a dinner get-together at your place. It might be creating space to meet up with like-minded folks at a coffee shop or a bar to commiserate… or to strategize on what all can do together to do more. Or to take some action to help the democracy.
Maybe it’s checking in with someone who’s having a rough time. Someone I only know online did that for me today, as I had a rough week last week. It’s incredibly powerful.
We can also take the groups we’re already in or even the friends we have and ask them to do things a bit differently this fall to help us get voters energized and aware of what’s at stake this year. Why it’s so critical to vote.
What about if we asked the groups who are already involved in politics or some kind of volunteer stuff to help do things to just support people, community, connection, and solidarity this fall? Like the local country Democrats? A league of voters? A nonprofit? A climate action group? A women’s support group?
What if we help people know that we need each other to get through this, and go about helping each other through? It’s as simple as talking about it, and saying you’d like to be more involved or intentional in keeping in touch this fall to help build a better support system.
We can just have get-togethers where we hang out and figure out how we can work our own networks to reach more people than might be aware of politics in a non-presidential election year. Lots of folks are not tracking politics. How do we get in touch with them? Maybe it’s as simple as lunch, or coffee. Or phone calls.
Some political campaigns are working this connection thing through organizing work called “relational organizing.” It’s good to see, and there’s incredible potential. It’s all about getting people together and helping them get in touch with the people they know to talk about candidates or issues. And then creating a community of support to work through some of the awkwardness and uncomfortableness… or to share ideas, successes, and struggles.
We’re saying anyone one of us can do that in all kinds of ways. Have people over for tea or for a beer. Have a potluck. Have an event where you get like-minded folks together in a rural area so they know they’re not alone.
As we get closer to the election and things continue to intensify, this connection and community will be invaluable. We’ll need it not just to stay level-headed and to have faith in each other and in this democracy. We’ll need it to help people volunteer to run elections. We may need it to help people who are running elections to deal with threats or violence. We may need solidarity, community, and connection to help people overcome fear of voting itself.
We’re in an unprecedented time, but we have ways we can deal with it. It means we have to think a bit differently than what we’ve done before.
We can do that, though. We have very big brains. We have big hearts, too. We can use both for this moment. We need both. We’re going to need our deepest reserves, our biggest ideas, and our greatest courage. And then we’re going to need to build on all of that and do more. Community and connection will help.
Be safe out there. Look after some humans. Look after yourself. We can dream big, and we can keep this democracy. And so we will.
To volunteer to help make this kind of shift happen, go to: www.shiftthecountry.com/volunteer.
To donate, go to: www.shiftthecountry.com/donate, or subscribe to this Substack.
Onward.
Yes we can! Community and connection is key. It’s serious business, but the more the merrier. It’s great to have a place to share ideas and experiences. Onward!
You’re welcome, Vanessa. I hope others join in. We’ve got shift to do!