The Long Haul...

Observing social media and news feeds, two obstacles loom ~ fatigue and division. 

Fatigue.  It’s a rush to ride the collective adrenaline and outrage of the moment. With recovery from any deep grief, we eventually return to a familiar rhythm and routine. Life interrupts our best intentions and has to be attended to while rhetoric fades to background noise. 

The isolationist US drug her feet entering WWII and the young men and women who signed up blithely announced they were going to end the war in a couple of months. Long bloody years later, if they were lucky and blessed, they came home to become our parents and grand-parents. Of course, women have never been in charge of a war before and civil disobedience is a powerful armament for change. 

The first strategy of a facist regime is to weary people already overloaded with daily concerns by monotonous bombast. (Same with narcissists.) Witness the non-response verbal vomit of the confirmation hearings. Living among compassionate and thoughtful people doesn’t prepare us for the exhaustion of lack of authenticity and entitled insanity. 

For a long haul we must examine our physical and emotional stamina. Recognize how and where our talents will make our best contribution and how we can allocate our energy in a difficult engagement over time.  

Division. Division over the nuances of commitment to what is ethical in the world and what organization will best promote the beliefs we share is a death knell to forward progress. From diet programs to tires, people fight for the right to be right. We can’t afford anything but mutual respect and support even if another’s way is not our approach. 

We need to keep the focus on human rights, women’s rights, civil rights then plan to endure and make a difference. 

Think smart. Breathe. What’s the right next step?