"Keep each other safe: keep faith"-- brainstorming collective care strategies
Brainstorming to RESUSCITATE
Today will wrap up the brainstorming session of planning. The focus now is on caring for others, what I am calling the “resuscitate” focus. Consider the following quote as you brainstorm” “Keep each other safe: Keep faith.” -JK Rowling (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows)*
Who am I in a position to encourage to “keep the faith” that resistance is not futile?
How can I do this? What is something that this person/people could use help with? What cheers them up?
* This quote is my favorite of the entire Harry Potter series. It is poignant on its own, and even more so as you know the context. It is spoken by the character Lee Jordan, in the heart of the resistance against Voldemort. Lee is a member of the resistance who uses his experience as a sports announcer to start an underground radio station called Potterwatch. The show provides news in an era of state-run propaganda media. They go beyond providing news, though. They also give tips for resistance and survival. Most importantly, they try to inspire hope. At this point in the saga, Voldemort and his Death Eaters have taken over the government, the media, and the education system, and are dehumanizing and persecuting groups of magical and non-magical humans. The resistance is dwindling. People are dying. There is nothing happening to inspire people to keep faith. And yet, Lee Jordan and his Potterwatch friends keep going. They use this line used to close out each broadcast, before packing up and moving to a new location to maintain their personal safety. I believe it perfectly surmises what we must do now. We must focus on having each other’s backs-- both those we know personally and those we don’t. We must continue to speak the truth to power. We must remember that even when the outlook is grim there is reason to keep resisting and to keep faith. And we must remind each other to do the same.