The need for community in times of uncertainty
This week has been. . . eventful. There were more times than usual that I thought “what is happening?!?” It made me think about how we have the gift of hindsight when it comes to history. We know how things turned out (or, more accurately, evolved into the world in which we are now living).
There are so many “how is this happening?” moments throughout history. The strong social change agents we are inspired by likely had moments of doubt and confusion. They did not know what the next day would bring, on a personal, local, national or international level. But they kept pushing towards a more just and equitable world, a mantle we now take up.
This is all to say, it is OK to be overwhelmed, it is OK to be discouraged. It is human. But we can’t let our confusion and discouragement overpower us. And keeping faith that we can make a difference is not a solitary task.
We need each other. We need to respect our differences, to understand and celebrate that we all come from different backgrounds, be it race, gender, sexuality, socioeconomic status, geographic location, educational background, physical and mental health status. We must recognize that we do not have the same experiences as others and always be willing to listen and learn and not speak to experiences that are not our own.
In order to create positive social change, we need a strong, healthy and supportive movement made up of people willing to learn from their experience, willing to be uncomfortable at times, willing to know that they don’t know everything.
Over the next few posts (which will be shifting to weekly rather than daily) the blog will focus on building strong organizations-- from creating healthy group culture to collective care strategies. An organization does not only mean a 501(c)3 national nonprofit. It means family units, groups of friends, grassroots organizations, neighborhood activist circles, book clubs, postcard writing groups, school clubs, faith communities-- any group working toward a common goal. In this context, the focus will be on groups with resistance or activism-focused activities, as this does create unique opportunities and challenges.
