How to do it:

Values

Values are the things we believe in : honesty, justice, civility, humility, courage, integrity. Not all values are mutually compatible. One person may be dedicated to pacifism, while another person may believe violence sometimes has to be stopped with violence. It’s important to identify your values. These are often things that seem so obvious we assume everyone else feels the same way, because it’s the right way. Obviously! We are strongest when we honor our own values while respecting other people’s differing values. NOTE: this does not mean you have to tolerate intolerance. Values will help you decide how you want to resist. I value honesty, inclusion and education, which led me here.

Here is a list of values to help you get started: https://brenebrown.com/resources/dare-to-lead-list-of-values/. (Image is from a longer list on this page.)

Your Lane

Once you find your style of resistance, you still have to decide where to apply your effort. Nobody can do everything. You’d drown trying to drink from the fire hose of awful things. If you don’t know what you want to work on, try this exercise:

Jot down the top five things you’re distressed by today. (These might not be the objectively most important items.) If you don’t see a pattern, do it once a week until a picture emerges. Your priorities may be oriented around a population (kids, immigrants) or around a topic (health care, education) or a type of authoritarian consolidation (militarization, dismantling of norms.) Once you have an issue in mind, look for a local group working on it. (If it’s a bad fit, try again, or pick a runner-up topic.)