It is a hard time to be alive in my country. We are struggling these days under the boot of authoritarian leaders. Everyone is stressed, and the world seems to be a terrible place. Each day we are mentally assailed by the travesties being committed, and that in and of itself is exhausting. To bury our heads in the sand is to betray those we would care for, but to remain aware seems self-defeating as we do more harm to ourselves mentally and emotionally.

I was speaking with my brother the other day about what to do. There’s a common leadership technique taught involving three circles, with the closest being your immediate family, where you have the most influence. The middle ring is friends and social groups, your book club or bowling league, board game night, etc. the last is everything else: big country world politics, people you’ve never met across your country or in another part of the globe. He suggested the remedy is to just focus on those inner circles. And that’s fine, and we should do that. We have to take care of ourselves and our families. I also think local community and grassroots organization is a damned fine way to fight back against oppressors.

I still think local organization can still suffer from systemic violence and oppression. And that unless we dismantle the system that is acting in violence towards us, it will keep happening. Those government agencies killing people and snatching them off the street are functioning as intended: terrorism tools against minorities within the US to make people of different skin colors and lives afraid. The violence, the cruelty is the point. They want us scared, tired, and to keep us that way.

Two truths can exist at the same time: that yes- it is ok to rest, and that damn- we have to do something. I will not judge you for taking the time you need to care for yourself. If that means exiting social media, seeing therapy, or just taking the time to focus on your loved ones and families. By that same metric, there are those that need us, and encourage you to work with your local communities to support one another, and to be a vocal and educated enemy of fascism and authoritarians who would do other humans harm. Cast a vote in the ballot box, seek out ACLU meetings and local community gatherings and voice yourselves, take care of your friends having a hard time, and look out for those different than yourself.

All we have in this world is each other.