In order to resist, and to get out of my comfort zone, I've been stepping into my physical community more. For many years I have stayed in, read books, watched movies, and chatted with people online more than I have gone out, taken in live entertainment, and enjoyed face-to-face conversations. Obviously, certain external obstacles have exacerbated this inclination, but my introverted nature was already primed to take this path as I grow further into adulthood.
I regularly attended Parent/Teacher Club meetings when my oldest entered Kindergarten, but I stayed naturally silent and I never felt that I was contributing anything of value. When COVID began, the meeting went online and I didn't think they needed me or I needed them, so I stopped attending, even when in-person meetings began again. Now, my oldest is in 6th grade and I feel it is my duty to contribute what I can, even if it's just an extra (silent) face.
Like most people, I detest uncertainty. Before I commit, I want to know what the exact situation will be, how my donation will be spent, or, at the very least, who will be there. I constantly need to remind myself that certainty prior to action is rare, if not entirely impossible, and I must step up, dive in, and navigate the risks anyway.
Thank you for your thoughts and writings. They are a wonderful reinforcement during these times of uncertain decisions.
Thanks for this thoughtful note! I also have the instinct that face to face participation is part of how we prepare for what's coming. Also it's just fortifying in the moment.
I think the "not knowing" is a good place to be for a bit. I've done a couple Tesla protests knowing full well that it won't be nearly enough, but it's helping me build some muscle for what I think might be coming next. (Always good to be around a few hundred pissed off compatriots!)
What is frustrating and what I'm kinda waiting for (though maybe I shouldn't be) is some focus and coherence in whatever "movement" this is. In a lot of those town halls with Dems, people are like "Tell me where and when and I'll show up to fight." I think there are lots of folks who want to do something but who also want to be led. Who will be the catalyst, the MLK so to speak to clarify the message that we can coalesce around and start a real resistance? (It definitely will not be our institutions.)
I'm good with getting uncomfortable. But random discomfort won't turn the tide. So, yeah, I'm "not knowing" right now too. But I'm hoping to "know" what to do more clearly sooner rather than later.
I am a lifelong Floridian, mother of three, career federal attorney, former DI athlete, and climate activist shaped by the rivers that raised me — that is who I am. I grew up on Florida's Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River in Martin County; the most biodiverse waterway in North America. With my black lab and, later, my best friend Kelley, I spent summer mornings putt-putting around mangroves in a faded red dinghy with a 15-HP Evinrude that Kelley and I christened the "Titanic." We watched manatees surface, dolphins arc through the water, and rays glide beneath us like living shadows. One evening, as I threaded the boat through a narrow channel, a ray leaped across the bow. That astonishing moment still takes my breath away. We caught snook and catfish, collected mangrove propagules, and playfully turned over hermit crabs to watch them snap back into their shells before cautiously reemerging. I always wondered, "Are they curious about me too?" I didn’t know it then, but I was collecting more than memories — I was collecting purpose.
That lagoon, wild and free, gave me a truth I could trust — no spin, no agenda, just pulsing life, honest and abundant. It became my compass. Today, it's tides strain under the weight of runoff, the crush of development, and the mounting pressures of climate change -- exacerbated by cynical politics and short-sighted greed that refuse to account for the true bottom line: people, planet, and prosperity. Summers grow hotter, waters sicker, and the wild places that shaped me are slipping away.
Yet, I carry the lagoon’s lessons fiercely. I owe it to those waters, to the creatures who shaped me, and to my children who will inherit the consequences of our choices, to fight — with urgency, with resolve, and with hope. I fight so that this fragile, radiant web of life has a chance not only to endure, but to flourish, for generations to come.
First thank you for naming how many people are tuning out. I want to scream at my friends but it is not (ha) effective. I invite them to do things from time to time. Also my husband works for a big NGO so he’s fighting the bad guys everyday to keep his programs and team intact so there’s that too. And there’s convincing people protests matter and calling our reps matter. I find myself so relieved when someone is as upset as I am. It’s just maddening how people are checked out. THANK you!!!
I am always mulling over why we aren’t doing big actions right when we also all have so many opinions and I think that screens are a massive one! We recently got rid of our TV and the amount of time we now have is insane, and even just time to genuinely ponder, and they definitely decrease our ability to truly connect as instead of being bored we watch things whereas in times gone past we would have found connection and I suppose our attention spans are cooked so how do we do global movements without attention.
I also think that we put having stuff over time because that’s what we have been indoctrinated to do our entire lives. I listen to a lady called jade miles and she talks about the comfort crisis often and it’s amazing how much money it takes from us which then means we need to work more then need more down time then less connection then inability to be present where our world truly needs us now. So how do we truly start great grassroots movements.
Even just the way we raise our girls, imagine if instead of everyone telling my girls how pretty their dress is everyday or their hair is so nice brushed, they say tell me what amazing thoughts you have had today! Imagine if we all grew up thinking we were incredible thinkers and what we wore didn’t matter, we didn’t have to put on
Makeup or ponder the outfit, like all these fucking psycho men, now I think that would be the most powerful thing ever! 50% of the population could swing us back into a long term thinking matriarchal society, now that would be a game changer!
Of the major areas to focus on, my favorite has always been building radical, sustainable alternatives to the systems that are falling down around us. So that’s what I’m continuing to do - speaking at my church for Earth Day about sustainability (wonder and gratitude as radical acts), organizing events to get families involved in local climate activism, making it easier and safer to not rely on a car for transportation. These alternatives will be more important than ever and we need those foundations in place for change to happen.
Thanks, as always, Anya for your thoughtful writing. There seems to be some parallels here with the climate crisis. People, for the most part know (most of) what's happening, but cling to their own routines, comforts, focus on their personal day to day lives, and carry on. Sure, there are lots of protests going on, but your everyday person has yet to get into the streets. I wonder what it's going to take to shake people out of complacency. I've been going to my share of protests, calling my reps, etc. but I also feel very guilty for not doing more, although I'm not sure what that "more" entails yet.
There's also the element of American exceptionalism--I wonder to what extent that plays a role in people's disbelief that any of the horrific things that are happening now could really happen *here.* (Ask and Black or Indigenous person, though, and they'll tell you that's this is nothing new.)
Thank you, Anya, for this important post. On the what new versus not what’s not new dichotomy, one question I’ve been sitting with amongst this deluge of awful news is what is Trump specific versus what is a replica (or continuation) of what we might’ve seen in other Republican administrations - for example, Bush, or Reagan. What is part of the grand collapse of everything, versus what is a continuation of the awful came before? I don’t have answers to these questions, unfortunately, and I’m not even sure how much the distinction matters (what is awful is still awful, even if not new), but I do suspect that at least some of what is happening now is not entirely unlike the things we documented in the 2000s.
Yes I know what you mean! I do think it's a useful distinction to try to draw. On the one hand, it helps explain "how did we get here" and on the other, it can add a bit of nuance to the catastrophizing.
In order to resist, and to get out of my comfort zone, I've been stepping into my physical community more. For many years I have stayed in, read books, watched movies, and chatted with people online more than I have gone out, taken in live entertainment, and enjoyed face-to-face conversations. Obviously, certain external obstacles have exacerbated this inclination, but my introverted nature was already primed to take this path as I grow further into adulthood.
I regularly attended Parent/Teacher Club meetings when my oldest entered Kindergarten, but I stayed naturally silent and I never felt that I was contributing anything of value. When COVID began, the meeting went online and I didn't think they needed me or I needed them, so I stopped attending, even when in-person meetings began again. Now, my oldest is in 6th grade and I feel it is my duty to contribute what I can, even if it's just an extra (silent) face.
Like most people, I detest uncertainty. Before I commit, I want to know what the exact situation will be, how my donation will be spent, or, at the very least, who will be there. I constantly need to remind myself that certainty prior to action is rare, if not entirely impossible, and I must step up, dive in, and navigate the risks anyway.
Thank you for your thoughts and writings. They are a wonderful reinforcement during these times of uncertain decisions.
Thanks for this thoughtful note! I also have the instinct that face to face participation is part of how we prepare for what's coming. Also it's just fortifying in the moment.
I think the "not knowing" is a good place to be for a bit. I've done a couple Tesla protests knowing full well that it won't be nearly enough, but it's helping me build some muscle for what I think might be coming next. (Always good to be around a few hundred pissed off compatriots!)
What is frustrating and what I'm kinda waiting for (though maybe I shouldn't be) is some focus and coherence in whatever "movement" this is. In a lot of those town halls with Dems, people are like "Tell me where and when and I'll show up to fight." I think there are lots of folks who want to do something but who also want to be led. Who will be the catalyst, the MLK so to speak to clarify the message that we can coalesce around and start a real resistance? (It definitely will not be our institutions.)
I'm good with getting uncomfortable. But random discomfort won't turn the tide. So, yeah, I'm "not knowing" right now too. But I'm hoping to "know" what to do more clearly sooner rather than later.
Yes, building those muscles. Tesla Takedown is good for that.
- Tracy
Planning on attending my first one tomorrow!
Actually just found this that speaks to the current vacuum of leadership. https://www.notesfromthecircus.com/p/the-silence-of-the-reasonable
I am a lifelong Floridian, mother of three, career federal attorney, former DI athlete, and climate activist shaped by the rivers that raised me — that is who I am. I grew up on Florida's Indian River Lagoon and St. Lucie River in Martin County; the most biodiverse waterway in North America. With my black lab and, later, my best friend Kelley, I spent summer mornings putt-putting around mangroves in a faded red dinghy with a 15-HP Evinrude that Kelley and I christened the "Titanic." We watched manatees surface, dolphins arc through the water, and rays glide beneath us like living shadows. One evening, as I threaded the boat through a narrow channel, a ray leaped across the bow. That astonishing moment still takes my breath away. We caught snook and catfish, collected mangrove propagules, and playfully turned over hermit crabs to watch them snap back into their shells before cautiously reemerging. I always wondered, "Are they curious about me too?" I didn’t know it then, but I was collecting more than memories — I was collecting purpose.
That lagoon, wild and free, gave me a truth I could trust — no spin, no agenda, just pulsing life, honest and abundant. It became my compass. Today, it's tides strain under the weight of runoff, the crush of development, and the mounting pressures of climate change -- exacerbated by cynical politics and short-sighted greed that refuse to account for the true bottom line: people, planet, and prosperity. Summers grow hotter, waters sicker, and the wild places that shaped me are slipping away.
Yet, I carry the lagoon’s lessons fiercely. I owe it to those waters, to the creatures who shaped me, and to my children who will inherit the consequences of our choices, to fight — with urgency, with resolve, and with hope. I fight so that this fragile, radiant web of life has a chance not only to endure, but to flourish, for generations to come.
First thank you for naming how many people are tuning out. I want to scream at my friends but it is not (ha) effective. I invite them to do things from time to time. Also my husband works for a big NGO so he’s fighting the bad guys everyday to keep his programs and team intact so there’s that too. And there’s convincing people protests matter and calling our reps matter. I find myself so relieved when someone is as upset as I am. It’s just maddening how people are checked out. THANK you!!!
I really love this piece!
I am always mulling over why we aren’t doing big actions right when we also all have so many opinions and I think that screens are a massive one! We recently got rid of our TV and the amount of time we now have is insane, and even just time to genuinely ponder, and they definitely decrease our ability to truly connect as instead of being bored we watch things whereas in times gone past we would have found connection and I suppose our attention spans are cooked so how do we do global movements without attention.
I also think that we put having stuff over time because that’s what we have been indoctrinated to do our entire lives. I listen to a lady called jade miles and she talks about the comfort crisis often and it’s amazing how much money it takes from us which then means we need to work more then need more down time then less connection then inability to be present where our world truly needs us now. So how do we truly start great grassroots movements.
Even just the way we raise our girls, imagine if instead of everyone telling my girls how pretty their dress is everyday or their hair is so nice brushed, they say tell me what amazing thoughts you have had today! Imagine if we all grew up thinking we were incredible thinkers and what we wore didn’t matter, we didn’t have to put on
Makeup or ponder the outfit, like all these fucking psycho men, now I think that would be the most powerful thing ever! 50% of the population could swing us back into a long term thinking matriarchal society, now that would be a game changer!
Of the major areas to focus on, my favorite has always been building radical, sustainable alternatives to the systems that are falling down around us. So that’s what I’m continuing to do - speaking at my church for Earth Day about sustainability (wonder and gratitude as radical acts), organizing events to get families involved in local climate activism, making it easier and safer to not rely on a car for transportation. These alternatives will be more important than ever and we need those foundations in place for change to happen.
Yes ! I am seeing a new value in 'building' actions and those at the local level.
Thanks, as always, Anya for your thoughtful writing. There seems to be some parallels here with the climate crisis. People, for the most part know (most of) what's happening, but cling to their own routines, comforts, focus on their personal day to day lives, and carry on. Sure, there are lots of protests going on, but your everyday person has yet to get into the streets. I wonder what it's going to take to shake people out of complacency. I've been going to my share of protests, calling my reps, etc. but I also feel very guilty for not doing more, although I'm not sure what that "more" entails yet.
There's also the element of American exceptionalism--I wonder to what extent that plays a role in people's disbelief that any of the horrific things that are happening now could really happen *here.* (Ask and Black or Indigenous person, though, and they'll tell you that's this is nothing new.)
Agree about the parallel to the climate crisis!
Thank you, Anya, for this important post. On the what new versus not what’s not new dichotomy, one question I’ve been sitting with amongst this deluge of awful news is what is Trump specific versus what is a replica (or continuation) of what we might’ve seen in other Republican administrations - for example, Bush, or Reagan. What is part of the grand collapse of everything, versus what is a continuation of the awful came before? I don’t have answers to these questions, unfortunately, and I’m not even sure how much the distinction matters (what is awful is still awful, even if not new), but I do suspect that at least some of what is happening now is not entirely unlike the things we documented in the 2000s.
Yes I know what you mean! I do think it's a useful distinction to try to draw. On the one hand, it helps explain "how did we get here" and on the other, it can add a bit of nuance to the catastrophizing.
Thank you for this - so clear headed and urgent without pushing my psyche into panic. We need more writing like this right now, that’s for damn sure.
Thank you so much Courtney! That's the line to be riding, for sure.
Thank you Anya for this piece.
thanks Madeleine for reading and all the work that you do!
This is beautiful, thank you for sharing -- I'm a daughter of the Gulf Coast.