- Pick up a shovel. Focus on what you can do and try to confront what you find overwhelming in the world. Remember that your decisions and actions matter. If you find yourself spiraling, work through the mindset shift presented in Action 1 and also remember the rituals for finding elements of joy in Action 6.
- Achieve information sobriety. Be intentional about your media consumption. Do not let the media lead you down a spiral; be careful about when and how you consume it. Check to make sure information is factual. Develop media habits that are healthy for you and your life. Support local and nonprofit media as well as new media sources, including creators who are accurately reporting and building trust.
- Start at your front door. Democracy is not an abstraction; it begins at your front door. Even if the first step is just getting to know your neighbors, take it; engage, then expand from there. Our connections to our communities are critical at a time when polarizing actors seek to build divisions between people. This is a dark and scary time; be prepared to protect yourself, family, and neighbors. Know your rights.
- Practice tailgate accountability. Lean into opportunities and spaces to get to know people with different backgrounds and beliefs. Build connection and deconstruct the caricatures people may have of you (and be open to adjust your impressions of them). We will all be richer in our experiences for knowing and building community with people who are not like us. Don’t let the intimacy of a space or relationship put you in a situation where you are complicit in fostering fear and hatred toward other people and groups; be accountable here too.
- Get serious about fear, courage, and joy. Don’t let fear write the last chapter of your or our nation’s story. Be curious about your fear and take the steps to choose courage. Don’t underestimate joy—embrace your joy and build rituals that replenish and fuel you.
- Remember the past, fight for the future. Don’t let the odds deter you; throughout our nation’s history, other people have overcome dark times.At the same time, understand that rebuilding democracy requires reimagining systems and structures that can hold all of us.Be part of the generational work of demanding more and creating a nation that truly serves all of us and affirms everyone’s equal dignity.Use the tools that have been tried and true in the past—above all, nonviolent direct collective action— to fight for the future.
- Keep going. Do not be discouraged. Rest when you need to. Then dive into the rituals that bring you joy and renew your spirit. We have a long journey ahead. We are planting the seeds of the future. The only way out is through, but if we move together—with our values intact and courage in our hearts— as ordinary people, we can meet what this extraordinary time requires of us.
