"How long? Not long."

[pat_k]

15. "Hope is as much the life's blood of resistance, as lies are for authoritarians"

Quote from Tad Stoermer.

Of all our jobs in this crisis, helping each other resist despair and cynicism that immobilizes, and nurturing hope that feeds our souls and inspires us to connect with others in action, is by far the most critical. It's that positive feedback loop of hope and action -- however small those acts may seem -- that will save us.

Given the horrors we are witnessing, keeping hope alive takes a concerted effort. Perhaps the most effective way to keep hope alive is connecting with others who are doing things locally.

Ariella Elm's "Daily Dems Doing the Work, Making Noise and Fighting Back Day XXX" is also inspiring and sometimes includes people-powered actions that can be emulated.

And try not to do the work of the counter-resistance for them by promoting messages that sap hope. Don't mistake cynicism for realism. We can be realistic about the challenges before us while staying connected to our humanity, determination, faith in each other, and the hope that faith sparks.

8.5 min video on counter-resistance from Tad Stoermer. His example is the salt truck's misinformation, but he also talks more generally about the need to be vigilant, else we can find ourselves echoing counter-resistance communications.