HOW WE SURVIVE
Wisconsin for the win! Bluesky trainings. Cirque du Democracy!
I don’t need to tell you that being an activist is no picnic right now. But sitting it out, while maybe helpful in the short term, won’t really change things for the better in the long run. So how do we continue?
Survival is part of the fight. If we don’t survive – physically, mentally, and spiritually – we don’t get to keep fighting. I read as much as I can, and a book I read a while ago keeps popping into my mind: Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why. In it, bestselling author Lawrence Gonzales sets out to answer why, when disaster strikes, some of us come out the other side and some of us do not.
What struck me were two simple but surprising traits shared by the survivors he interviewed. One, was that each survivor did not believe they would be rescued. They knew that they had to get to work to fend for themselves. And the second was their ability to see beauty even in the darkest moments. A sunset, a flower, a remembered snippet of a favorite song.
We want our representatives, our courts, and our institutions to save us. My feeling is that we should recognize that only we can save ourselves and our democracy. We have to get to work fending for ourselves. By being in community, by committing small acts of kindness, by organizing, by protesting loudly and often, by taking the time to grieve, by finding warmth and shelter whenever we can, we are taking direct action. And we must practice seeing beauty wherever we can find it. Even when the chaos and cruelty seem overwhelming. Especially then. Turn off the news. Put the phone down. Read a book. Listen to an album. Share coffee, or a meal, or a movie with a friend. Sleep in. Eat a healthy meal. Volunteer. Do something unexpected for a loved one. Get outside if you can.
We can make this world a better place for all of us. How beautiful is that! And we are survivors. So let’s get to work fending for ourselves and each other.
– Dale Roy Robinson, COO, Field Team 6
Find all the ways you can volunteer HERE.
Sitting out is simply no longer an option. Here are a few ways you can do something right now:
#1: The Wisconsin Supreme Court. The April 1 election determines if the court retains a liberal majority or flips conservative. That court will decide election law and play a key role in shaping the '26 midterms and '28 presidential. The week of Mar. 11th there are many ways you can help: Text. Phonebanking. Postcards.
#2: Bluesky trainings. X is old news. Blue skies are the next big thing. Check it out – in just a short a few months on the Bluesky social app, we've literally doubled the followers we had on that old cesspool after years of work. Learn everything you need to know to get started being an influencer for democracy. Beginners, sign up for Wednesday, March 12 at 11a PT/2p ET. Bluesky veterans, sign up for Wednesday, March 12 at 3p PT/6p ET
Bonus upcoming behind-the-scenes volunteer fair March 20, 5p PT/8p ET Cirque du Democracy!