Don't Just Look for the Helpers, Become a Helper
On taking action
2025 is off to a grueling start. Like many of you, I’ve watched in horror as the fires in California devastate communities and ecosystems. Many of us living in the United States are dreading January 20th when Donald Trump will be inaugurated for a second term and has carte blanche to begin executing on the threats he’s made for the last four years. It feels overwhelming and remarkably tempting at times to wring our hands in despair. What can we as individuals possibly do to combat massive, exploitative systems? How are we to maintain hope when the media portrays perpetual bleakness?
Despair is a tempting companion. I’m suspicious of anyone who claims it isn’t. How could it not be? I’ve witnessed millions of us spend the last fifteen months protesting and speaking out against the genocide in Gaza. We’ve sent aid and supplies across an ocean and watched helplessly as their homeland and people are massacred. When we see no tangible improvement for our efforts, we can…