My mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” To this day, especially in times of disaster, I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers — so many caring people in this world. (Fred Rogers)
In this time of escalating chaos, fear, and hate our children and our whole community need us all to be helpers in whatever way we can. Whether it is the climate crisis, rising fascism, or horrifying wealth inequality, we can rise to this moment.
And remember that this is neither a sprint nor a marathon: it is a sprintathon.
Step one: prioritize
Decide whether you want to look at a wide range of issues, or a narrower one, and whether you want to focus on federal, state, or local issues.
Being more focused and understanding why your focus is important to you will help you to stay involved on a sustained basis.
There are things you can control, things you can influence, and things that concern you. Investing time in the first two areas will be more rewarding.
Step two: allocate time
Set aside time in your schedule every day or every week, or both. If you find yourself running out of time, you may need to narrow your focus, or decide that you will give up something else to increase the time you allocate.
Step three: curate your feed
This is fancy internet-speak for “choose your sources and prune ruthlessly”. It’s easy for your desk and your email inbox to get cluttered with distractions.
- Unsubscribe from as much as you can.
- Whether you use Gmail or Hotmail, you can help teach your email provider what things are spam.
- Avoid consuming media that focuses on spectacle and outrage. Look for sources that strive to inform you and help you prioritize your control and influence.
Step four: find community and joy
Get out to non-political events and do things that are fun with other people around whom you can be yourself. There are formal and informal groups for skiing, hiking, archery, target shooting, movies, and more. Even if you’re not LGBTQ+, some groups encourage allies to also join.
Start something! A kaffeeklatsch, a cooking club, a movie night, a wine-tasting group…
Build unions! Is your workplace unionized? Why not? Do you know people who might want to start a union where they work?
And make sure to come to future Donuts and Democracy events; we want them to be a social space that is political, but not “machine politics”.
Key do’s and don’ts
Do: get information that helps you act
For state and local issues, if you only sign up for one thing, it should be the Kent Street Coalition “KSC Happenings” (Newsletter). Every Sunday you will receive a summary of upcoming legislation for the next week, along with tools to help you act.
Consider using Bluesky where you can choose what posts you see, not a wealth-hoarding crypto-fascist billionaire. See How to Get Started on Bluesky: A Guide for Beginners.
Other useful sources:
- General: AFSC New Hampshire State House Watch: more in-depth, and extremely useful if you find you want more information and/or have more time to read it
- Environment, energy and climate: New Hampshire Network Bill Actions
- Others?
Don’t: let corporations grind you up like hamburgers
Stay away from Facebook, except for the Belknap County Democrats private group.
Avoid Instagram, Twitter, CNN, MSNBC, etc as your sole news source. These are designed to distract, exhaust, and commoditize you. The more unhappy and isolated you are, the easier it is to sell you things.
Don’t trust the NY Times, Boston Globe, or Washington Post to keep you fully or accurately informed. The Guardian is not perfect, but it’s less biased in favor of the elites, has broad national and global coverage, and has no paywall.