Faith & Fight Over Fear
We're heading into a week that many of us have been dreading after months of build up.
A week of regime change, a week of uncertainty, a week many of us have strong fear about. I saw a headline in the NYT this morning that really stuck with me. It made comparisons between the last time this particular president took office vs. what it looks like this week. The overwhelming sentiment was that many have lost the fight in them to object in traditional ways (i.e. marches, etc.) to this regime change. But what I latched on to was this idea that the fight is just different this time. That is largely because it has to be different. The world we live in is ever evolving, and so the ways that we do things has to evolve to.
One of the biggest ways our lives has changed is the amount of media we're consuming now vs. then. More apps and formats for communication and a faster speed in which to do so have led to us constantly being inundated with information. As I write this, Tiktok just came back online after a less than 24 hour shut down that created all sorts of chaos amongst it's loyal consumers (myself included). The amount of information we're exposed to has become a double edged sword. On the one hand, we have the opportunity to get exposure to different ideas and types of information from all over the world. On the other hand, how much is too much? And how much are we critically considering the information we're being fed? And when is it time to call it quits on so much outside consumption, vs. turning inward, towards our own inner compass?
When I think about why people may have "lost the fight" so to speak, I can understand why. This isn't our first rodeo going through this, and I also think frankly- everyone has become tired and jaded. And how could you not? In a time where it's harder than ever to get ahead of our bills and our commitments, what are you left with at the end of the day? When life is life-ing, it's easy to feel hopeless about the enormous elephant in the room. The elephant that is, what's to become of our world, as we hand back the keys of the kingdom to a convicted felon, and his merry men/women? They've got us exactly where they want us- tired and hopeless. Or do they?
I think the approach this time around needs to be equal parts faith and fight, depending on the moment. Faith that there are more of us than the bad guys. Faith that we can make a difference. Faith that we can start small, vs. feel like we have to boil the ocean. One of my favorite quotes comes from the Santa Clause ;) Seeing isn't believing, believing is seeing. Believing is seeing that there is a path for us different than the one being laid out. Seeing that our life and how we choose to live it, is our choice. We can choose fear, or we can choose faith and fight. It starts in our own homes, and in our own small communities. Are we showing up as the people we want to be? Remember that peace begins with each of us individually. We have to be the ones to start the ripple. If we can conjure our own sense of peace, it can spread to those around us, and so on. I believe that we all chose to be here at this exact time, and for different reasons. Maybe part of the reason you are here is to raise children who have a sense of empathy and compassion for others. Maybe you're hear to give a voice to people who are voiceless. Maybe you're here to fight for the planet. Maybe you're here to teach people how to lean into their intuition. Maybe you're here to help fundraise for important causes. No matter the reason, it's the sum of the parts that matters. It's about each of us, doing our own individual part, to make the collective world we live in better. Your part is going to look different than mine, and so on.
Right now it feels like we're at a boiling point. Pick up any news source and you are guaranteed to find something upsetting, no matter what you're passionate about. Don't care about this incoming president? Ok, how about the California wildfires? How about the wars going on across the world? Safe to say that 2025 has been off to a wild start. The question is- what do YOU want to do about it? What role do you feel called to play? I promise you that doing something, anything, that aligns with what you care about will give you a greater sense of peace. Maybe that looks like making donations. Maybe it looks like gathering people together to brainstorm solutions to problems. Maybe it looks like creating art or music, or any type of beauty that can be uplifting to others in their time of pain. None of this is insignificant. If only we all realized how significant it all is. Truly. We have to create the world we wish to live in. It can only start with each of us believing. Believing that it's possible for change to happen. Believing that our role is important. And believing that we can never give up the fight. We are never wrong to do the right thing. Even if others don't.
For tomorrow in particular, the irony is that MLK day falls on the day of this inauguration. It gives us a choice. We can focus on the inauguration, something out of our control (or at least for many), or we can focus on the teachings of MLK and reflect on his messages and how we might apply them to this time we've found ourselves in.
"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."
"We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope"
"I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear"
"The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice"
Tomorrow, and every day, I choose faith and the fight for justice, over fear and complacency. I will do my part, and I hope you'll join me in doing yours.
XO
P.s. equally important as faith and fight this week, please take care of yourself and your own heart <3 It’s ok to disconnect and just focus on being in the present moment.
