Five ways to find hope in the face of despair
Trump is inaugurated and already wreaking havoc. It’s scary to witness, but we can find courage and hope despite it.
As we watch executive orders pour in that deeply affect migrant communities, trans people, racial minorities, the elderly, Palestinians, and the planet itself, I feel afraid and worried about what Trump might do. I feel a bit in my stomach and it’s hard to curb my discouragement in the face of what promises to be four very hard years. My mind can run with me as I imagine the permanent damage he may cause that can’t be undone. But I don’t want to succumb to despair, so I am committing myself to disciplines that can help me get through the darkness. I hope they inspire you to, as well.
1. Lament together
In order to overcome our despair and find hope, the first thing we need to do is to feel the grief and lament and not just paint over it with whatever numbs our feelings. We cannot be in denial about what is before us, and we shouldn’t try to avoid the difficulty. Yes, this will pass too, but for the time being, we are in the thick of it.
While it’s important to set boundaries in terms of our media consumption for our own mental health, I hope we don’t try to escape reality in an effort and we can face it together. In order to build power and strength to confront this fascist movement, we need to actually feel the threat it is.
Additionally, some of us may well not have the luxury to escape the oppression that awaits us. We aren’t privileged or wealthy enough to do it. So as you move toward empathy, remember that the temptation to escape the pain of the moment is something only some of us are even afforded.
2. Pray together.
For millennia, God’s people have cried out to God in the face of their oppression. Scriptures are full of their imprecatory prayers and prayers of lamentation. So as we feel our grief, I hope we can offer God it merely as a way to express it, but also to share it with the God we know can overcome any evil.
If you aren’t a person of faith, however, you can still bear witness to our prayers and hold us accountable to them.
3. Sing together
Even if you aren’t a prayer, we can all sing together. One of my favorite things about being a Mennonite is how central song and voice are to our tradition. Music is the balm of activists and those in this shared struggle. Expressing our desires, emotions, and even our praise for God’s deliverance can be encouraging and cathartic.
Hymns and songs of praise have their part. But so do protest songs and chants, and of course, some punk rock. Crying, screaming, and raising our voice with others to the sound of music builds solidarity. So use your voice and encourage each other.
4. Act together
After we’ve grieved, prayed, and sang, I think it’s crucial that we organize ourselves and build power to confront the evil that is before us. We aren’t helpess in the face of it and we can do practical things to lessen suffering and make the world a better place.
Trump’s cadre of vipers (and fools) is not unstoppable, and when we are united for a cause, we won’t be defeated. This means we need to listen widely and build a large coalition of all kinds of people. Rather than fight about ideology, we can unite on collective goals and action.
You can do that by organizing those in your community and places of worship. You can join existing movements. You can raise awareness and talk to open-minded and soft-hearted family members, as well. You don’t have to go it alone -- we have strength in our numbers. As Trump unfolds his agenda, more and more people will wake up to his evil and want to do their part in the work. There’s no need to isolate them, and we’re better together.
5. Celebrate together.
We need to mark our victories, however small they are. Every new person added to our coalition, every person we move to act, even step in the right direction is progress. We won’t have a revolution overnight, and though we long for it, we need to celebrate and honor our achievements along the way. This week, for example, I am well aware that Trump has repealed Biden’s sanctions against settlers in the West Bank and has also approved munitions to Israel that Biden blocked, but there is a 42-day ceasefire, tenuous as it is. I choose to celebrate the progress, as we continue to work together.
Take the victories, and use them as fuel for the fight. We can mark and name our progress. We can do good work together. Our resistance is not futile.
I hope some of these suggestions help you as you feel all the pain and confusion and fear in this moment. We have each other, and God is with us too. Evil will not prevail if we stay united and courageous. Hold each other with sensitivity and love in this cold winter. Be a beacon of light that pierces the darkness. God be with you.
A good reminder that the church - the people of the Beloved Community - have always existed and will always exist apart from any political regime.
We as the Beloved Community are never guaranteed success or prosperity by the world's expectations of what makes for a "successful" religion. We are indeed told simply to go about our business of being the people who bring healing and restoration, who are engaged in tikkun olam - binding the wounds of the world.
And as Jesus is going along his way with us in this world, we can encourage others to come and follow him along with us.