Until yesterday morning I was despondent, enraged, morally defeated and desperate to DO SOMETHING that would give me hope. Just calling my reps wasn’t doing it. Emailing friends wasn’t helping. Doom-scrolling and sharing diatribes ad nauseum, God knows, only made everything seem worse.
But a friend had suggested joining our local Indivisible group, and even though I generally dread meeting groups of strangers, I decided to give that a try.
Local Indivisible groups build and wield power in ways that individuals can’t. To create change, you need the collective constituent power that comes with working together, as Indivisibles.
Everything changed in the Santa Monica backyard where the meeting was held yesterday morning. The strangers who showed up were smart, informed, welcoming, organized, and on fire. They were teachers, scientists, business owners, professors, journalists, retirees, seasoned politicos, and regular moms and pops. And all had one burning desire: to stop the hostile, illegal takeover of America by MuskTrump and their kleptocratic minions.
The steering committee greeted about 100 new members, in person and online. They laid out the history of the organization (core idea: take the strategies that helped build the Tea Party, and flip them against the GOP) and the general state of play right now (bleak, but not yet too late to stop the coup). They answered burning questions about the best way to contact our reps (by phone, calling the district offices with 1 issue per call!!!!) and promised weekly action items and monthly gatherings. They invited new ideas for outreach and engagement and influencing. They also promised that every new Indivisible member would be carefully vetted to prevent infiltration by the other side.
For the first time since the election, I felt hope and connection instead of despair and isolation. I was reminded that we MUST not let ourselves be siloed or cowed. We are so much stronger TOGETHER.
The other side has known this for decades. That’s why they enlisted the evangelical megachurches. And here’s my thought: Indivisible can function like a secular liberal megachurch that brings us together and stokes the moral flames of our faith in democracy. It was that kind of inspiration that I felt yesterday.
This part of the equation— a sense of belonging — must not be ignored.
I’m not saying that Indivisible is the only one of these “secular megachurches”. Indivisible is incredibly well organized and locally driven, but there are other organizations that do similar work to great effect. MoveOn, SwingLeft, and so many more are fantastic communities. All these activist communities are experiencing radical growth and they need much more. They need you because America needs you NOW.
But it’s important, if possible, to find and join a group that has a strong local presence near you. You will feel SO much better if you can show up IN PERSON to meet and be with them. This part of the equation— a sense of belonging — must not be ignored. Since the pandemic we have been too separated, too divided, too isolated, and too alienated. That has weakened our side and strengthened the other (who, let’s face it, never quit showing up in person at their megachurches, gun shows, MAGA rallies, or ball games. That helped hold them together while we fell apart).
We don’t just need each other’s work to save our country, we need each other’s courage and spirit and faith. We need each other’s motivation and consolation. We just plain need each other.
So get on board. Find your people. Join them. Gather. And get to work. Do it for democracy, but even more importantly, do it for your soul.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.