What Can I DO?!

CW: Anti-Muslim hate, mention of violence. Originally published on Medium.com.

This is mostly a reminder for myself. It is imperfect and it is not exhaustive. But if you can relate to anything here and find any of it helpful, take or leave as much as you like.

I feel everything around me, and I feel deeply. It is my superpower. It is the source of my compassion, the root of my desire to make the world a better place. It is how I connect and grow.

Right now, it is exhausting. The news and the political climate have both been ugly for some time. I cannot remember a time in my life when there was such a deluge of WTF, and it can be hard not to feel helpless.

But I’m not helpless. The divisiveness, the hatred, the violence… they are painful to watch, and it will take more than just kindness and thoughts of peace to turn the tide (though those things are a good start… do those things). As I was going through my morning routine and scrolling through a stream of options to show up, I was reminded that there IS something I can do. There are plenty of somethings. Here are a few:

• Call In before Calling Out: A lot of opinions are coming out. Some are more informed than others. Some are just differently informed (i.e., by different experiences). I believe we are more similar than we are different, and most people are good. When we disagree, we have an opportunity to navigate the grey between the black and white, and learn something in the process. I can learn to do that better, and I’m trying. In the spirit of “do no harm, but take no shit,” I draw the line at hate, or where the two-way street becomes one-way.

• Show Up: For me, this is about showing up for peace and showing up for support. I have a comfortable life. I don’t want for much. But I show up for the people who don’t have that experience, because I believe that’s my job as an ally. I show up for Pride. I showed up for the Women’s March. I am showing up to support my community today in the wake of the Quebec City Mosque attack. I will continue to show up for peace, love, and solidarity, and I will help people get there if they need a ride.

• Let Money Talk: I’m still thinking about what to do here, but the upshot is that I want to send money where the support is needed to make a difference (that might look like the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Islamic Cultural Centre of Quebec), and stop spending money with organizations that willfully harm people and/or the planet (including those organizations that refuse to drop the brands that do this). There are plenty of ways to spend positively, by buying local or looking to ethical businesses (B Corporations are a good start).
  
  Off to do my part…