A Win Is the Beginning, Not the End
How to keep doing the work
For many, 2020 has been a time of increased civic awareness and involvement, whether we focused our energies on helping our neighbors deal with Covid, living more ecologically sound lives, joining in the fight for racial justice, or just devoting our attention to the election as if everything hinged on our all-caps rage-tweeting. Now we find ourselves in a new place, post-election, and many have breathed, finally, tentatively, asigh of relief.
But we are also exhausted, and there is still work to be done. Maybe you’re drained from 9 months of a pandemic. Maybe you’re depleted from navigating a recession. Maybe you’re deflated from watching millions of your fellow citizens throw their one precious vote behind someone who has been referred to at various times as a monster and a tyrant and a racist and a buffoon. Well, feel your feelings! as the therapists and kindergarten teachers say, about last night or today or the serene implacability of those Georgia returns. And then think about this question: How do I keep going?
We’re all going to need strategies that help us gird for the long haul, as well as the energy and motivation for the short haul. So, here’s some advice for that.