A proactive approach

Yep, I’m doing it. I’m going there. I didn’t get a Master in Public Affairs and run a business for 17 years  just to blog about family life and hiking adventures. I still have hope that humans can be a dynamic mix of life experiences and not just  be pigeonholed into one identity or exist as mannequins. And I believe that “mom blogs” can include simple recipes and complex real-world issues, because both go into making our children who they are.

We currently live in a country where if you mention the word “politics” folks get riled up right away or threaten to cancel you. I’m not trying to rile anyone up. And I would rather not get canceled. (Though knowing that I can exist happily in the woods for extended periods of time helps mitigate that fear.) Instead I am drawn to this topic and this moment because I love land and people and want to find ways to care for both – even when the conversations around the subject feel hard and risky.

Yes, I have opinions, plenty of them. And I’m here to listen to yours. I’d be worried if people didn’t have strong ones right now. But for me, in this moment, I believe that trying to find ways to empower, inspire, and move forward together over challenging terrain feels more valuable than adding another vitriolic opinion to the mix. No matter what the memes might say, a willingness to move towards one another and hold compassion for both sides does not equal complacency or a lack of conviction.

Navigating the Current Landscape

As a professional hiker and guide, my internal navigational setting is programmed to constantly consider questions like, “Where are we? How did we get here? And where do we go from here?” Even if you’re not where you want to be, answering those questions can prevent you from feeling lost.

So where are we?

It’s hard to believe that we are just 3 weeks into Trump’s second term. Suffice it to say, the train has left the station! This is not a gradual transition. Whether you voted for him or not, you have to admit that Trump is working hard and fast to make good on his campaign promises. And almost all of us are feeling the whiplash. 

How did we get here? 

It’s a bit of a brain bender because in some ways we are living in one of the most highly polarized times in our country’s 245 year history. And yet, we’re also not. My graduate capstone focused on exploring the root causes of modern polarization. While there are plenty of factors, people, and events that have pushed the extremes farther apart, exorbitant amounts of money and seemingly infinite talking heads in the media are exacerbating it all. 

Here’s the thing… our divides are perceived to be greater than the polling data suggests. In other words, we feel more divided than we actually are. In fact a record high 43% of Americans identify as independent or unaffiliated voters. (That’s always striking to me, because as an independent I tend to feel so alone.) And while “independent” doesn’t always mean “moderate,” the majority of that voting block falls ideologically in the middle of the 27% of our populous who identify as Republicans and the 27% who identify as Democrats.  

There’s a lot of forces invested in convincing us that we are at odds. And it’s pushing us out and in at the same time. When the majority of unaffiliated voters voice their dissatisfaction with the extreme of one party by voting for the alternative party – instead of moving us more toward the middle, our two-party system slingshots us onto a higher and more dangerous political seesaw than before. 

So, the balance has shifted. Our legs are dangling, we feel a little dizzy, and now the question remains...

Where do we go from here?

President Trump 2.0 has seen an immediate deregulation of environmental policies, a disbanding of federal DEI programs and an increase in deportations. And so far I’ve heard comments ranging from “This is what America had coming” to “I can’t believe this is our country.” From “It’s all the Democrats fault” to “Republicans have gone batsh!t.” But, mostly, I hear people say, “I feel powerless.” 

And that’s the only one I take issue with. While you may not be able to sign an executive order… You. Are. Not. Powerless. Edmund Burke said, “Nobody makes a greater mistake than he who does nothing because he could do only a little.” There will always be people with more power and influence than you, but we all create impact within our eco-systems, whether we recognize it or not.

Six steps for taking action: 

1. Educate yourself. Learn how the system works so you can influence the causes that you care about. Pericles once said, “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn’t mean politics won’t take an interest in you.” Don’t be a pawn in the larger or local political game. Get involved and educate yourself so that you can make your own moves and work with organizers to create greater influence. 

2. Engage in Civil Discourse. Be willing to listen to others and learn about their experiences. In doing so, you will increase your understanding and earn the space to be heard. You will also almost always discover common ground and mutual goals. You do not have to relinquish your greatest convictions to gain ground in areas with shared support. (Interested in more info and help with civil discourse? Ohio State offers a free online course.) 

3. Be an Advocate. Sign petitions, write your representatives, and raise awareness for the causes and people you care most about. Consider using your voice and platform to support communities who are physically or legally unable to speak up. 

4. Align your time and money with your values. It could be serving on the board of a nonprofit, volunteering in your community, giving your time to peaceful protests and political advocacy, or looking for individual opportunities to support a friend or neighbor. And don’t forget that 501c3 giving is tax deductible, meaning the money goes to an organization of your choice while at the same time decreasing what the government will receive from you and your taxes.

5. Be a boss. As a 17-year small business owner, I can attest to the fact that there are a lot of headaches that come along with entrepreneurship – and that’s before you throw in a pandemic or a hurricane- or both. But the power of owning or operating a business is that you have the ability to create a unique value system. Most of what is being decided in D.C. has a direct impact on public agencies and nonprofits that receive government funding. If you want to improve on what is happening within federal, state, and municipal bureaucracies, you can do it through the private sector. 

6. Don’t lose sight of other people’s humanity. Do not summarize or limit the value of a person by the boxes they check on paperwork. We have become way too focused on legal identifiers and forgetful of the fact that we are talking about a human being, a person, a beloved child of God, a daughter, a husband, a sister, a parent. The errancy of being overly policy-minded is that we classify individuals into categories, blame social groups for systemic problems, and make systematic adjustments that are too broad and wide sweeping to account for individual circumstances. Be willing to look past policy to see the people who it impacts. Seeing people, really seeing them, might not increase your political strength or standing, but is perhaps the greatest individual superpower that we have. 

Keep Going

If this all feels reactionary to a Trump Presidency… it is. We are all reacting and trying to figure out where we fit and function within the new administration. And people right now who feel like they have lost traction and their rights need to be reminded that they still have power and opportunities to affect change. 

When I am guiding a group down the trail, I am rarely in the lead. I spend most of my time in the back, encouraging the hiker who doesn’t think they can make it up the next mountain. Right now there are people who are scared to lose their jobs, or funding for their work or their homes or their families. These people need compassion and support. 

I often get criticized for talking out of both sides of my mouth, when what I am trying to do is see both sides, listen to both sides, talk to both sides and be part of a cultural shift that allows all of us and our country to better care for land and people. (And also eventually to get rid of this idea of a binary two sided tug of war and see our country for what it is - a complex multidimensional ecosystem.) 

Part of the way we care  for people is to acknowledge individual worth and power and to enable individuals to exercise their rights. Democracies weaken when individuals do not realize their power or willingly give it up. Whether you need to hear this now - or in another four years don’t give up or disengage from the process. Don’t become despondent. Regardless of the boxes that you check, don’t check, or even fit into, YOU have the power, the right, and responsibility to create change in your community.