5 Things You Can Do When You Find Yourself Politically Helpless
From the obvious to the forgotten (Part 2)
1/ Join community / common cause organisations
Find organisations you resonate with. Join them and/or donate. In the fight against the state, it’s critical we pool together in all cases.
If you don’t have the financial resources, sign up for information & updates.
Knowledge is power.
These groups, and the oppostion parties, play a key role in being your voice to the media as well, and you can network with like minded individuals.
Examples:
Forest and Bird - environmental advocacy
LegaSea - ocean and fisheries protection
SAFE - Animal Charity NZ (quoted by the agriculture lobbying group that spent $1m to create “gold standard” live animal exports as a ‘formidable opponent’)
NZ Council of Civil Liberties - civil liberties are critical under this government
Action Station - Together for Te Tiriti o Waitangi!
Gun Control NZ - doing a stellar job in pushing for stronger gun laws and in countering the misinformation put out by COLFO and ACT’s Nicole McKee
Tax Justice Aotearoa - Dr Gary Payinda recently joined, and taxes will be where National fight against the left bloc.
Join A Union: PSA (Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi), Association of Salaried Medical Specialists, NZ Nurses Organisation and many more
NZCTU has a list for your specialisation. Unions have been one of the strongest voices ever since this government got elected, even as their rights and powers have been stripped by successive governments. And ACT’s Brooke Van Velden continues to undermine workers rights through legislation.
2/ Join a political party
Politics relies on funding, volunteers and membership.
If you don’t want to be active, sign up for newsletters and press releases and/or go to local meetings to network
Examples:
3/ Contribute your voice outside of left leaning circles
On chat the other day, Sue mentioned that the momentum and feeling on social media has changed.
Whereas in the past her comments might be received negatively, now, “people are engaging with me more positively than before”.
And: “I feel that if I can keep putting the information out there then other people will see it and maybe think about it even if they don't respond.”
Did you know I never used Facebook/Meta until last year?
But I feel the pulse there - putting aside the voluminous fake accounts - is worth paying attention to.
Too often, we get emboldened in our own circles, get extreme in our own views, while criticizing anyone who doesn’t agree. But I believe the more we learn where things are nationally, the more we can see how to influence and change hearts and minds, and how to forge realistic ways forward.
As Sue says, sharing information in a calm, positive, friendly tone (if we can) will do more than we could probably know.
4/ Cultivate communities and be prepared for the organic
I’ve spoken before about the unreliability of the technology that most of us rely on today.
And how the world order has changed.
Today, many eyes are on the Chinese military exercises in the Tasman Sea, with some academics calling it a “serious threat”.
China is flexing, and testing, and that’s not unexpected in our geo-political context.
Did you know that one of the first things that Elon Musk did when they won the US election last year was to ask Starlink suppliers to move away from Taiwanese suppliers citing “geopolitical risks”.
Right then, I knew that that China was going to move on Taiwan - and the US would not care.
The politics and security of old is no more - our old friend, Uncle Sam, is no more.
Furthermore, new and old reports alike echo that Trump was a Russian asset, from the inferred to the explicit i.e. “cultivated for over 40 years by the KGB”, could we expect any different?
Elon Musk also had regular and frequent contact with Vladimir Putin leading up to the recent US election, and advocates for Russia and China.1
Where I am going with this is that the odds we are in steady state is zero to none.
We have to expect the unexpected on all fronts.
And although I wrote a fairly standard checklist of items governments can consider, the truth is the world order has changed so significantly, and there may be so much upheaval, that “solutions” may become increasingly organic, rather than planned.
And that includes the global financial system…………..
Therefore - cultivate communities, small villages, local work. Forge friendships where you are. Instil the values you treasure through your work.
And expect the unexpected.
Be flexible and willing and able to let the old go - and sense the potential within the emerging.
5/ Find Joy In Your Space And Mind
A wise person once said “Wherever you go, there you are.”
And that’s because no matter our circumstances or physical environment, what we have to contend with is ourselves and the content of our minds.
Where do you find peace?
Where do you find contentment and small joys?
What are your innermost values?
Whatever that is - cultivate that.
Victor Frankl, a Holocaust concentration camp victim, who, after his release, worked as head of the neurology department in the General Polyclinic Vienna hospital, wrote of his discoveries during his time in the camp:
“For the first time in my life I saw the truth as it is set into song by so many poets, proclaimed as the final wisdom by so many thinkers.
The truth - that Love is the ultimate and highest goal to which man can aspire…The salvation of man is through love and in love.”
As airy-fairy as that might sound to so many of us, it still begs the question of how we can find peace and even contentment and happiness, when things fall apart.
If Frankl could, can we - each of us - find our own space & peace?
The Tibetan Buddhist nun Pema Chodron wrote:
“Letting there be room for not knowing is the most important thing of all. When there's a big disappointment, we don't know if that's the end of the story. It may just be the beginning of a great adventure. Life is like that. We don't know anything. We call something bad; we call it good. But really we just don't know.”
And today there is news that Pope Francis is in critical condition.
I’m not religious, nor find Catholicism compatible, but I will never forget that this leader is the man who - against fierce criticism and condemnation by conservative Catholics:
bathed the feet of female Roman prisoners,
allowed for the blessing of same-sex couples,
called out the “hypocrisy” of those who condemned those blessings,
said homosexuality isn't a crime (criticizing laws to that effect)
bathed the feet of refugees - including Muslims, Hindus and Copts - saying “we are all children of God”
shunned grand Papal living quarters for two small, and very modest rooms
advocated tirelessly for Gaza Palestinians, even when ill
unequivocally condemned attacks on Gaza civilians as “terrorism” and “war”
worked tirelessly for the poor, telling Catholics “the poor are often victims of injustice”, “poverty is a scandal”, and saying the poor “cannot wait” while urging mobilisation to helping the poorest of us.
Someone will tell me he’s not perfect, and the Catholic religion - or perhaps all religions - are full of problems, but personally, I’m not stringent on perfection, categories, labels, nor ignore context.
All I care about is intent, kindness, and who someone is through their actions - not that they weren’t perfect or did everything I wanted.
Whether Pope Francis or the Dalai Lama - both men have faced hardships and political challenges - yet show us the power of light.
And so, each of must find what makes life most meaningful - deeply meaningful - and follow your own slice of peace and joy - small or large.
If you carve space out, it will also make your mind and heart clearer. And that will make you more effective - and less likely to become what we criticise.
It will make your role in life more likely to be constructive so we can try to forge a better way for our children, and theirs to come.
I suspect that part of what hurts most is many of us realising how little control we really have over everything that’s happening - so take control of what you can - your mind, your choices, and insist on discovering joy and peace amidst it all.
Then pass it on.
Putin also requested that Musk not activate Starlink over Taiwan.
And this week, Elon Musk said he can’t be a Russian asset himself, because Putin “can’t afford me” as he advocates for neo-Nazi government.
May you be with us for a long long time Patricia 🌴
👏💪🔥You won't be surprised to know that I agree with ALL of this 😁 But sometimes when we are overwhelmed we forget the simple stuff eh ⁉️ We especially need to concentrate on both finding the BEST people & solutions that are around, helping to improve them where needed, but also recognising that being better than something horrible IS BETTER than something horrible, even if it is not perfect (example of current Pope is right on point).
I love the "save" function on Substack & this article has been added to those I want to refer back to 👍🔥