- People have hope now. There's a lot of optimism. We want to put our energy into something. But many of us are not sure what to focus on now.
- We need to take time to absorb all that happened and consider what our individual approach should be.
- There was a strong desire to approach our work with a win-win attitude involving people from across the political spectrum. People are extremely tired of polarizing politics and demonizing those who think differently. If we really want to change the system, we need to change that.
- Realize that for some people, the election didn’t bring hope - it brought anger and fear. There are good people, often friends and relatives, who did not support Obama and expect the worse now. Understand their emotions, don’t argue with them, but shed a positive light on the future and invite them to participate in a positive way.
- What happened was a change in direction for the country, and plausibly for the world. Changes in direction result in very big changes in the long term, but barely noticeable changes in the very short term. Don't get discouraged if nothing major changes in the next 3-6 months - big changes often take time.
- Think local. This time between the election and the inauguration is a good time to build and strengthen local community groups and organizations. Do what you can to help in your local community. With the downturn in the economy there’s more of a need for help in local communities than ever.
To me, one of the biggest changes we have to focus on is to move from a stance of “opposition of bad policies” to a focus on “promoting good policies”. On a personal level, that means making an effort to be as helpful as possible to your community in the coming months.
5 comments:
You mean Appreciative Inquiry writ large?
...that means making an effort to be as helpful as possible to your community in the coming months.
You need to ask yourself why it took Obama's election to make you consider more helpful then before....
PS My Social Justice committee had a similar discussion as above right after everyone declined to volunteer to take minuts, followed by one of us saying she had given up trying to get people to volunteer to host coffee hours at Church....
Bill,
You have a point - obviously nobody should have waited until Obama's election to engage in helping their community. For the most part we've had an active progressive community in our area for a long time. In the weeks leading up to the election, there was an intensive and emotional focus on national issues. That focus may return next year when significant new legislation starts winding its way through Congress. In the mean time, perhaps the best thing to do is refocus on your local community and strengthening your local organizations for a while.
With regards to a decline in volunteering at your congregation, I'm not sure what to say. Is there a general feeling of people being energized and empowered by the election results? If so, then ask why this isn't translating into interest in local action on smaller scales too.
Elisa,
Yes, Appreciative Inquiry writ large is one great way to look at it. That's not what I had in mind when I was writing the post, but it's certainly a good framework for doing local work, strengthening local organizations, and getting a better understanding of the concerns in your community.
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