George Monbiot wrote in The Guardian about how to respond to the fascist divide and rule tactics then offers suggestions of how we might deflect that.
"Use humour to deflect aggression, distribute leaflets explaining the action and apologizing for the disruption, train activists to resist provocation, run de-escalation workshops, teach people to translate potential confrontations into reasoned conversation, respect actively all people including police"
People's assemblies like the recent Gabriola Talks on Climate Crisis, bring people of different positions together and focus on the issue. Part of that is the reality that we have different interests and different histories. Civic spaces allow for other voices to be heard.
Stephen Porges points out -- compassion for others is difficult to see if we don't feel safe. Calm spaces are essential to rebuilding democratic life.
Monbiot writes "All this might sound like common sense. It is. But understanding how our minds function helps us to see when they are unconsciously working for the demagogues. Breaking the spiral means restoring the mental state that allows us to think."
Activate your compassion on days that don't require too much energy in rehearsal for the days where it might become your default.
•
No comments:
Post a Comment