In my head, I’m the Queen of Resistance. After all, I resist daily workouts, flossing, and cleaning the bathroom like none other. It’s in my DNA.
Of course, my resisting cleaning the bathroom is not out of moral outrage but rather an inability to get off the couch. Perhaps it’s not so much resistance as it is laziness?
Which makes me wonder what resistance is?
In electrical-speak, resistance is how a specific material impedes the flow of electricity. In medicine, resistance might refer to the body’s ability to thwart infection. In the language of biologists (especially folks who work in the areas of ecology), resistance refers to the ability to exist in spite of massive changes. There are other definitions which are much more active, but in each of these examples, resistance isn’t a full frontal assault.
It’s a blocking maneuver. One I think even I have the capacity to do. In other words, I can choose to NOT be the path of least resistance.
For me, that looks like being steadfast and not losing hope. Some of this is tied to my faith (points to clerical collar) but folks who aren’t connected with a faith community might find hope in other places. What is your foundation? What are your personal core values that you WILL not budge on – even as our nation goes through what feels just short of apocalyptic changes?
Stand on that.
Yes, the Resistance needs folks who are directly confronting what is occurring (and from time to time, I’m called to do that as well), but I believe it also needs folks who are willing to simply take a stand.1 A roots deep in the ground sort of stand. The sort of stand that evokes the image of a wizard with a staff firmly announcing “you shall not pass.”2
I can’t change the world, but I can influence/support/love the three feet around me.3
Friends, figure out what you stand for and what you can do, and for the sake of all that is holy… do it. If your work is marching and protesting and acts of civil disobedience, or if it is working on the dreaming and developing of what comes after :::points to hot mess::: this? Do it.
Prayers for us all.
Karen
- It also needs dreamers and planners to move us from resistance into resilience. ↩︎
- Yes, yes… this is from the movie. Tolkien’s original line was “You cannot pass” which also kinda works, right? ↩︎
- https://onbeing.org/blog/sharon-salzberg-your-three-feet-of-influence/ ↩︎
The Quirky Calvin-isht 
2 Comments
It’s almost like you’re talking to me in person. 💜
Was working on this this morning while we were texting. Thanks for helping me figure out what I was trying to say!