Both/And Joy Practice in a Time of Tyranny

I walked into my office last week and I literally squealed outloud with joy at seeing the cute, little daffodils poking their little heads out. I thought, “You have no idea how much we need you right now.”

For many of us, the current political situation feels very dark, scary, and heavy, and I tell you those daffodils felt like a little reminder that the light will return.

I certainly do not want to be another hippie, tone-deaf, white lady gaslighting the situation with a “everything’s going to be okay.” Let me be clear- what is happening is NOT OKAY! and what I also know, both cognitively and in my body and spirit, is that fascism and authoritarianism rely on despair and hopelessness in order to maintain control. 

Life is asking a lot of us right now. It is asking us to know when to stand up and say a resounding, “NO!” to fascism and tyranny and to, simultaneously, declare an equally strong, “YES” to life.  How do we hold and fight against the brutality and stay in alignment with the world that we want to see? 

I don’t have easy answers to these questions, but I believe that asking good questions, leads us closer to wisdom. 

The invitation here is to widen our capacity to acknowledge our very justified grief and rage, which moves us to take inspired action, and to still infuse our lives with joy. 

Maybe even more importantly, I am not talking about individual joy, although that is important. However, what would invite even more is communal joy. 

In our individualistic country, we tend to silo ourselves. My invitatio is to find small ways to build community; this is how we are going to get through the darkness. We cannot do it individually. Break bread with people, ask a friend if they want to go to the grocery store with you, join a flash mob, get involved, socially and politically, and infuse that with joy wherever you can.

Here’s the deal: Sometimes, sadness, rage, and fear walk right alongside joy and gratitude. Make room for all of it. You are here at this wild time of being alive, and we can all be part of pulling the arc of humanity closer to the values of equity, reciprocity, beauty, compassion, and community.