By: Judy Oyedele & Minal Bopaiah
Like many organizations, we at Brevity & Wit are navigating a complex set of emotions and differences right now. We have conflicting feelings about the election – within and between ourselves. Some of us are heartbroken and some of us are ready for the fight. But we’ve found ourselves arriving at the same conclusion: hope isn’t just an emotion or a mindset, it’s a practice we must cultivate together.
Admiral Jim Stockdale offered this paradox to leaders in difficult and trying situations: You must never confuse faith that you will prevail in the end with the discipline to confront the most brutal facts of your current reality.
In that spirit, Brevity & Wit Founder Minal Bopaiah outlines the brutal facts of the reality ahead of us (regardless of who wins the election), and Senior Consultant Judy Oyedele offers some solid advice for prevailing in difficult times.
Minal Bopaiah on The Reality We Face
This country broke my heart in 2016, and it’s never fully healed. I know I’m not alone. And yet. I cannot abandon hope. I don’t mean I’m constitutionally or temperamentally predisposed to feel hopeful. If anything, I’m predisposed to misanthropy.
When I say I cannot abandon hope, what I am saying is that I am engaging in the mental discipline of maintaining a hopeful mindset in the midst of everything that has happened since 2016…and before, if we’re really honest. Because none of this nonsense is new, it’s just worse and more obvious now. We’re hitting the tipping point, where our decades or centuries of bad behavior and denialism is catching up with us as Americans and with the human race, and some of us always knew this day was coming.
Emily St. John Mandel writes in her book, “The Sea of Tranquility,” “Everyone thinks they are living at the end of days.” When I read that line, it made me stop and reconsider my misanthropic gloom. It’s likely true that people throughout history – during the cold war, South African apartheid, the Bubonic plague, the cholera epidemic in South America, the British rule of India, the Crusades, etcetera and etcetera – all thought it was the end of days and humanity was doomed. And indeed, many people suffered and died during those times. And yet, humanity persisted.
While I believe the course of humanity is intended toward progress and evolution, this is not a foregone conclusion. Societies can go backwards. There is a very real fight ahead of us. Not just for women’s rights, but also for transgender rights, racial equity and inclusion, disabled rights, and basic rule of law and democracy in America.
The election will not absolve us of the duty ahead of us. In fact, there are likely to be 1,000 papercuts of injustice and threats to democracy between the election and inauguration. And even if we get a pro-democracy President, Congress can still make our lives a living hell, depending who is in charge and whether they decide to do their job and represent the people and their interests – or not.
So how do you stay in such a long fight when you’re already exhausted, burnt out, and demoralized? I turn to our Senior Consultant Judy Oyedele, who has fostered a philosophy of human flourishing in her work. Judy has some great advice for fostering resilience in uncertain times.
Judy Oyedele on Learning to Swim in Uncertain Waters
Psychologist Dan Tomasulu once said, “Hope is the only positive emotion that requires negativity or uncertainty to be activated. If we didn’t have uncertainty about our future, there would be no need for hope.”
As I’ve thought about how to stay in this long fight, I’ve found wisdom in an unexpected place – the swimming pool. At 35, I decided to learn how to swim. My motivation was straightforward: I didn’t want to die if I ever found myself in deep water. The fact that swimming is great exercise was a bonus that helped get me to the pool, but really, it was about survival.
Here’s the thing about learning to swim as an adult: it pushes you way outside your comfort zone. You have to trust the water, trust your body, and most importantly, trust the process. Sound familiar? As I watch friends and clients grappling with anxiety about our democracy’s future, I keep coming back to the lessons I’m learning in the pool.
Let me share what swimming is teaching me about staying afloat in uncertain times.
The Art of Floating: Finding Calm in the Chaos
One of the first skills you learn in swimming isn’t actually swimming at all – it’s floating. Staying still in water goes against our instincts. Our bodies want to fight, to move, to do something. But floating requires us to slow down, to relax our muscles, to trust that the water will hold us up.
In times of political uncertainty, our instinct is often to constantly act, react, and engage. But just like in the pool, sometimes the most important skill is knowing how to pause and find our center. Here’s what this might look like in practice:
Managing Information Flow:
Set specific times for news checking (I limit myself to 30 minutes in the morning and evening)
Use apps like Freedom or Screen Time to block news sites during work hours
Choose one or two trusted sources rather than consuming everything
Creating Quiet Spaces:
Start your day with a five-minute breathing exercise before checking any devices
Take a proper lunch break away from screens (I’ve started eating lunch in my garden)
Schedule regular walks or outdoor time without headphones
And when conversations turn political and you need to preserve your energy, here are some gentle ways to disengage:
“I’m taking a break from political discussions to focus on my mental health right now.”
“That’s an important issue, but I need to step back and process before I can discuss it further.”
“I appreciate you sharing your perspective. I’m trying to be mindful of my capacity today, so I’ll have to continue this conversation another time.”
Different Strokes for Different Times: The SWIM Approach
When I started swimming, I only knew four strokes by very basic names: “tummy swim, back swim, froggy swim, and doggy paddle.” Learning their proper names – freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke, and treading water – and understanding when each is most effective has helped me feel more confident in the water.
Similarly, when we’re trying to make a difference, it helps to understand different types of civic action. I’ve developed what I call the SWIM approach to help categorize our options:
Support Local Organizations (The Freestyle)
Volunteer at a local organization
Attend city council meetings
Support community mutual aid efforts
Shop at local businesses that align with your values
Widen Your Understanding (The Backstroke)
Read books about civic issues
Take courses on community organizing
Listen to diverse perspectives
Share reliable information with others
Influence Systems (The Breaststroke)
Contact representatives
Join advocacy groups
Sign and share petitions
Donate to causes strategically
Maintain Connections (Treading Water)
Host discussion groups
Organize neighborhood events
Share resources and opportunities
Connect people with similar interests
Just as different swimming strokes serve different purposes, each type of action has its place. The key is matching your action to both your energy level and what the moment requires. Sometimes you need the power of freestyle (direct action), and other times, the steadiness of treading water (maintaining connections) is more appropriate.
Swimming Together: The Power of Community
Just as understanding different strokes helps us in the water, knowing when to swim alone and when to swim with others is equally crucial. One of the unexpected joys of my adult swim classes has been learning alongside others who are all there for different reasons. Some are training for triathlons, others want to play with their grandkids in the pool, and some, like me, are thinking about survival and health. We celebrate each other’s progress, share tips, and make what could be an intimidating experience feel more approachable.
This is exactly what we need right now – people coming together, supporting each other, sharing resources and wisdom. In times of uncertainty:
Find your “swim buddies” – people who share your concerns and values
Create spaces for collective processing and planning (I host monthly community dinners)
Share what’s working for you, and learn from others’ experiences
Celebrate small victories together (like when a friend of mine had a great conversation with someone who was still on the fence about voting)
Building a Sustainable Practice
As I’ve gotten more comfortable in the water, I’ve realized that swimming isn’t just about mastering techniques – it’s about building a practice that can sustain me for years to come. I’m learning to swim now because I want it to be part of my life for decades to come. This means focusing on form over speed, consistency over intensity, and listening to my body’s needs. As I get older, I’m realizing that the ways I used to stay healthy might need to evolve.
Similarly, our approaches to civic engagement need to evolve. The methods that worked in the past might not serve us in this new reality. Building sustainable civic engagement practices means:
Identifying actions that align with your energy levels and resources
Creating routines that you can maintain long-term
Being flexible and adapting as circumstances change
Understanding that consistent small actions often have more impact than sporadic big ones
Training Together: A Shared Path Forward
Whether we’re natural optimists or skeptics, we need practical ways to stay in this fight for the long haul. Just as a fighter needs both strength and strategy, we need new tools and techniques for staying in this long-term struggle.
The SWIM approach offers a framework for sustainable action while keeping Minal’s clear-eyed assessment of the challenges ahead. We’re not just swimming for exercise – we’re training for survival. We’re not just fighting because we want to – we’re fighting because we must.
This isn’t just about getting through November 2024. Like learning to swim, developing our civic resilience is a long-term journey. We’re building skills and practices that will serve us for years to come, regardless of any single election’s outcome.
Together, we invite you to join us in this training – to learn when to fight hard, when to float, when to swim with others, and when to pace yourself for the long journey ahead. Remember: you don’t have to be an Olympic swimmer to stay afloat. You don’t have to be a professional activist to make a difference. You just need to keep learning, keep practicing, and keep swimming with others who share your vision for a better future.
To view the original article posted on November 5, 2024 visit this link.
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