Pat Taub
We are living in a time when uncertainty has given way to anxiety, inhabiting our lives day and night.
We wake up wondering what fresh assault will come next: whether the midterms will reject entrenched Republicans; whether Trump will deliver a nuclear bomb to Iran; where ICE will strike next; what new corruption among Trump’s cohorts will be revealed.
For millions of Americans, daily life has become unaffordable: weekly increases in groceries and gas; once utility increases could be offset by firewood, but newly inflated prices have made it unaffordable for many. The American Dream has become the American Nightmare.
It’s difficult to find solid ground when so much feels beyond our control.
In Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change, Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön reminds us that uncertainty is an unavoidable part of being alive. We spend enormous energy trying to control what cannot be controlled. But what if we learned to live with uncertainty rather than allowing it to consume us?
Pema Chodron discussing living with uncertainty
There is an important distinction between accepting uncertainty and accepting injustice. The Buddhist principle of mindfulness, staying present, doesn’t mean withdrawing from the world. It asks us to remain present, to see clearly what is happening, and to act without being paralyzed by fear.
Action is urgently needed. If the midterms deliver a blue wave, we can’t be complacent. We have to make our elected officials accountable by mobilizing for universal health care, regulating AI, defunding ICE, and campaign reforms to curb excessive spending.
Locally we need to build community supports to ensure affordable housing, shelters for the homeless, and community spaces where neighbors can meet for socializing as well as organizing.
Many seem determined to escape the discomfort of the present. Distractions are everywhere: NFL sports, Instagram, Netflix, and feel-good morning shows. We need the occasional retreat from world events. But there is a difference between restoring ourselves and habitually turning away. When distraction becomes a way of life, we risk becoming spectators at precisely the moment when participation is critical.
This is where Buddhist mindfulness has something important to teach us. We must recognize when anxiety is overwhelming us, to step back, breathe, spend time with people we love, read a poem, take a walk, and replenish our spirits. These are not acts of indifference. They are ways of sustaining ourselves for the long struggle. .
We can be frightened and courageous at the same time. We can acknowledge that we don’t know how this story will end without surrendering our responsibility to help shape it.
Inspiration for courageous actions is growing globally: student-led protests in France, Spain, and Albania have grown into mass movements with protesters of all ages clogging the streets demanding educational reforms, affordable housing and an end to the oligarchy. In London, the vast majority of those arrested for supporting Palestine were elders, proving you’re never too old to take a stand.
Hope grows when we discover that we are not alone, that others are standing up, organizing and refusing to surrender.
Hope is not the belief that everything will be all right. It is the determination to participate in making things better. Perhaps the greatest antidote to uncertainty is discovering, through our connections with one another, that we have the power to shape the future.
Let’s make Margaret Mead’s famous quote, our standard bearer:
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
