Since the present resident of the White House seems destined to do deplorable things on a regular basis until he is removed, I can see protests of one sort of another stretching out into the distant future. Sooner or later individuals, no matter how resolute, will begin to tire. There is a post which has been circulating among progressive activists which I found inspiring. I can’t find one person to which I can attribute it, but everywhere I have looked it was accompanied with the instructions, “Copy and paste if this resonates for you.” It did for me, and I hope it resonates with you as well:
“This morning I have been pondering a nearly forgotten lesson I learned in high school music. Sometimes in band or choir, music requires players or singers to hold a note longer than they actually can hold a note. In those cases, we were taught to mindfully stagger when we took a breath so the sound appeared uninterrupted. Everyone got to breathe, and the music stayed strong and vibrant.
“Yesterday, I read an article that suggested the administration’s litany of bad executive orders is a way of giving us “protest fatigue” – we will literally lose our will to continue the fight in the face of the onslaught of negative action. Let’s remember MUSIC. Take a breath. The rest of the chorus will sing. The rest of the band will play. Rejoin so others can breathe. Together, we can sustain a very long, beautiful song for a very, very long time. You don’t have to do it all, but you must add your voice to the song. With special love to all the musicians and music teachers in my life…”
Cajun 2/10/2017
There is one other important issue to discuss regarding what must be a continual opposition to Trump and his multitude of wealthy and fascist leaning advisors; protests are designed to awaken people, to enlist them in the cause, to oppose of course, but also to enlighten.
There seems to be a real concern that these continued responses to the outrageous, sometimes unconstitutional, always favoring the billionaire class over the majority of this nation’s citizenry, decisions , tweets and public statements, will become almost background noise to too many.
This we must avoid at all cost, but how to keep the message fresh and meaningful to an electorate who are not as political as we deem necessary to combat Trump and effect change, to make folks aware and impel them to act, seems a real problem.