Most of you reading this have no direct control over what is happening in Washington. Yet you get angry or frustrated, perhaps even irate. Yes, Trump and MAGA are undermining our courts, our free press, the FBI, and generally led an assault on democracy and freedom. Trump and his cronies are involved in what is clearly the most corrupt administration in history. Extrajudicial killings and war crimes, people being abducted on American streets by masked armed men and disappearing, those who disagree with Trump targeted by the government. Efforts to rig elections. Overt racism and bigotry.
Democracy and freedom in America are under assault, and the effort is being led at the highest levels of the U.S. government. We never thought we would be in this situation in America. These are things we thought only happened in Russia and China and other authoritarian states.
But getting upset every day will not make your life or your country better. All it will do is make your daily life miserable. First, stop reading the news all throughout the day and stop scrolling social media so much. If you’re getting so upset that it is impacting your mental health, limit your time on social media and your time reading or watching the news to once a day for 30 minutes. Go on with your life and with being here for your family, and get focused.
Focus instead on what is in front of you today and on what you CAN control. You cannot control what Trump and his corrupt minions are doing, but you can control your reaction to it. Focus instead on what is in front of you today and what is in your control. Does this mean we don’t work to stop the rising threats to American democracy? No. It just means we focus on what is in front of us TODAY and on what we can do today. That means taking care of yourself and your family.
And then you focus on fighting fascism. By running for office when you can, by volunteering in campaigns of democrats and the campaigns of the few republicans who still have the courage to oppose the Trump/Maga threat to our institutions and republic. By donating to their campaigns, especially the campaigns where it will make the most difference, and by not engaging in silence. Authoritarians stay in power, in part, by masking dissent in order to look all-powerful and to intimidate opponents of the regime into remaining quiet. By speaking out and letting others know that Trump and MAGA attacks on freedom and the constitution are not acceptable, you are inspiring others to similarly speak out against Trump and MAGA.
Write letters to the local paper. Meet regularly with others who are also concerned about the attacks on our nations principles and freedoms. Organize. Raise money. Attend protest. Donald Trump, being a classic malignant narcissist, cannot stand opposition or criticism.
But don’t spend all day thinking about Trump and the crimes and the evil he is committing. That would just make you angry and upset all the time, every day – and what good is that? Limit your time thinking about Trump and MAGA. Limit your time on social media and reading the news to no more than 30 minutes each day. Spend the rest of your time taking care of yourself and your loved ones. Volunteer with worthy causes. Our real purpose in life is to help one another. Don’t get upset about Trump, get focused.
Dr. Beaux Bonhoeffer
Find me also @beauxbonhoeffer.bsky.social and at beauxbonhoeffer.substack.com