The tone, tenor, and tension in our society are reaching a fever pitch. Families are fracturing, friendships are disintegrating, partnerships are failing, neighbors are raging, and communities are waring.

This is not new. Societies around the world, throughout all times, have been here before. History shows us many analogous moments being met by some bold figure offering over-simplified solutions. These simplified solutions typically serve to perpetuate the oppression and loss of freedoms said bold leader set out to solve (see Stalin, Hugo, Suu Kyi, Erdogan and many more).

The aforementioned leaders span the liberal - conservative spectrum. Their ideologies, like all ideologies, are rife with hypocrisies, and delivered with indignant levels of righteousness. I hear a familiar level of righteousness now across the political landscape, and while, as a student of history, it is fascinating to watch, as a global citizen, it is disturbing to witness. “They” can’t be all wrong. “We” can’t be all right.

If history tells us anything, it is that humans are terrible prognosticators and deciders. Thus, it is highly likely that the beliefs we hold dear; the strategies we cling to; the futures we see, etc., are at least 50% wrong - on a good day.

So, dear reader, activist, builder of the future, weaver of community, nurturer of neighborhoods, what if you are part of the problem? What if those you are battling are part of the solution?

Human brains are hardwired to ensure we filter our experiences through our beliefs (inherited and self derived), and this prevents us from being as objective as we would like to be. So, as we work tirelessly to make society a more just, verdant and accepting place to cohabitate, we must reflect on the impacts of our contributions to our shared systems.

When we meet oppression with oppression, we are sure to get more oppression (e.g. “I have been oppressed, so I demand you strike those words from your lexicon!”). When we combat fear with fear, we are guaranteed to get more fear (e.g. “If they are coming for us, then we must go after them!”). These feedback loops are self-perpetuating, and with a little shift, can be rewound, individually and collectively. In short, we have the power to shift our trajectory from spiraling down to spiraling up.

We do this by meeting hate with love. By meeting confusion with clarity. By meeting fear with acceptance. Simply put, by not responding to “the enemy” with the same tactics used by “the enemy.” After all, “the enemy” feels just as wounded, fearful, oppressed and isolated as you and I, that’s why they are acting so “irrationally.”

Walt Kelly’s comic, Pogo, made famous the following line: “We have met the enemy, and he is us.” This wise quip prompts me to think:

How am I acting like my “enemy”?
How am I getting in my own way?
How am I reinforcing my “enemy’s” actions, beliefs and outcomes?
How much of my “enemy’s” stance might be correct? 1%? 10%? 20%? 49%?

We have little control of our world, and an unbelievable amount of control of ourselves - our thoughts, our attention and our actions. In these challenging times, we can all take small and impactful steps to halt, reverse and/or pivot the trajectory we find ourselves on. I encourage you to take Kelly's wise words to heart as you continue on the path of making important changes to this beautiful, complex, and interconnected world we share.