A few weeks ago, during my stunned phase, I began waiting on God for my marching orders. And the wait was worth it. The “rising up” has begun and has brought with it wisdom. Not just wisdom about political strategies for common people like me, but wisdom for life.  

Here are some of author Timothy Snyder’s “Twenty Lessons” from his book, On Tyranny, plus some thoughts of my own. (I’ve asterisked Dr. Snyder’s.)

1. Do not obey in advance.* (We can choose to obey God in advance, but the current US administration is not God, nor a proxy for God.)

2. Do lots of things. Pray specific prayers and listen for the answers. Show up for protests. Make calls. Write emails. Gather together. Contribute to good causes. Build teams, alliances, consensus. There’s strength in numbers, plus we flat-out need each other. I just read this quote. “A choir can sing a beautiful note impossibly long because singers can individually drop out to breathe as necessary and the note goes on. Social justice activism should be like that.”  

3. Do not let power consolidate into the hands of a few. Defend institutions.* Beware of the one-party state.* Beware of paramilitaries.* Be aware that taking advantage of crises is part of the plan. “The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of opposition parties, the suspension of freedom of expression (which has already started, btw), the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Do not fall for it.”*

4. Stay global. Make sure you and your family have passports,* but stay global anyway. We simply ARE part of this world, not to dominate it, but to enjoy it and partner with it. “For God so loved the WORLD…” 

5. Don’t waste time on trying to convince radicalized people. They’ve already been convinced that you are the enemy. For many, this president’s words take precedence over God’s words. Facts go into a black hole of disregard. Instead, keep moving forward with truth and principles. Let that speak. And when it does, be there for them.

6. Remember professional ethics.* Don’t stoop to the lowest level of humanity.

7. Believe in truth. To abandon facts is to abandon freedom. If nothing is true, then no one can criticize power, because there is no basis upon which to do so.* Don’t lose heart. Truth IS.

8. Investigate. Realize that some of what is on the internet is there to harm you. (Then) take responsibility for what you communicate.* Double and triple check to ensure you are not forwarding intentional or even inadvertent lies. 

9. Be as courageous as you can. If none of us is prepared to die for freedom, then all of us will die under tyranny.*

10. Hold on. “I believe in the sun, even when it is not shining. And I believe in love, even when there’s no one there. And I believe in God, even when he is silent. I believe through any trial, there is always a way. But sometimes in this suffering and hopeless despair, my heart cries for shelter, to know someone’s there. But a voice rises within me, saying hold on my child. I’ll give you strength, I’ll give you hope. Just stay a little while.” Written on a wall in the Cologne concentration camp in WW2.

Take heart. We’re in this journey together. 
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