Pushing back while pushing forward
Shout out to Maryland Governor, Wes Moore, for inspiring today’s post. I had something else in mind and already started in my drafts but it didn’t really seem relevant as we move through the holiday season and close out 2025. I wasn’t sure which direction to take because there are so many things to talk about. Then I listened to an interview between Beyond The Pod with Chuck Todd and Governor Moore. The inspiration for this piece came within the first 10 minutes, but the entire interview is worthwhile.
The Governor was asked about the need for the Democratic party to show that they are capable of fighting back against all of the abuses of this current administration. A question that quite frankly I’m tired of hearing. Governor Moore responded by saying, we have an obligation to not only push back but to push forward.
The idea of that struck me. So often we think we are capable of only doing one thing or that we can only be defined by one thing or that there is only one way to do things. We are far too binary in our thinking. In a recent interview, acclaimed dancer, choreographer, actor and director, Debbie Allen, was asked if the focus of our present-day art should solely reflect our activism. Was it appropriate to express any other sentiment? Her response was that life is not a singularity. In the midst of our activism, we find love. We have families. We must endeavor to live the lives we are fighting for.
The fact is most people are not change agents. We make the mistake of thinking that everyone was involved in past movements or that everyone must get involved. We do need everyone to vote. That is the lowest hanging fruit. But when it comes to higher level activism and resistance only 3.5% of the population is required to move the needle. That does not mean that more than 3.5% is pointless. What it means is that contrary to what we may believe, effectiveness is not always a function of numbers. Small can be very, very mighty.
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Life requires us to play both offense and defense. We must both prevent our opponents from scoring and we must put points up on the board for ourselves. Sometimes the best defense is a great offense. Pushing forward is also a means of pushing back. That does not mean we should think that all is well just because we can put points on the board. We shouldn’t move through the world aloof and deny that bad things are happening just because we have been able to score. It just means that their defense hasn’t caught up with us yet and we have to take advantage of those moments. When we don’t score, however, we become over-reliant on our defense which burns us out much faster.
Governor Moore said something else that I found quite salient. In our frustration, we tend to think that we must burn everything down and start over. I’ve never shared that sentiment because all human systems are fallible. Our willingness to change is always a 50/50 proposition. Starting over doesn’t erase that dynamic. What we should ask ourselves when this era of recklessness is over, according to Governor Moore (and I agree) are five questions:
1. What is broken that can’t or shouldn’t be repaired?
2. What is broken that can and should be repaired?
3. What is broken that can and should be repaired differently?
4. What will survive that we need to break?
5. What will survive that we need to keep?
Again the whole interview is worth watching for anyone seeking a truly balanced perspective. Of course you know that if you ask me, balanced perspectives are always great to have, especially when closing out one year and beginning another.
Keep pushing forward in Harmonious Balance, my friends!
Johanna
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