Action and Overwhelm, Why Now is Always the Time to Act

Now is the perfect time to build the beautiful, inclusive, revolutionary future we all long for. Even though we are all tired. 

Reopening venues, reconnecting with loved ones, reassessing our values, resigning from our jobs; we are all working up to and beyond our current capacity. Burnout hovers like San Francisco fog and exhaustion calls us to lay down our burdens on the nearest soft surface. In short, there are millions of reasons to put your head down, focus only on what’s already on your plate, and keep doing things the way they’ve always been done. 

That is precisely the reason we need to make a change. And this is precisely the moment.

One of the biggest traps of oppressive systems is convenience. It is always easier, cheaper, faster, smoother to serve the system than not. It is easier to maintain the status quo. Even our metaphors for making change invoke harm to discourage us: “rocking the boat,” “making waves,” “agitate,” “disrupt,” “upset the apple cart.” These are all images that imply peace disturbed by action; a resilient sameness destroyed by chaos. To do what we’ve always done is kindness because change brings loss.

It is the moments where we lean into systems and habits because we are too tired to create something new that require our utmost attention. Because who we are when we are tired is who we are. It is easy to be generous when you have too much. What we do when we are under-resourced is what we will do when we are challenged, or struggling, or scared. 

There will never be a moment when time, energy, resources, and motivation perfectly align for every task we aspire to accomplish. And, surprisingly, that is a gift: you have everything you need to create the future you want. You do not need more money, more staff, more time, more space, more you. You are enough to make significant changes to your life and the world around you. Your attention and intention are what the future needs; your duty is to focus them on it.

Sidebar to name that this is not at all intended to shame folks whose material conditions present practical, active barriers to new experiences or choices. People are tired for different reasons informed by power, privilege, responsibility, and identity. Systems of oppression create real limits for real people. Full stop.

However, many of you reading this do so out of a desire to engage with change in an organizational context. You may be connected to a civic or cultural organization that wants to become more OF, BY, and FOR diverse communities. You may also be wondering if you have the time or capacity to take on membership in our Change Network or to engage with any other DEI, EDI, DEIA, or JEDI initiative. You may be waiting for a strategic plan, or for your board to buy in, or for your team to settle down as they’ve been through enough over the last two years (or more). 

“We can start this work truly in 2022.” 

“Or in the spring.” 

“Or next fiscal year when things have calmed down a bit.”

“We’ll be ready then. Our team will be ready then. My institution will be ready then.”

You cannot build tomorrow’s reality with tomorrow’s resources. You have to use what is available today to create the future you long for.

And if you long for a future that includes equity and justice, you have to invest in building that future right now. Even if you’re tired. We are all tired. And who we will be is built by who we are.

I’ve heard “core values” described as things one does even if they are punished for doing them. While I don’t agree with values existing only in response to the punitive, this definition has stuck with me, particularly when connected to institutions. Institutions showed us what they really value by what they chose to prioritize during the (still ongoing) pandemic. They are showing us again by what they choose to reinstate as the pandemic wanes. Many of those same organizations who posted black squares, pledged to revamp their boards/teams/policies, and issued statements of solidarity are now saying “we have to focus on our primary programming; we’ll come back to this work.” Or, “we’re short-staffed now so we have to put this on hold.” Or, “I’m not sure we can add this on top of what we’re already doing. It may be too much.” Those statements may be true. My question is, do those statements reflect what you say you value?

If you only have room to invite “new communities” to your organization when your “core” audience is taken care of, what might that say about who you value? 

If you are only able to work on equity and inclusion when your “regular programming” is secure, what might that say about what you value?

If equity and inclusion are concepts can be removed from your day-to-day operations, what might that say about how you engage with your values?

Here is the good news:

You have everything you need to build the future you long for. You don’t have to wait for tomorrow’s resources, because tomorrow will be built today. Ask yourself some questions about how you (or your organization) are showing up to your values.

• What are the ways our current operations reflect our values?

  • If we value rest, do we make it easy or difficult for people to take time off?

  • If we value kindness, do we celebrate people who are kind or do we only celebrate when people are “productive”?

  • If we value transparency, how do we respond when someone shares bad news?

• Are their values or behaviors we don’t want that we are accidentally encouraging?

  • If we don’t value overwork, do we expect responses immediately regardless of time of day?

  • If we don’t value inequity, are we transparent about salaries and raises?

  • If we don’t value burnout, are we as vocal in our celebrations of those taking time off as we are of those burning the midnight oil?

• Are there aspirational practices we want to pilot?

  • If we value transparency, do we have multiple ways for people to communicate and/or review what’s happening? Can we create more?

  • If we value collaboration, are we giving things more time and space to accommodate collaborative decision-making?

  • If we value process, are we resourcing tools or methods to support those processes? Are we looking at new processes or are we focusing on results?

As someone who values rest, it is important to me that you not disregard your self-care. This is not a call to work yourself to the bone in service of building our beautiful, revolutionary future. This is a call to remember that you have more at your disposal than you think and you are already building something. Every day you work toward building a future; this is a call to check in with yourself and your organization to be sure you’re building the future you long for.