My biggest question… What will motivate more people to find the strength to see what is happening and grow the courage to resist the stripping of our freedoms and human rights? This is not hypothetical. This is happening now. Yale historian and Holocaust expert Timothy Snyder wrote recently:
“Americans are no wiser than the Europeans who saw democracy yield to fascism, Nazism, or communism. Our one advantage is that we might learn from their experience. Now is a good time to do so.” Snyder is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations (which includes former Secretaries of State), and consults on political situations around the globe. He says, “Here are twenty lessons from the twentieth century, adapted to the circumstances of today.”
- Do not obey in advance
- Defend an institution
- Recall professional ethics
- When listening to politics, distinguish certain words
- Be calm when the unthinkable arrives
- Be kind to our language
- Stand out
- Believe in truth
- Investigate
- Practice corporeal politics
- Make eye contact and small talk
- Take responsibility for the face of the world
- Hinder the one-party state
- Give regularly to good causes, if you can
- Establish a private life
- Learn from others in other countries
- Watch otu for the paramilitaries
- Be reflective if you must be armed
- Be as courageous as you can
- Be a patriot