The Happy Activist: How to Sustain Your Spirit, Stamina, and Sanity to Make America Marvelous

by Leena St. Michael

“‘I guess I gotta try.’ My father told me once, ‘If you see something wrong happening in the world you can either do something, or you can do nothing, and I already tried nothing.’” —Steve Trevor, Character, Wonder Woman Movie 90 Percent of Success Is Showing Up

You don’t have to be a hero. Just do your part with the time and resources available. We change the world when everyone does their part.

MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid opened the most difficult AM Joy show of her life on April 28, 2018 with a confession and apology for past homophobic and transphobic blog posts. A nasty controversy had brewed to boiling. Many sniffed blood in the water and wanted to see her drown. Her panel of black, white, and Latina leaders of the LGBT community forgave her. They recognized her work for equal rights over the past ten years. They acknowledged that she had evolved. Watching was humbling…and difficult. I had been that person many years ago—enculturated to homophobia and racism from birth. It’s hard to believe and harder to admit. Most guests were grateful to have the dialog of a story of moral evolution on the national stage.

When I assisted trainings, I saw signs of extreme stress response in some students as they completed experiential exercises including anxiety, or unsafe actions under pressure. After the first few weeks of class, I observed about a 20 percent% dropout rate. Were others affected as powerfully

Your greatest possibility for opening a door to dialog is to embrace others with an open heart. Do not see them as less-than. Find some area of agreement or walk away peacefully.

maturity and power.” You evolve to interdependence by recognizing all beings as essential. Yes, even those who teach us through their bad examples.