🔔 U.S. Election Day 2024 is four days away. The stakes – for human rights, for climate – frankly, for the world, have never been higher.
I know that it can feel taboo to discuss politics. But these are unprecedented times and I believe they call for taking an unequivocal stance. Trump will seek to withdraw (a second time) from the Paris Climate Agreement, to relax all environmental regulations, and “drill, baby, drill” for fossil fuels. (I’ll stop there, and for anyone wanting to understand the state of climate today, check out our video from last week here).
So what do we do with the emotions that are bound to come for many if Trump is elected a second time? 🤔
I was reflecting on this with my New York colleague this week, as we discussed how stressful it is to live through times that feel unparalleled and even apocalyptic. It’s absolutely OK, and natural, to feel a range of very high emotions – anger, sadness, fear, disbelief, dread… And to let those emotions out in whichever way is natural and healthy (and perhaps, let’s be honest, also sometimes unhealthy – desperate times call for desperate measures and some wine and chocolate following bad news never hurt anyone).
Following this, I’m going to share a tool that my coach taught me a few years back, in case it helps you too – should you need it. 💫
On 1st February 2021, I sank into a deep depression. 😔 This was the day we saw a military convoy driving up to the parliament steps in Myanmar, ousting the semi-civilian government there. I had worked in Myanmar for years – including advising the opposition before the country even opened up to the world in 2012. I had made friends with the workers eager to work in global supply chains. I had shared tea with political prisoners who had been freed from prison. I had hung out in remote villages with community members.
So when the military coup happened, I couldn’t shake the horror and shock, and the feeling of guilt. What more could I have done? How could it actually be this bad? What was I expected to do now? I felt completely helpless and hopeless, and every passing day we saw things get worse for people on the ground.
My coach helped me with a simple – but extremely powerful – exercise.
I drew a table with a left-hand column and a right-hand column. On the left-hand side, I wrote what I could control. On the right-hand side, I wrote what I couldn’t control. 📝
So much to write in the right-hand column! It turns out there were so many things that I couldn’t control that subconsciously I had felt that I could. Putting this all down on paper helped me then unleash energy to to focus on the left-hand column.
What can I do about this now? This is where I could focus on what was within my power and influence—and consider ways to expand that influence further. I picked myself up, and my attention and energy became laser-focused on what I could do. 🔋
Human rights work is not easy. That’s why it’s so important. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be needed so much. And that’s why we’re here.
So, of course, I truly hope that by this time next week, we’ll be celebrating a tremendous win for both human rights and our climate. 🎉
But if we are not, know that we’ve been through this before.
We will not sit back and let it happen quietly. Our resolve will be stronger than ever before. 💪🏻💪🏼💪🏽💪🏾💪🏿
I’ll see you on the other side. ✨
Anna
PS: Here is our short write-up from our second Be Human Rights Confident Collective that took place last Friday, and join us for our third one at the end of this month - you can RSVP here.
