How I Stay Hopeful as a Leftist Under Authoritarianism

Many people in my personal life have begun expressing a hopelessness bordering on nihilism or in the case of some people I know, a desire to retreat from political life entirely and ride out the storm holding onto the privileges and happiness they can salvage. I’m not writing this to criticize those people, as I believe that this is a self-protective response to hopelessness. Indeed, as the Trump administration takes a chainsaw to our woefully inadequate social services and sends armed, masked thugs to kidnap our friends, neighbors, and family members, and perpetrates uncountable other injustices to human rights, all while essentially hamstringing the checks and balances supposedly sacred to our democracy, it can seem as though all hope is lost. I have seen this hopelessness diminishing my friends’ and family members’ responses to the few positive things that are happening on the national stage of the United States at the moment. What does it matter that Zohran Mamdani might win the mayoral seat of New York City when the entire establishment is rigged in the elites’ favor and he will be taking on the seemingly infinite power of Wall Street and the whims of an unchecked wannabe-dictator who would just as soon see all immigrants (of which Zohran Mamdani is one) tortured in unfamiliar countries as scapegoat them for this country’s problems? That question was posed to me by someone I know who is a federal employee who exists with the constant fear that their job could be cut on a whim, and who has experienced the capricious, volatile moods of the so-called president through aggressive directives and impossible-to-follow orders.

I want to offer some words from my heart to people like the ones I’ve mentioned above, who are at risk of surrendering to hopelessness and nihilism, and anybody who might be struggling to take heart and find the motivation to act when so much seems to be going wrong. Omaha DSA recently put on a Brakelight Clinic along with CIRA (the Center for Immigrant and Refugee Advancement) and Prosperous Journey. We serviced 25 cars during the course of the day we occupied that parking lot, and while yes, that might not even be noticeable on the national stage, it still mattered to each of the 25 families we helped. They did not have to spend their limited money on basic car repairs and even had the opportunity to learn how to do those repairs themselves. They are now less likely to be pulled over by the cops, which will then help them avoid escalated violence or unwanted encounters with ICE. Sure, we didn’t topple a dictator. But toppling a dictator can take many, many smaller acts of mutual aid and working class organization, acts just like our brakelight clinic. A movement is not born overnight from one singular action, it is built by the hands of many people taking many small actions. Our Brakelight Clinic was one day of action, and we made a difference for 25 families. This MATTERS. By extension, each of the volunteers present that day and each person who donated tools or snacks did something that matters. Not only did it matter to the families whose cars we serviced, but we also built solidarity with other members of the Omaha community who showed up to donate needed items or volunteer or have their cars worked on. There is a reason to find hope on the smaller stage of our community. On the scale of our local communities, our cities, even down to our neighborhoods, our actions can have ripples of effects.

My dad once told me an anecdote that you may have heard before, but that I have made my cornerstone to staying hopeful even as the world tells me there is no hope. One day there was a parent and child walking along the beach after a storm. Hundreds of starfish had washed up on the beach and lay there dying. As they walked, the parent would occasionally bend to pick up a starfish and throw it into the water. Eventually, the child asked “Why are you doing this? There are hundreds of starfish, there’s no way you can pick up every single one. It doesn’t make a difference.” The parent replied “Well,” as they picked up another starfish and threw it back, “It made a hell of a difference for that starfish.”

So this is my call to you to hold onto hope and continue to take action. Join in on planning and executing our pop up food bank, because this will make a difference and it will MATTER to the individuals and families who receive food. Don’t give into nihilism, don’t tell yourself that one person cannot possibly do enough. Make time for fun, but also make time to take action. I sent out an article written by our Political Education Committee about the difference between mutual aid and charity in last week’s newsletter, which you can find again here. Mutual aid is going to be absolutely crucial in the coming months. I want to empower you to get out there and get to know the neighbors in your building or on your street. If you are fortunate enough to have extra and you meet someone who is struggling to hold onto enough, ask them if they would like to share some of yours. That action matters and you have the power as an individual to take small actions that matter immensely in spite of their size. In this time when cruelty is normalized and services are cut in favor of allowing the ultra-wealthy to hoard more resources, giving your neighbors functional support is revolutionary. Caring and hope are both revolutionary. Stay hopeful.

In solidarity, Kaylar F Secretary Omaha DSA