Reply To: On Tyranny Lesson 15: Contribute to good causes

“On Tyranny” is deeply concerning and also a practical call to action. This is another chapter that provides a path forward. There is some association one can join or support. Financial contributions don’t have to be large. You can round up your grocery bill to contribute to a food bank, sign up for a promotional run/walk, join a neighborhood clean up or go to a neighborhood association meeting (trust me, you will make their day!). Go to a town hall or school board meeting. You don’t have to say anything; just being there is a statement of interest.

In ABQ, candidates for city offices need a certain number of signatures to be on the ballot. A signature and $5 helps them qualify for public financing. Sign for everyone who asks unless you know you oppose the policies of that candidate.

My husband and I have arranged a planned annual contribution to our local food bank. If you live in the U.S., your city, town or county is almost certainly threatened with the loss of federal funds, likely critical to the working of your local government. Your elected leaders will be happy to provide options to contribute.

To echo Tara and Jane, there are lots of opportunities to volunteer. The connection of people, to one another and to a shared purpose, is the antidote to the isolation that provides the necessary ground for an authoritarian regime to take hold. It seems ironic in the American ethos where autonomy is the objective but it is connectedness and our associations that support a civil society.