I wrote this post in 2016, soon after Donald Trump’s first presidential victory. Re-reading it today, soon after his second, feels hollow. It’s painful to think that we could repeat our mistake, impossible to believe that voters thought things had gone well enough to do it all over again.

Keep people out, lock people up, support the rich and step on the poor. All over the world, the same sad story repeats itself.
Walls,  Exclusion, Us vs Them – it all keeps happening again and again. And we keep hoping that it will change.

We keep that hope alive by continuing to do what we do, whether it is writing or teaching or curing illness; driving a bus, building a house or raising funds for a foundation for disabled kids  – we keep doing what we do because there is no other choice. And because of that human drive to press onward, to do whatever needs to be done, to care for the children, the sick and the elderly, in spite of our disastrous pasts, all around the world, great things are happening. And they will continue to happen.

So if thoughts of Donald Trump, Narender Modi, Amit Shah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan are troubling you, if it bothers you that everywhere, strong men are on the rise and the world seems to be turning away from the poor, the weak, the vulnerable, if you think welcoming the stranger and supporting the afflicted are not just duties but the only sane way forward, you could do worse than to channel your unease into support for people and institutions that are doing just that. 

Wislawa Szymborska’s poem Under A Small Star contains this brilliant insight: “My apologies to large questions for small replies.” Sometimes the answers are so small we don’t consider them. Sometimes the solutions are so ordinary, so commonplace, we dismiss them as too easy, not complex enough. 

The rise of Fascism is a mighty problem and we can be forgiven for feeling it is too large to even fathom, let alone do anything about.

And yet, we can do something. The solution is political resistance, yes, and organising for social change in our own neighbourhoods and towns. But it is also to actively engage in what we want to see more of, what we believe in, what we believe the world should be doing. 

Caring for vulnerable children, giving them a chance to achieve their potential, making this world an inclusive, welcoming place where differences are accepted and nurtured and celebrated – this is one way to defeat the forces of intolerance, exclusion and despair.

There are so many more. I’ve found mine. I’m begging you: if you haven’t found yours yet, get out there and have a look around.

Merry Christmas and a peaceful, powerful New Year: Break the walls. Make a circle. Welcome the world. Small replies.