There is a fearless Zen saying for these chaotic, brutal times: “Fall down seven times, rise up eight.”

When we think about it, the current administration thrives on our staying down for the count. On our awe that in less than a year, the nation it took centuries to build is being dismantled, right down a historical wing in the White House. It amazes. It strikes fear into our hearts.

And so we do what we can. We protest. We give (as our financial realities allow) to agencies and organizations that pool their resources to resist. And we take care of ourselves, and one another. We will not be cowed.

Which brings us to progressive congregations across religions and denominations. Here we’re reminded love is a form of protest – not a soft love, but the local kind. We network and focus our efforts and resources, We model courage for our kids, and we never lose sight of QUUF’s founders and subsequent believers in called out injustice and rank hatred in their times

We need to be realists, but nothing is gained by our giving in. We’ve come too far for that, and every minute we spend in despair is a micro victory for the misogyny, phobia and dehumanization that passes for patriotism.

Attitudes alone will not do, but attitude has always preceded action. What say we don’t give in, and exercise some attitude – the building block for action.