1. Years ago at UC Santa Cruz, I was talking with the head of the Community Studies program. at the time what they did sounded so "small" and "local", so I was not interested (I sure wish I could go back now and help them...). Anyway, I stated matter-of-factly that "when people get the information about what is going on, they will take action," or some version of that (now) obviously faulty notion. He said no: actually, if you just give people information, they might become *more* resistant. They need to feel that they can do something, have agency, etc.
Now, when I am speaking with people about what's going on, I try to remember that they may have very different ways of managing what is happening. They frequently don't say much, and I don't know about the stories they tell themselves about how they are coping or allowing themselves to balance during this time.
2. I am seeing how people become activated at various paces. One young woman a few weeks who said, "well, but there's nothing we can do." And then yesterday, she said she wants to go to the demo, and is in a very different place. And an older friend who several weeks ago said "I can't think about it", then the other day opened up, shed a tear, and was grateful for a way to express her feelings. She felt much more alive to what is going on.
On the one hand, my opening the conversations is part of a permission structure — me demonstrating my continued interest in helping the situation. On the other hand, there must be some internal processing going on there.
1. Years ago at UC Santa Cruz, I was talking with the head of the Community Studies program. at the time what they did sounded so "small" and "local", so I was not interested (I sure wish I could go back now and help them...). Anyway, I stated matter-of-factly that "when people get the information about what is going on, they will take action," or some version of that (now) obviously faulty notion. He said no: actually, if you just give people information, they might become *more* resistant. They need to feel that they can do something, have agency, etc.
Now, when I am speaking with people about what's going on, I try to remember that they may have very different ways of managing what is happening. They frequently don't say much, and I don't know about the stories they tell themselves about how they are coping or allowing themselves to balance during this time.
2. I am seeing how people become activated at various paces. One young woman a few weeks who said, "well, but there's nothing we can do." And then yesterday, she said she wants to go to the demo, and is in a very different place. And an older friend who several weeks ago said "I can't think about it", then the other day opened up, shed a tear, and was grateful for a way to express her feelings. She felt much more alive to what is going on.
On the one hand, my opening the conversations is part of a permission structure — me demonstrating my continued interest in helping the situation. On the other hand, there must be some internal processing going on there.