Hang in there.
Apr. 13th, 2024 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
blimixI watched Anna Cramling's video about a chess match in which she played extremely well against a higher rated player, until an oversight caused her to miss a necessary move. She didn't see that she was still in a good position for a draw, and assumed that she was going to lose. This caused her to make another mistake, in not playing for the draw. That second mistake cost her the game.
I was immediately reminded of two things:
1. World War II: Rommel's campaign against the British in Africa. His forces were outmatched and undersupplied. But he repeatedly tricked the Brits into thinking that they would lose if they engaged him, causing them to retreat. If they had fought, they would have won easily.
2. The job and life advice, "Make them say 'no'." You want a promotion, a favor, a relationship, or whatever. But you think you're not going to get it, so you don't ask. Now it definitely doesn't happen, because you assumed it couldn't. Like the chess draw! Instead, acknowledge that the situation looks disadvantageous, but you don't know everything. Maybe you don't meet all the qualifications, but the boss thinks you can do it, or HR can't find a better candidate. Maybe that cute person sees more in you than you think they do. So ask anyway. Either it doesn't work, but you got practice asking and didn't stand in your own way, or in a pleasant twist of fate you get what you want!
All of these are important to keep in mind now. We are living in bleak times. Things look awful, and motivation is hard to come by. But a lot of events, from personal to nation- or world-shaping, come down to surprising luck: Gavrilo Princip's conspirators' assassination attempt failed, until Ferdinand's motorcade happened to stop right in front of him. The pandemic drove democrats who could work from home into gerrymandered areas, flipping them and costing the Republicans many races in 2022. Cows helped Kodak discover nuclear fallout, thanks to radioactive gelatin ruining some of their photographic plates.
Point is: You never know. The power of fascists is always more tenuous than they let on. Your action could make a difference. Or it could embolden other good people. Or it could crucially distract the powers that be from someone else's action. Even if all you do is survive, vote, and make a few ethical decisions in how you spend your money, you're making a difference.
They want you to give up hope, because they're scared of you. They want you not to vote, because they're scared of you. They want you immobile, too paralyzed to act. Because they're scared of your power. They know that they are hanging on by a thread.
Don't give up.
I was immediately reminded of two things:
1. World War II: Rommel's campaign against the British in Africa. His forces were outmatched and undersupplied. But he repeatedly tricked the Brits into thinking that they would lose if they engaged him, causing them to retreat. If they had fought, they would have won easily.
2. The job and life advice, "Make them say 'no'." You want a promotion, a favor, a relationship, or whatever. But you think you're not going to get it, so you don't ask. Now it definitely doesn't happen, because you assumed it couldn't. Like the chess draw! Instead, acknowledge that the situation looks disadvantageous, but you don't know everything. Maybe you don't meet all the qualifications, but the boss thinks you can do it, or HR can't find a better candidate. Maybe that cute person sees more in you than you think they do. So ask anyway. Either it doesn't work, but you got practice asking and didn't stand in your own way, or in a pleasant twist of fate you get what you want!
All of these are important to keep in mind now. We are living in bleak times. Things look awful, and motivation is hard to come by. But a lot of events, from personal to nation- or world-shaping, come down to surprising luck: Gavrilo Princip's conspirators' assassination attempt failed, until Ferdinand's motorcade happened to stop right in front of him. The pandemic drove democrats who could work from home into gerrymandered areas, flipping them and costing the Republicans many races in 2022. Cows helped Kodak discover nuclear fallout, thanks to radioactive gelatin ruining some of their photographic plates.
Point is: You never know. The power of fascists is always more tenuous than they let on. Your action could make a difference. Or it could embolden other good people. Or it could crucially distract the powers that be from someone else's action. Even if all you do is survive, vote, and make a few ethical decisions in how you spend your money, you're making a difference.
They want you to give up hope, because they're scared of you. They want you not to vote, because they're scared of you. They want you immobile, too paralyzed to act. Because they're scared of your power. They know that they are hanging on by a thread.
Don't give up.
