By Matt Johnson
I don't know how many times I nearly broke down in my car listening to tragic news this year. I'm sure it was a lot. Listening to an update about a 5-year old child in Sutherland Springs who is still in the hospital recovering from gunshot wounds, the injustices Puerto Rico has endured after Hurricane Maria, the people with broken bodies blocking Congressional offices in a drastic effort to prevent lawmakers from sabotaging their healthcare. Honestly, I couldn't hold it together some days. Amidst the torrent of tragedy, however, my wife and I welcomed our second child into the world in July. Though raising an infant and a toddler is extremely challenging, we're very lucky and privileged. We get to see him smile, to see the sweet sibling relationship blossom, and to witness our daughter grow into a precocious toddler.
Our kids dissipate the dark clouds that hover over us, if only for a little bit each day.
I want to be honest with myself about the year ahead. The enthusiasm behind the resistance to Trump's agenda and corporate polluters is strong and will gain steam as the primaries and general election draw closer. However, as most people know, negativity and division are hallmarks of political campaign communications. It's going to get ugly. Division and hate are bred from fear and ignorance. I've had enough exposure to these things, internally and externally. I choose to stay positive. Division between neighbors does not have to be the inevitable end result from ideological disagreements. To stay positive we need to exercise the most fundamental communication tenet: respect. Folks won't get to have those frank political conversations on the porch they yearn for (you know, the ones where you end up realizing you share a lot of values with someone you thought was different from you?), if they forgot how to slow down and listen to someone they suspect disagrees with them.
I yearn for those connections both personally and in my professional work.
When honest and respectful conversations happen, a shared understanding can develop. More people can then realize their struggles are bound together, and can open a space to work together to improve their lives. This can and should happen between organizations as well - between environment and social justice groups, immigrant rights and women's rights, education and healthcare. Connections are there, we just have to be intentional about it and stay positive.
The communications work we do at the Lone Star Chapter can seem pretty removed from these moments, but it's a driving force behind what we do, and I am eager to bring it to a new level in 2018.
Thank you so much for reading and staying engaged!