Staying Engaged Amidst the Chaos

Around the world, news headlines are chock full of anxiety-inducing sentiments. Part of that is just business-as-usual for the media, but our world is arguably scarier and more chaotic now than at any time in recent history. It feels like we can barely keep up. As I’m reflecting on this cultural moment we’re in and how to hold it together enough to continue to make progress as an advocate for a more equitable world, I’m thinking back on some lessons learned through my experience planning a social justice conference in college.

I remember that on the day of the event that we spent the better part of a year meticulously planning, my co-facilitators and I awoke to pouring rain, a shock after a long stretch of drought. We carried on, committed to bringing our conference vision to fruition. We wanted to address the turbulent sociopolitical climate by providing insights from leading professionals, access to resources, and most importantly, a space for discussion.

Running around on four hours of sleep, we were fueled by espresso shots and a passion for inspiring and empowering our fellow young leaders amidst the chaos. The conference was a hit, and I am still in awe of how many people dedicated their Saturday and braved the rain to spend the day with us. The experience taught me some key lessons about how to avoid feeling paralyzed by fear and stress in chaotic times:

Disconnect from your most triggering outlet and zoom out.

Every day is a new headline, a new debate, a new Tweet. The amount of information hurled at us is overwhelming, but taking a step back can feel irresponsible. In fact, unfollowing toxic Twitter accounts or blocking certain Facebook “friends” can be a form of self-preservation. I stopped watching the news when I realized I preferred reading thoughtful articles and essays about current events anyway. Reading articles allows me to process information and gather preliminary thoughts at my own rate, while essays help challenge and shape my final conclusions.

And though counterintuitive, catching up on global current events as an American can also be grounding. When the U.S. news becomes too draining, taking a step back to look at the bigger picture can our relative privilege into perspective.

Find a place to grow your thoughts and ideas.

After graduating, the aspect of college I miss most is having a space to discuss and dissect current events. For me, that space was weekly GlobeMed chapter meetings. That’s why our team felt so compelled to organize the conference — because we knew that we couldn’t be the only ones needing an outlet. The GlobeMed community is a privilege we wanted to share because it is both stimulating and cathartic. Sharing our thoughts and emotions with a group can seem daunting or indicate weakness. It’s often stigmatized as if we were all still in high school and in-class participation isn’t cool, but it’s a critical aspect of collective social change.

Challenge and dismantle the ideas you were socially conditioned to believe.

We were all raised in cultures that socially conditioned us to adopt toxic mindsets. We have to do the hard work of uncovering these mindsets, revealing how they do us and others a disservice, and chipping away at them to replace them with new ways of thinking. We can’t change the status quo if we don’t change ourselves. Transformation starts in the minds of young people willing to imagine a better world and work for it.

Despite the (unwarranted, in my biased opinion) deprecation of Millennials and Generation Z, what makes us unique is our bravery and tenacity to challenge problematic norms. The technological boom gives us greater and easier access to information and more platforms to express our thoughts. The claim that we are the “PC Police” is particularly offensive because many of us have actually been raised, as emerging voters and collectively as young adults, to question and challenge inequality. We just have to remember that questioning and challenging ourselves is an important part of the work, too.

Research the organizations you support.

Joining GlobeMed four years ago opened my young eyes to the importance of transparency and sustainability. One of the books I read in preparation for the conference we planned was The Revolution Will Not Be Funded: Beyond the Non-Profit Industrial Complex, which offered a variety of viewpoints and ideas I had not considered before. In the age of Facebook fundraisers and GoFundMe pages, it’s imperative that financial power is given to worthy and legitimate organizations.

Know that you CAN change the world.

Somehow, part of growing up for many of us is accepting the false notion that we cannot change the world. Soon after accepting my position to lead the conference, I read Rules for Revolutionaries: How Big Organizing Can Change Everything. It reminded me that our individual capacity should never be downplayed because we are NEVER alone in what we advocate for. Just as there are (unfortunately) white nationalists and racists in the world, there is a huge social justice community that believes in equality and basic human rights. Our outlook should be, as Leslie Knope said, “I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself.”

Though the sociopolitical climate is overwhelming, draining, and at times triggering, we have to carry on. Former President Barack Obama said it best:

“Part of your ability to lead…doesn’t have to do with legislation, doesn’t have to do with regulations. It has to do with shaping attitudes, shaping culture, and increasing awareness.”

Victoria Sevilla is an alumna of the University of Southern California’s Keck School of Medicine, where she was a GlobeMed chapter leader.