A way to move forward & make an impact
This election cycle pushed a lot of people to get involved in issues that trouble them and they care about.
A lot of us began having hard conversations with friends and family we previously avoided, as we raised our voices against covert racism or other kinds of discrimination.
We shared what we believe and why we believe it in an effort to “inform them” and change their minds. It didn’t work, though. Just like we did, they invariably respond with what they believe and the evidence that led them to that conclusion. A game of ping pong ensues.
We should remember these views (for both sides) took years to form and settle. Reaching middle ground is not a futile exercise, but one that could take a long time.
So, let’s be pragmatic. There’s a real sense of urgency right now, we want to push for change today, not in a few years. Our objective then should be:
Make real progress on the issues we care about, today
How? An example:
There’s reports of how many Trump voters believe he is doing the right thing by repealing Obamacare. However, they are worried about, and need help, with their health insurance situation.
What about pushing for health insurance coverage that works for everyone, not a debate about what should be done with Obamacare? That’s a conversation they might be willing to have. And if not everyone, progress will be made by joining forces with the people who actually want to do something about it (vs those who won’t).
Let’s start then…
What are the issues you care about?
I can tell you mine are the impact of climate change, and automation (for more on the latter, read this on the future of the truck industry). Self motivation will be important to keep going when it’s hard.
What issues are you in a position to make the biggest impact?
Look, I’m an immigrant to the US, so I’m not an expert on how many things work in this country. It would take a lot of time and effort for me to get up to speed to know how to make an impact(**). Time is not something I have a lot of either, being a father of a 2 year old (with 1 more on the way) and working fulltime. On that front for example, I’ve decided to help ACLU by donating.
Maybe you do have the time to get involved. Whatever you choose to do, I advise that you choose the path where you will make the biggest impact.
What can you do?
If nothing else, donate. Organizations are already doing great work and they need our help. There are plenty of lists out there with amazing ones to support.
If you have time, ask yourself how best you can help: Raise awareness, fund raise, take action (like literally planting trees), etc. Jared Erondu has a great post on ideas for designers.
There’s even at least 1 post I know about with tips on running for office.
Personally, I’ll work on raising awareness of the beautiful world we have, the big threats it’s facing, and what we need to do about it. For people losing their job to automation, as a designer, I can help people transition to digital jobs by sharing my skills and mentoring.
Start with a first draft, don’t shoot for perfection. Start, see what works and iterate (just like a startup). If we follow this path, I believe not only will we make an impact today, we will make having those hard conversations with people of opposite views (particularly the ones willing to have a productive discussion) go much better as we focus on pushing our community forward instead of politics.
Lets go make an impact!
If you have ideas or more suggestions you think I should add here, hit me up on Twitter.
(**) This is of course not me discouraging you from getting involved and putting in the time if they are issues you care about deeply. This is me saying, if you don’t have much time and/or want to have the biggest impact as quick as possible…if you really care about an issue and want/can put in the time, by all means do.
