Get more involved!

      C’mon, join us.

      Protest with us. Demonstrate with us. Strategize with us. Plan with us. Work with us.

      Yeah, many of us in our generation are discouraged, frustrated and frequently feel hopeless about what’s going on. Or worse, we are disengaged, believing what’s going on doesn’t directly affect us. Many of us are generally comfortable, financially, professionally and psychologically, and so all the outrages don’t seem to cut as deeply. We are not undocumented, living on the edge, an at-risk minority, constantly fearful of what’s next.

And then again, many of us, at our ages, are occasionally just plain tired of it all and just plain tired.

So, who wants to go to another demonstration, call another legislator, plan a campaign or march when there’s laundry to be done, lawns to be mowed, errands to be run? Or just TV to be watched.

      Instead, many of us in our generation just keep commiserating about how terrible things are and shaking our heads in sorrow and exasperation about what’s happening to this country. So far, that angst and discontent generally hasn’t translated into enough action, which isn’t surprising. It takes some energy, and going to meetings or protesting and demonstrating or boycotting or making calls or somehow actively resisting can indeed seem futile—or worse, simply performative.

All of it, it’s true, may be a waste of time and not make a difference against an increasingly authoritarian regime that seems impermeable to pressure. Some of it even could be dangerous or possibly counter-productive.

      And, perhaps, some of us really do think our protesting time has passed.

      There is only one way to get out of that despondent funk: by starting to fight back a little. It’s by doing something.

      Fighting back is empowering. It can be effective. It can make a difference. Historically, it has made a difference.

      To be clear, there’s no suggestion here that we 60- , 70- and 80-year-olds with high blood pressure and ailing knees and stiff backs should necessarily be leading the charge against creeping authoritarianism or manning the barricades against fascism and tossing Molotov cocktails instead of drinking mocktails.

But many of us can do more than we’re doing. Many of us, back when, have done more before.

      Not constrained for the most part by regular employment, we are more free with our days than before. We do have the time. Many of us have enough energy.

      And there are lots of things to do. It’s not just marching down the street, although you should march down the street.

      My wife and I, no particular paragons of political activism, have not tossed a single Molotov. But for the last decade, every election, we’ve gone out into unfamiliar neighborhoods and knocked on doors. And we ABSOLUTELY HATE canvassing. Everybody hates canvassing (well, one friend does enjoy it—the exception to prove the rule). But we take a deep breath and do it anyway because it’s supposed to be at least a little effective. And we think we may once or twice have moved a few votes, maybe enough to change an election result.

      We’ve made calls and more calls to officials. We’ve joined groups. We’ve written letters. We’ve donated. We’ve strategized with other group members on how to be more effective and on what to do next. We’ve gone to meetings to support those who need support. We’ve volunteered. And increasingly in recent months, we’ve gone to protest after protest.

      Many people we know say they’re not joiners. Neither are we. But these are unprecedented times—none of us has ever been faced with these challenges. So doing unprecedented stuff seems to make more sense than it used to.

      A research finding by Harvard professor Erica Chenoweth suggests that when a nonviolent protest movement successfully mobilizes 3.5 percent of a population for sustained participation, the government cannot withstand the challenge and is forced to accommodate the movement's goals.

      We won’t get to the 3.5 percent until more of us from our generation get engaged. Change won’t happen without that engagement.

Jimmy Kimmel doesn’t get back on the air without sustained pressure from people like us.

And one thing more. We should do it—protest in the streets and all the rest—because it’s the right thing to do.

       "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience,” said Martin Luther King, Jr., “but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." 

      Stand with us.

      There’s a big demonstration coming this week: No Kings 2. There are protests scheduled for all over the country, including, probably, not far from where you live. Go to one. Make a sign. Listen to speakers. March. Get angry. Get determined. Sign up for more actions. Make calls. Knock on doors. Boycott collaborators. Get involved. Think about what you can do and then do it.

      C’mon and join us. It’ll feel good and in these depressing times that alone makes it worth doing. And it might even help. It may be the only thing that does.