March 7, 2025
I’ve been thinking a lot about resistance lately.
Sure, resistance is something I talk about all the time with students: too much of the wrong kind of resistance makes singing and speaking harder than they need to be.
But lately, given the dumpster fire, I’ve been considering my relationship to political resistance.
A few weeks ago, resisting DOGE and Trump’s Executive Orders felt like standing at Ocean Beach with a flyswatter, trying to hold back the sea. I’m tiny, half-frozen, and ultimately powerless.
And then a friend reminded me that we are not the Resistance, they are. They want to return the country to the Land of Straight, White, Christian Men. That country never existed. They want to claim that sex is determined at conception. That is not a thing.
They are resisting the unavoidable fact of human diversity. They are resisting science. They are resisting so much, but most importantly, they are resisting the fundamental truth of our democracy, “that all… are created equal, that [we] are endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
When I consider that it’s the current Administration who is resisting, I see Trump and Musk wielding flyswatters, shivering at Ocean Beach. I am with the sea.
When I’m with the sea, I can allow it to hold me.
I can float. I have time to think about the next best thing to do.
I know I am not alone.
Clearly, now is the time to use our voices for good, for community, for democracy, for decency.
(Now is the time because it’s the only time we have).
If you’re doing that – speaking out, calling your representatives, going to town halls – remember, our voices are naturally more resonant, audible, and compelling when can reduce unhelpful resistance in our bodies – by opening the throat, relaxing the jaw, loosening the tongue, broadening our chest.
Try this:
Breathe in wide.
Breathe out deep.
Breathe in tall.
Breathe out taller.
Breathe in loose.
Now say what you need to say.
You are not alone. You are needed. Please let me know how it goes.
