At the end of the first week of President Trump’s 2025 term, so many of my friends have said things to me like “I’m so sad (or worried or depressed” or “I can’t believe he has done so many terrible things already” or “I just feel awful all the time” or “I can’t watch/read/hear about then news at all” or other variations along those themes.

I get it, I do.  I used to be a real news junkie, and now even I can only take it in limited quantities.  

But please know, THIS IS THEIR PLAN!  They want those who oppose their policies to feel bad and overwhelmed and hopeless.  They are DELIBERATELY TRYING to make you feel that way.

Some unnamed source within the Trump Administration admitted that they were following the concept of “Shock and Awe.”  If you are not familiar with the phrase, it was developed by the military. It is a strategy aimed at overwhelming an opponent’s psychological and physical abilities to fight. The goal is to use superior force, displays of power, and rapid action to intimidate and demoralize the enemy, leading to quick surrender or collapse of enemy resistance.  The prime example of Shock and Awe was the US use of atomic bombs during World War II.  The shocking death and destruction resulted in the immediate surrender of the Japanese, who realized, as Star Trek made famous, that “Resistance is Futile.”

But this is a country of law, not a military campaign.  And President Trump’s many pronouncements are only words at this point, not objects capable of immediate and total devastation.  So don’t fall into the administration’s trap of psychologically and emotionally paralyzing those who disagree with them.

For others like me who did not vote for President Trump and who do not agree with most of his immediate priorities, I say we should not fall prey to his Shock and Awe shenanigans.  Rather, I say, let’s turn their Shock and Awe into Shock and Activate!

I think we should keep the Shock, because Shock is the appropriate reaction to much of President Trump’s plans.  Many are blatantly illegal or even unconstitutional.  Others are cruel and inhuman.  Some are just plain boneheaded (in my opinion).  As hard as it feels, I would rather feel shocked than to numb out, to avoid feeling the pain and the injustice his policies would create in the world.  I want that shock and that pain to fuel my resistance to plans that I believe will harm me or my family and friends or my fellow citizens or my brothers and sisters across the planet.  It is that shock that energizes my will to Activate—to speak out, to participate in the political progress, to give my time, talent, and treasure to organizations and activities that oppose what I can not accept, and to have my voice be heard.

Now, you may say to me, “Shock and Activate sounds great, Carol.  But how can we actually do that?  With the Executive branch, US House, US Senate, and the Supreme Court all having majorities that support President Trump, and the billionaire tech bros at his side willing to fund him, how can we possibly defeat these programs?  How do we keep from succumbing to despair?”

I can’t tell you what to do or how to feel.  But I’m going to do a series of blog posts of the things that give me hope, that inspire me to commit to Shock and Activate.  So tune in for more  of my inspiration for this opposition movement in the coming days.

There is no doubt about it; for those of us who disagree with President’t Trump’s policies, it is going to be a tough year.  But I urge those of us who feel this way NOT to give up before things have even begun.

Because believe me—that’s exactly what he wants you to do.  And if you disagree with President Trump’s agenda, you don’t want to be a pawn in his game.

Don’t let this Administration manipulate you into thinking that you don’t matter—because you do.

PS—If you found this post uplifting, please subscribe so you will get all the updates I will be posting.  And/or, if you have friends who are also struggling during these times, please forward them these posts.  I just want them to support as many people as possible.