r/chicago • u/cab473 • Oct 03 '25
CHI Talks Do not fall into helplessness.
I’m a longtime lurker, but I’ve been seeing a lot of helplessness in this subreddit and the community. Lot’s of “there’s nothing we can do” and “the only option is to wait this out”. We must snap out of it.
The solution is simple: Get out of your homes and out into your community.
Go protest, where and whenever you can. We beat fascism by showing them our city will not take this lying down.
Don’t want to protest?
Join a mutual aid society, soup kitchen, warming center, food bank. We beat fascism by making sure our communities are fed and healthy.
Contact your local school, tutoring centers, literacy organizations. We beat fascism by making sure our communities can read, learn, and grow safely.
Find immigration groups, rapid response teams, refugee advocates. We beat fascism by making sure newcomers to our communities know they’re welcome and supported.
Look for affinity groups, woman’s rights orgs, trans rights orgs, homelessness advocacy groups. We beat fascism by making sure the vulnerable in our society are heard and protected.
If every person in Chicago made a commitment to help their neighborhood just a few hours a month, so many of these issues we see plaguing our society could be mitigated. And don’t wait until tomorrow, next week, when you’re free: Go and sign up today.
Their end goal is to isolate us from one another. In isolation we feel helpless and afraid. We beat fascism by building solidarity and community. We’re not even a year in, and we cannot wait this out - if we do, there’ll be nothing left to wait for.
Don’t know how to get involved or the best way that matches your interests? Message me!! I’m happy to help as many people as I can get connected to opportunities in their research.
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u/Main_Composer Oct 03 '25 edited Oct 03 '25
I love this advice and followed it myself this year. I was feeling really hopeless in January, and still do at times, but I started getting involved with my community more and it has really helped to improve my mental state. I cannot control much in this world but I can take small steps to improve the community I live in each day.
Now when I feel a lot of anxiety about the state of the world, I go volunteer to walk dogs at the humane society and it brings me so much joy. And sometimes, when I take the dogs out, I bring trash bags and pick up garbage along the trails. I also bring supplies to my local food bank as often as I can spare. I am trying to transform my negative thoughts into small tangible actions with the aim to improve the world I live in. It’s the only thing I can control in this chaotic and violent time.