This Thursday: "Preparing for what is coming," with Kate Kooyman, Dec 5, 7pm, Brew Merchant

Join us: “Preparing for what is coming,” with Kate Kooyman, Thursday, December 5, 7pm, Brew Merchant

I feel overwhelmed by absurdity. Donald Trump, and the movement that he started, has been with us for nearly ten years. And I am as baffled by him and his movement as I have ever been. And I have made a concerted effort to understand it. I have read books, listened to countless hours of analysis, conversed with wise people, and still, I am so perplexed.

But I do have some thoughts worth sharing with you, even in my state of confusion. Kate Kooyman and I have been exchanging thoughts and feelings for the last few weeks. Our text thread has ranged from outbursts of rage and disbelief (Matt Gaetz for Attorney General?!?!) to curiosity and hope. So we will bring all of that to Still Processing on Thursday. As always, your fears, your rage, your sadness, your hope, your bewilderment, your joy, your laughter, all of this is welcome at Still Processing. Kate and I will bring our research, our thoughts (the thoughts of other public intellectuals), our feelings, and some fun.

Last week, I recalled Ezra Klein’s conversation with Rutger Bregman in 2020. There are two things that I like about this conversation. Bregman is arguing, from a historical/anthropological/biological perspective, that humans are inherently good. The key to our success as a species is our ability to work well together, which takes trust and kindness. Secondly, they discuss noncomplementary behavior, which I am realizing to be an amazing skill. If a child is upset, you bring calmness. As Bethany has taught us, this is co-regulation. Acting in noncomplementary ways takes a lot of practice, but you can do a lot of good with this skill.