In her January 28, 2025 column Diana Butler Bass begins with some reflections from a meeting with a group of faith leaders.
The Rev. Traci Blackmon offered a reflection to the gathering about hope and resilience in the midst of the current political turmoil and crisis. “Every day,” she said, “I look at a photograph from a house in Los Angeles. Although it was surrounded by complete devastation from the fires, with entire neighborhoods wiped out, this one house remained.”
Focusing on this image — sort of like an icon — strengthened her hope. The house that survived employed fire-resistant technologies and architectural building techniques intended to do exactly what they did — not burn down in such a conflagration.
Diana had been considering the question, What are we going to do, Rev. Blackmon’s remarks sparked an epiphany: We can build for the fire.
As a result, she came up with a list of things to do, which she called the “Ten Ws,” for any of us who is floundering. It isn’t about fixing everything that is being broken. It is about building for the fire.
I call it building resilience, and I have been pondering my ways of aiding my resilience.
Diana’s 10 Ws:
- WAKE UP (everyday)
- WELCOME THE DAY (everyday)
- WALK (everyday)
- (BE) WITH OTHERS (everyday)
- WORK (most days, but take Sabbaths too!)
- WRITE (everyday, weekly, or often)
- WATCH THE NEWS (as able)
- WIDE-SIGHT (a practice to develop)
- WEEP (whenever)
- WONDER (as much as possible)
Some are every day practices, some occasional. Some need to be learned; others are intuitive. This isn’t a to do list. It is a map. Mix them up. Borrow what you like or need. Whatever helps. Add your own Ws. Keep it simple.
Concluding words from Diana:
I don’t know how to solve many of the big problems and, frankly, I’m as afraid of what is coming as much as you are. But these ten things seem like a good foundation for a fire-proof house. We didn’t want this disaster, but the wildfire is burning and shows no real sign of being contained. The conflagration comes closer. We want to survive, we want to help others survive, and we want to somehow shape a better future from the ashes.
What Are We Going to Do? Preparing my house to withstand the wildfire of the next four years
https://dianabutlerbass.substack.com/p/what-are-we-going-to-do