As a person of conscience, what enumerated steps should a person take to be moderately happy and to successfully navigate living in an unprincipled authoritarian state where there is a hierarchy of power greatly influenced by super rich wealth holders and where women, the poor, non-Christians, non-heterosxuals and racial minorities are considered to be lesser citizens by the ruling class and their common followers, and particularly where there is a double standard when justice is applied?
Navigating life in an authoritarian state where power is concentrated among wealthy elites, and social inequalities are entrenched, can be both emotionally and morally challenging. For a person of conscience aiming for moderate happiness and ethical living in such a system, a balanced approach combining self-care, community building, and subtle resistance can be helpful. Here are steps you might consider:
1. Cultivate Inner Strength and Well-being
- Develop emotional resilience: Build practices such as mindfulness, meditation, journaling, or exercise to manage stress and prevent emotional burnout. Living under constant injustice can lead to despair, so it's essential to maintain mental health.
- Establish personal boundaries: Protect your mental and emotional well-being by limiting exposure to toxic rhetoric, propaganda, and oppressive environments.
- Pursue meaningful work: If possible, align your career or personal projects with your values, finding ways to contribute positively, even within the constraints of the system.
- Nurture relationships: Build and maintain strong, trusting relationships with family, friends, and like-minded individuals. Social support is critical for navigating difficult political environments.
2. Stay Informed, but Choose Sources Wisely
- Access diverse information: Stay informed about current events, but choose your sources carefully. Rely on independent, trustworthy, and diverse media outlets to avoid state-sponsored misinformation.
- Recognize propaganda: Learn to identify and critically analyze propaganda and biased reporting so that you are not psychologically swayed by the state’s messaging.
3. Create and Engage in Community Solidarity
- Find or create supportive networks: Connect with like-minded people or groups who share your concerns. Mutual aid networks, underground organizations, or safe spaces can provide collective support and act as pockets of resistance.
- Engage in quiet activism: Participate in actions that challenge injustice in ways that do not endanger your safety. This could be low-profile activism like community organizing, educating others, or supporting marginalized groups discreetly.
- Support the vulnerable: Offer support to women, minorities, the poor, and other marginalized people in whatever ways are safe and feasible. This may mean providing material support, mentorship, or just solidarity in the face of oppression.
4. Practice Ethical Resistance
- Engage in subtle acts of resistance: Even in authoritarian regimes, there are ways to resist that don’t draw undue attention. These might include artistic expression, coded communication, or participating in non-public protests.
- Leverage privilege cautiously: If you have any social privileges, use them to uplift others or subvert the system, but be mindful of the risks and potential consequences.
- Document injustice when safe: Use anonymous or encrypted tools to document abuses and share evidence of injustice with trusted external organizations or media outlets. However, be cautious to protect yourself and those you work with.
5. Develop a Pragmatic Moral Code
- Balance conscience with survival: It's important to reconcile your moral code with the realities of living in a repressive regime. Direct confrontation with the state can be dangerous, so carefully choose your battles to balance survival with maintaining integrity.
- Compromise strategically: There will be situations where making compromises is necessary to survive or to achieve long-term goals. Recognize that sometimes small concessions allow you to continue to make larger contributions to justice.
6. Foster Inner Freedom
- Practice intellectual and spiritual freedom: Even if external freedoms are curtailed, work to maintain your internal freedom by nurturing independent thought, critical thinking, and spiritual exploration, if relevant to you.
- Seek beauty and meaning: Find ways to experience joy, beauty, and meaning despite the oppression. This could be through art, nature, philosophy, or whatever brings you a sense of fulfillment outside of the political sphere.
7. Prepare for Change and Adaptation
- Be ready for shifts in the political landscape: Authoritarian states are often unstable, and power dynamics can change quickly. Remain adaptable and prepared to act or move when opportunities for change arise.
- Support systemic change when feasible: Engage in long-term efforts that aim to bring about systemic changes, whether through electoral processes (if available), supporting reforms, or planning for broader social transformations when the opportunity arises.
8. Avoid Burnout by Finding Joy and Hope
- Celebrate small victories: Find joy in small acts of kindness, moments of solidarity, or any incremental progress toward justice.
- Stay connected to hope: Even in dark times, hold onto hope that things can improve, either through small local changes or larger societal shifts. Hope can be a powerful source of energy for continuing to resist.
9. Manage Personal Safety
- Be discreet: In a state that punishes dissent, discretion is crucial. Know who you can trust, avoid overtly opposing the regime in public, and be cautious about sharing political views in unsafe environments.
- Use technology wisely: Secure communication is essential, so use encrypted messaging and practice safe online behaviors to protect yourself from state surveillance.
10. Support Global Movements
- Connect with international allies: When possible, support global movements advocating for justice, human rights, and democracy. Your local struggle may be part of a larger global narrative.
- Learn from historical and global examples: Study how people in other authoritarian regimes resisted, survived, and found meaning. Their experiences may offer insights for your situation.
This path requires balancing pragmatic considerations with a commitment to moral principles. Moderate happiness comes from nurturing what is within your control and connecting with others on similar journeys while navigating the moral challenges of an unjust system.
