We can keep this resolution in small gestures or large. We can support small local business instead of large, anonymous corporations. We can donate time, energy or goods to causes that do humanitarian work. We can tell people in gentle ways if their language is harmful ("retarded" and "gay" used as slurs, for example). We can write letters to our news editors. We can encourage our representatives to take on issues around human rights and dignity even if they may be politically unpopular. We can demand our own country show leadership in addressing climate change, treating political prisoners within the bounds of the Geneva Convention, and caring for vulnerable populations on our lands.
Use your voice.
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist.
When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn't a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
--Martin Niemöller, pastor and social activist, 1946
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