“Regular, rigorous, and Reliable.” How to Keep Fighting for a Better World
We can cultivate qualities that help us to stick around in struggle. This is something that came up when I spoke in 2023 with Philadelphia activist Suzy Subways about her decades of movement experience. “Don’t compare yourself to others in
In her 2023 conversation with Philadelphia activist Suzy Subways, a long-time movement participant was advised not to compare oneself to others in terms of the amount of work they can accomplish. Subways emphasized that even those who move quickly often can't maintain that pace indefinitely. The concept of "slow and steady" might seem obvious, but it holds significance for political activity.
Steadiness entails careful consideration and dependable follow-through on our efforts. This idea, promoted by the San Francisco-based Center for Political Education (CPE), can be encapsulated by three guiding principles: reliability, rigor, and regularity, collectively referred to as "the three R's." Reliability involves realistically assessing what we can achieve and fulfilling our commitments.
Rigor means setting high standards for ourselves, while regularity emphasizes consistency in our actions. Moving at a pace that we can sustain for a lifetime is crucial. While urgency is necessary in some situations, perpetual crisis mode can be detrimental and stifle other avenues for planning and action. Steadiness is essential for building and sustaining movements driven by urgency but moving at a pace that can be maintained collectively over the long term.
Written by urgent.news from Literary Hub's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
