Rolling with the punches, and staying vigilant

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/02/2025 (203 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When tariffs declared against Canada were suddenly put on pause, I was surprised to find myself in a discombobulated funk.

My energy was waning and my partner can tell you that I was irritable. I was more mindless than usual in my placement of household items in unique places.

When something you are bracing yourself against is suddenly put on hold, it is difficult to find your footing. Even if the fear is temporarily relieved, the body does not trust the pause in looming threats.

I then read an article that helped me find my footing again.

“Resilience targeting” is a psychological technique used in hybrid warfare strategy. It employs misinformation, rumours and confusion to overwhelm communities through the intentional use of chaos.

The purpose of resilience targeting is to prevent communities from recovering and to keep them vulnerable.

As an example, if Group A bombards Group B with threats and then alternately withdraws or enacts them with no warning, Group B is caught off balance and is confused about its defensive strategies. This diminishes Group B’s resilience.

Aha! I now understand what was happening to me.

The unexpected pause in the tariff threat, albeit good news, was affecting my resilient ability to bounce back.

Once I realized this, I found my energy returning, fuelled by a wee bit of anger.

How do we safeguard our resilience in the midst of this targeting?

I’m watching Canada gradually regain its footing as it is unearthing a deeply hidden, fierce Canadian pride. Its resilience is appearing through a united, patriotic sentiment stretching across provincial divides.

It is also appearing through biting (but of course polite!) Canadian humour. This is the time when humour is essential to our mental health. Check out the revived 25-year-old ad “I am Canadian,” featuring quintessentially Canadian Joe. It will lead you into giggles and guffaws. Plan a party with friends to dance away your fears. Go for a walk or a workout.

Resilience also requires vigilance.

We can’t walk away from the news for long, nor can we immerse ourselves in it day and night.

We need to find a mental-health balance and cultivate an inner witness by regularly checking in with ourselves.

How are we doing? Are we slipping into malaise? Despondency? Are we giving up? Or are we finding ourselves increasingly irritable and frustrated? How is our energy? Are we sleeping OK? What do we need to bring our footing back under us?

Vigilance is sharpened when we can read critically: questioning news or social media that supports our own views and considering posts with which we disagree. Vigilance asks us to pay particular attention to those marginalized by power.

Whose voices are not being heard? Who benefits and who loses by particular policies?

Vigilance will help us be prophetic witnesses: reading the signs of the times with the hindsight of historic events and the foresight of our collective way forward.

A mountain biker once explained that you can’t focus on the obstacles immediately in front of you, or you will hit them every time. Instead, you must keep your eye on the path ahead.

Resilience moves vigilance from armchair analysis to action.

What is ours to do? Every little bit counts. Ask why liquor stores are continuing to order American alcohol (not just sell off existing stock). Support your MP and MLA in dismantling provincial barriers to trade and professional licensing. Select Manitoban, Canadian and Mexican products (let’s not forget our Mexican partners similarly suffering).

O Canada — we can get through this together.

In the midst of chaos, let’s sink our roots firmly into our beloved Canadian soil and find the resilience of community, strongly united in our diversity.

Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd is a retired United Church of Canada minister.