✨An Insomniac’s Reflections on Time, Place, and Resistance✊

It takes time to figure out what truly matters to you, and even more time to understand how your voice can shape the future. The values we hold, whether personal or shared with our communities, are not just about what we hope to achieve. They are also revealed in how we respond when things do not go as planned.

I have learned that having a plan does not guarantee stability. Life shifts. Systems shift, and sometimes, those in power shift the ground beneath us, deliberately. Communities that have fought hard to build leadership and local trust, are often the very ones targeted for dismantling.

We are seeing it happen, where local leaders are silenced, institutions defunded, and decisions made without the people most affected in the room.When that happens, we cling to what gives us hope, even if it looks different than what we imagined. But hope alone is not enough.

We must be clear eyed about what is at stake. Serving our communities means protecting the voices within them, especially when those voices are under threat. It means asking hard questions, staying grounded in our values, and refusing to be passive when structures are being quietly eroded.

This is a reminder: leadership does not disappear overnight. It is pushed out, undermined, or co opted. If we care about the future, we need to be just as committed to defending local leadership as we are to dreaming about what is possible.

©Ramon Shiloh/2025