In Praise of Patience in the Midst of Crisis

The first ten days of the Trump administration have already created a whirlwind of immigration policy changes, new enforcement actions (both real and imagined), and several lawsuits challenging these new policies and actions.

Things are evolving quickly (but we knew it would be this way).

It is natural to feel overwhelmed already. To feel that you can’t keep up with the firehose of reports on traditional and social media. Maybe you even feel that your inability to keep up reflects a moral failing on your part, a dereliction of your duty to stay informed. “I should be doing more,” you tell yourself.

Trust me: I’m right there with you. This is why I want to take a moment to urge you to pause, to stay connected, and to proceed with discernment. Let me explain what I mean.

I had a conversation with a reporter today who was interested in understanding more about how immigration enforcement might affect schools. Over the course of the conversation, we discussed some steps that parents either had taken or were considering taking, which were likely disconnected from the real needs of immigrant communities, and, therefore, likely to be counterproductive.

I also spoke with friends and colleagues this week who shared a common concern we all witnessed during the first Trump administration: well-intentioned but ultimately misplaced efforts to “do something” that create confusion and panic rather than clarity and genuine support.

These experiences remind me of one of my favorite stories. An emergency room doctor is at home when he gets an urgent call to come into the hospital for an emergency operation for a patient who could die without his help. He jumps into the car, speeds off to the hospital, and rushes sweatily into the emergency room ready to get to work. As he approaches the operating table a nurse stops and says, “Doctor, you only have a few minutes to save this patient’s life—you better slow down.”

It is tempting to feel as though a crisis demands that we act quickly. In fact, the opposite is often true. Urgency, volatility, chaos—these might be signs that we need to slow down, not speed up.

EMTs are taught to walk slowly, not quickly towards the scene of a car crash so they keep their wits about them. Snake bite victims are advised to avoid the panic that could increase the flow of venom throughout their bodies.

Comparable admonitions abound, and those admonitions apply to us, too.

Pause before sending an alarming but unverified social media post. Listen to the concerns and needs of people most affected at this moment before taking action. Let your emotions feed your determination without letting them hijack a process of discernment with your community.

A philosopher once said that in times of crisis, we must have the courage to turn the injunction “Don’t just sit there—do something!” on its head and demand: “Don’t just do something—sit there!” This is not a call for inaction, but a renewed commitment to careful thinking so that we might discern a responsible (rather than reckless) course of action. (“Rapid response”? Try “deliberate response!”)

Although many people in the country support the current orchestrated spectacle of immigration enforcement, many others experience this moment with confusion, uncertainty, and fear. This includes mixed-status families that risk losing the main breadwinner to detention or deportation, faith communities whose congregation may be afraid to come to services, and workers who must balance the risks of going to work with the risks of being deported.

These very real fears are trickling up to local governments, schools and colleges, community organizations, and faith groups, who are beginning to ask themselves what, if anything, they can and should do.

Whether you are asking this question for yourself or asking it as part of a larger community, consider the proposition that patience and discernment, rooted in relationships and a commitment to understanding real (rather than perceived) risks, might be an antidote to fear and confusion in this crucial moment.

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Photo by Yuriy Kovalev on Unsplash