Wisdom in difficult political times.

One of the consistent themes in psychotherapy is the development of agency in place of victimhood.

One of the stoic virtues is wisdom which comes from knowing what we can change and control and what we can't. This comes from Epictetus originally, who taught this virtue to Marcus Aurelius and in modern times has been captured in the Serenity Prayer.

Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish between what you can and can’t control that inner tranquility and outer effectiveness become possible.

Epictetus; Lebell, Sharon. The Art of Living: Epictetus's Timeless Wisdom on Virtue, Happiness, and Tranquility for a Fulfilling and Ethical Life (p. 3). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition. 

Probably one of the most important virtues of a psychotherapist is wisdom. Hopefully, we share our wisdom with our clients. 

There are  plenty of things we can be done to change the current state of affairs, the most important of which is to offer constructive beliefs that influence voting behavior and consumer choices. Do you believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person or that some people are better and more worthy than others? Do you believe in equity, justice, and compassion or a society of increased inequality and retribution?

Simple choices really if they are framed right giving people the opportunity to make good decisions. Perhaps the more relevant frame of reference in answering the question "What is to be done in these difficult times?"  is spiritual not political. If we try to answer the question from the same perspective that gave rise to the question we often arrive at the wrong answer.