Activism can feel deeply isolating, but it isn’t supposed to be a solo act.
This session explores the myth of the lone activist and the revolutionary power of intentional community. You’re not the only one who cares. You just need to find your people—or build a space where they can find you.
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” — African Proverb
It’s hard to keep going when you’re doing it alone. The greatest source of hopelessness comes from the belief that you are the only one in the fight, that you are the last of your kind, that no one else around you is burdened by the things that burden you. This is never the reality, but it is a powerful deception, made all the easier to fall for when the more you exist in solitude.
The Myth of the Solo Activist
We often tell stories of lone heroes, but every successful movement has been collective. You don’t need to carry everything—you just need to be part of something. Community is how we sustain ourselves. It gives us rest, rhythm, and reminders that we’re not alone.
Community is medicinal. It allows us to remember that we are part of a collective. It frees us to take moments away from the fight so we can be restored, so that we can do the work of being human, of cultivating meaningful relationships, of attending to our physical, emotional, spiritual, mental, and relational health.
But community isn’t just medicinal, it is strategic:
- It gives us newer and better questions.
- It exposes us to different stories, sometimes more accurate than we had.
- It allows us to become aware of progress we may be oblivious to (the necessary small victories that sustain us) and to the efforts of others that can be a source of encouragement.
- It provides an environment that is conducive to collaboration
- It helps expand your understanding of what is possible.
Note: We often get frustrated because we think we need to launch a movement or create some new thing that doesn’t exist, but when we step out into our communities, we can usually find that there are people already there on the ground addressing a cause that is meaningful to us. In other words, we don’t need to reinvent the wheel; we just need to hop on board with the work of others. A simple Google search will help you find organizations doing work that matters locally.
Much of our fatigue comes from the perception that we are the only ones doing what we’re doing; that if we pause and rest, then the work will pause too. That kind of inverted narcissism is exhausting.
Community is like being on a road trip with someone and being able to sleep while they drive.
The act of gathering with people gives you a dissenting opinion to the disastrous headlines. We get new stimuli, get alternative information to all the despair on our timelines.
What Community Looks Like
Community doesn’t have to be big to be powerful. It can look like:
· A group text with justice-minded friends
· A faith circle that meets to write postcards
· A mutual aid pod that shares resources
· A recurring potluck that includes political check-ins
These aren’t just support groups. They are sustainability structures.
Fortifying Yourself for the Long Game
To stay in the work, you need both rest and reconnection. That means building rhythms that support your wellbeing mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically.
“Rest is not a luxury. Rest is resistance.” — Tricia Hersey
· Schedule rest: tech breaks, sabbaths, silence
· Practice reconnection: music, art, prayer
· Pause before quitting
· Celebrate small wins
· Name and thank the helpers
Remember: You’re not more useful when depleted. You’re just more exhausted. You can be a healthy, rested, relational human—and still be a force for good.
How to Find (or Form) Your People
You don’t need a massive network—just a few kindred spirits. Start here:
· Ask one person to join you in a cause
· Join an existing group—even if it's virtual
· Form a rhythm with 2–3 others (monthly check-ins, letter writing, etc.)
· Ask: What are we seeing, feeling, doing? How are we caring for each other?
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.” — Helen Keller
Final Thought
You were never meant to do this work alone. You don’t have to burn out to be faithful. You don’t have to be alone to be brave. Find your people. And if they don’t exist, make space until they do.
Going Further
Key Concepts
The Myth of the Solo Activist: Every justice movement is collective at its core. You don’t need to be the whole movement—you just need to belong to one.
Community as Medicine and Strategy: Relationships restore us when we’re depleted and sharpen our activism by exposing us to new perspectives, partnerships, and possibilities.
Gathering = Grounding: Being physically or virtually with like-hearted people offers resistance to despair, re-centers our purpose, and reminds us we’re not alone.
Sustainability Through Connection: Intentional communities are not just support systems—they are how we stay focused, healthy, and in it for the long haul.
Redefining Community: Activist community doesn’t have to be large or loud. It can be a text thread, a book club, a shared ritual, or a mutual aid circle.
Practical Actions
Reach out to 1–2 people you trust and start a weekly or monthly rhythm for checking in, sharing news, or taking collective action.
Join or start a mutual aid pod, political text thread, postcard writing group, or informal discussion circle.
Attend local rallies, community meetings, or group volunteer efforts to expand your network and share the emotional load.
Celebrate small wins together and name your “helpers”—the people who give you strength.
Practice “rest as resistance”: take intentional pauses to reflect, laugh, create, and just be human with others.
Journal Prompts
Where in your life do you feel most isolated in your activism? Who might be good company on that road?
What are the biggest challenges to finding or maintaining activist community? What are one or two ways to overcome them?
How can you redefine “community” so it feels more accessible, flexible, or personalized?
What would it look like to center sustainability—emotional, relational, and strategic—inside your activism?
Quotes to Remember
“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
— African Proverb
“Rest is not a luxury. Rest is resistance.”
— Tricia Hersey
“Alone, we can do so little; together, we can do so much.”
— Helen Keller
“Misery craves community.”
— John Pavlovitz
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