Timothy Snyder once said “Be calm when the unthinkable arrives,” and this could not be more applicable to us than in today’s modern world.
An American historian, professor, and author named Timothy Snyder wrote a book that left a lasting impact on millions worldwide. On Tyranny, which was published in 2017 following the 2016 US presidential election quickly became a bestseller, and has thankfully found its way into the Canadian education system. It serves as a warning and practical advice, teaching 20 lessons on how to resist authoritarianism. It uses historical examples from the 20th century to guide readers on how to protect democracy in the face of modern-day threats (trust me there are more threats to your democracy than you think). You can read more about each of the book’s lessons HERE, from my notes, but I wanted to highlight lesson 18: Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives. When a crisis hits, resist the urge to panic or submit to authoritarian responses. These responses come in many different shapes and sizes, but typically look like blindly following orders, accepting censorship, or supporting extreme security measures that trade your freedom for the illusion of safety. A passage from On Tyranny states:
“Modern tyranny is terror management. When a terrorist attack comes, remember that authoritarians exploit such events in order to consolidate power. The sudden disaster that requires the end of checks and balances, the dissolution of opposition parties, the suspension of freedom of expression, the right to a fair trial, and so on, is the oldest trick in the Hitlerian book. Do not fall for it.”
Now you may be thinking “But I live in Canada! I’m under a democracy, this doesn’t matter to me!” You could not be more wrong. We must educate ourselves on authoritarianism so we can recognize how it threatens freedom and justice around the world, and ensure those tactics never spread through media and take root here. Think about the world you are about to graduate into, or the world you are sending your children into. Just across our border, our neighbours in the United States are facing a growing decline in democracy, and it’s our duty to protect ourselves from that. That is why I encourage every single person reading this to read On Tyranny, it’s incredibly powerful. So do not panic, but don’t be ignorant either, stepping up to educate yourself properly is the first step in the right direction.
As a class, how have we educated ourselves on this issue? After reading On Tyranny we closely analyzed the book through Socratic Seminar book talks and Zettelkastens. I struggled writing in my Zettelkasten because I typically have challenges taking notes from books and making meaningful connections to them. At first, my notes were lacking, but I realized that was because they felt very forced. Then I tried a different method of note-taking, after every chapter (instead of at random) I would write down my biggest takeaways, then once I finished it I had a perfect summary. Then after talking about the book with my friends and family my connections came naturally, I had ideas that I quickly wrote down and it just snowballed from there. In the future instead of forcing myself to take notes that aren’t meaningful, I plan to have more structured notes that I take at certain times. I also want to think out loud and have discussions about the topic to help bring ideas to the surface.
After analyzing On Tyranny, my class (all 17 of us) worked collaboratively to create one documentary all about authoritarianism. How on earth would 17 completely different teenagers with completely different ideas create one documentary you ask? Well it was definitely hard! But I’m actually quite pleased with how it turned out. We ended up dividing each other into groups, each group with a specific topic, an editor, a researcher, and a dream. After hours and hours of editing (yes I was the editor is anyone surprised?), and lots of great communication and collaboration, here is our final product:
This project made me realize how helpful intellectual conversations are. During our Socratic Seminar, I came out with a lot more connections, understandings and ideas than I did going in. I had a whole notes document prepared for the conversation but I barely looked at it once. I built on top of other people’s ideas, shared many of my own, and altogether had a very successful discussion. I believe my communication skills have grown throughout this project. Especially when it comes to clearly understanding and analyzing other people’s words, and to being able to share my own ideas in depth. Even in my VMV (Vision, Mission, and Values) I wrote that I want to practice attentive listening and understanding complex concepts being shared with me, which I definitely achieved in this project!
My biggest takeaway from this project, and what felt the most powerful to me, was Timothy Snyder’s lesson 12: Make eye contact and small talk. He calls on us to interact face-to-face with our neighbours, peers, and community members. This lesson is meant to create personal conversations, empathy, and widen perspectives. Right before I read that chapter of On Tyranny, I went to an Arkells concert. The main singer Max Kerman said “If you ever feel down, just go outside and make eye contact with someone”. He explained the most important part about being apart of the human race, is human connections. This stuck with me, the importance of connection, so I did some research on it. The Business School of Navarra agrees, saying the digital revolution has created high barriers in team building experiences (that makes PLP pretty contradictory doesn’t it). They argue that face-to-face communication teaches us to have longer attention spans, space for deeper connections, and the ability to understand emotions, and work on our self-esteem. The National Library of Medicine says interpersonal relationships have major impacts on social and psychological functioning. Some of these effects include depressive symptoms and a lower sense of life satisfaction. The NLM says those who tend to engage with their peers more often tend to report a greater life satisfaction. We are social animals after all arent we? Ultimately, if you socialize in person, not only will you have greater life satisfaction, greater emotional intelligence, and deeper connections, you will also be protecting democracy.
I struggle to answer the question “How has this changed the way you think about history, civics, or our role as citizens in a democracy?” because my thinking around that hasn’t changed a whole lot. As someone who is already passionate about law and tries to stay quite up to date with global issues I came into this project with a decent amount of understanding, as well as interest. I knew I would enjoy it, and enjoy it I did! I think the main way my thinking has changed involves my level of hope. I am a rather realistic person who looks at the world in a cautious lens. I remember during this project hearing the quote “I found myself at the very bottom, then I heard knocking,” meaning there is no rock bottom, it can always get worse. That quote may seem very disheartening, deprived of hope, and grim, but to me it felt liberating. It means no matter where we are we haven’t hit the ultimate bottom, there is still a way back up. I left this project feeling more hopeful than before, despite learning about every cruel dictatorship and the vile behaviours of our leaders. That information showed me that there is always potential for change. We must use the mistakes of the past to ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself. I hope I can graduate into a world motivated to seek out solutions, not one weighed down by its problems. Above all, this project taught me that hope, connection and awareness aren’t just ideas and concepts, they are tools for protecting democracy and shaping ourselves a better future. Thank you for reading.