A community garden of resilient practices for the stubborn optimist

The material realities of our lives, work and activism are impossible to ignore. They touch each of us in ways we can’t always predict or control. Yet, within these constraints, we hold a powerful lever: our mindsets.

Beyond the easy slide into indifference or the heavy weight of despair, there's a powerful space Christiana Figueres calls “stubborn optimism”. Far from naivete, stubborn optimism is choosing to face the current reality of challenges while also holding the “fierce conviction” that we can shape a better future.

Our ability to adapt and support each other through tough conditions, while still working towards our missions, is called collective resilience. We believe it takes intention and discipline — “an embodied leadership that supports rigor, rest, joy, connection, ownership, and[our capacity for self and collective] regulation”, as the Organizing Center puts it.

As part of Spring’s series on Reimagining Resilience, we asked dozens of rights and justice leaders to share the practices, videos, books, blogs and other resources that bring them joy, love, groundedness and hope. Below, you can wander through this global community garden of personal and collective resilience. We hope it helps you seed something fresh and nourishing!