Workers know that such talk amounts to bullshit. But our answer to someone who is afraid cannot be “Don’t worry about it,” just as we cannot absolutely guarantee victory in order to overcome futility. What is the point of even trying? Why go on?įear and futility are so common and widespread that a well-structured organizing conversation will address them directly and inoculate against them. Overwhelmed by futility, human beings sink intoĭespair. Like other fears, futility has the effect of The idea that even if we try, we are bound to lose, because in fact there is no Taking this risk worth it? Layered on top of such fears, we often find futility: Healthy, causing enough pause to ensure that one makes an informed decision: is They’re afraid they will get fired-fallingįurther behind on their bills, losing health care for their kids, compounding Their boss they’re afraid their coworkers won’t stand up with them or that What Socrates once called “foolish boldness” (Plato’s Laches). What’s more, such people may be seen by othersĪround them as foolhardy, unrealistic, or even untrustworthy-people exhibiting However, over nearly two decades of experience as a communityĪnd labor organizer, I have found that it is quite rare to find a person who Leaders: people who are unflinching, who are not afraid of any fight and who Movement-building circles, we often talk honorifically about our “fearless”

Douglass narrative of the life