What can we do?

The return of One Nation was one thing, Brexit was another. Now that Donald Trump has his finger on the button, how do we keep believing that there’s a future worth getting up in the morning for?

Even more troubling than the idea of Trump in the White House is the realisation of how many millions of Americans support his views, who actually want a racist, misogynist, tax-evading crook running their country.

What can we do?

We can overcome complacency. Positive change isn’t something we can ever take for granted – the struggles for civil rights in the ‘70s, the advancement of multiculturalism in the ‘80s – we have to keep fighting for it. How? Go to every protest and rally for the things we believe in. Volunteer for political parties whose values we share. Use whatever we have, whether that’s a public profile, money, time, whatever means of expression is available to us to encourage compassion over hatred, creativity over destruction, inclusion over exclusion. Show our children by example how to treat other people, the environment, the world around us. As artists, we must use our voices and platforms to remind humans of their humanity.

Don’t let the haters win.

Our current 7-ON project is called The Seven Sins, inspired by a sermon delivered by Reverend Frederick Lewis Donaldson at Westminster Abbey in 1925. These are:

Wealth without work.

Pleasure without conscience.
Knowledge without character.
Commerce without morality.
Science without humanity.
Worship without sacrifice.
Politics without principle.

While distressingly relevant already, after yesterday their urgency has just shot up. We have our work cut out for us.