“On Tyranny” - Chapter 15: “Contribute to good causes”

March 06, 2025

On the face of it, this seems platitudinous. “Help out X charity, it’ll help the greater cause.” To be sure, that is or can be, the case. However, Snyder is aiming at something subtler and no less important.

To paraphrase him a bit, being active in organizations “political or not”, express your own view of life.

Not only that, but supporting a group or organization is very much a way of engaging in civil society. By now, it should be apparent that almost every suggestion that Snyder has presented meets the individual on her own terms and addresses her place in the wider civic context.

All politics is local and just as much, if not more, personal. The support of a group that aligns with your values amplifies those values. “Political or not” is a phrase I don’t understand; as I’ve stated baldly, everything we do is political. Some would have me qualify that with “in the Aristotelian sense”, but I genuinely mean it. It doesn’t mean that I’m going to walk out of Heart Eyes and look for an underlying political message; but it does mean that I see supporting a film as a political act, going to see a movie as a political act, enjoying it as one, and so on. Hell, writing about it, especially if I don’t mention politics.

Another major point that Snyder makes is that, “It is gratifying to know that, whatever the course of events, you are helping others do good. (Emphasis mine.)” Each charity or non-profit you support is, as Snyder has it, quoting an earlier president, part of “a thousand points of light”, “best seen like stars at dusk, against a darkening sky.”

Snyder uses the notion that freedom is often represented as the lone individual against the government, that “the individual should be empowered and the government kept at bay.” But we miss that dimension of freedom as “the choice of association.” This is part and parcel of the right to free assembly, to be sure, but it goes farther than that even, as freedom-to-be-with-others.

“We should engage in activities that are of interest to us, our friends, our families.” As Snyder points out, Vaclav Havel touted brewing good beer! More recently, Congresswoman Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez abjured folks to just find something they take enjoyment in, like knitting (I think that was her example), but the point remains that there is a sense of togetherness in a classroom or a recreational center or a park where we convene with friends to share a game, a hobby, a sport.

If we’re talking about activities that require a certain skill, we can “take pride in these activities, and come to know others who do so as well”, and when we do, “we are creating civil society.” In the sharing of our enthusiasm, our arts, our hobbies, our sports, we come to know others and build a trust beyond our narrower social circles. Snyder adds that this “helps us to recognize authorities from whom we can learn” and this in turn, leads to enlarging our "capacity for trust and learning.” This, in turn, “can make life seem less chaotic and mysterious, and democratic processes more plausible and attractive.”

It’s difficult to square support with the American Civil Liberties Union with, say, supporting your local chess club, but of the two, one is likely done online with autopay. The other, though, requires participation. But each is vital to the integrity of the individual: you. And by extension, of the civil society of which you (and other members of your club) are a part.

Snyder points to the value of assembly of groups under communist regimes as the dissidents in those countries recognized that nonpolitical activity is “an expression and safeguard of freedom.” All major enemies of freedom are suspicious of such assembly, requiring non-governmental groups to register with the state and from there, changed into additional networks of control. It’s not hard to find examples of corporatist absorption of private activity in fascist one-part states.

During the Cultural Revolution, martial artists were driven underground and taught in secret. Tibetan monks who were imprisoned in the laogai still found ways to meditate, pray, and teach. Artists have continued to write and paint while incarcerated without state approval, but these are direr circumstances than we are in, but I mention them as examples that the human spirit is going to express its innate freedom under all circumstances, often in the face of oppression and dire consequences.

We’re not there; we hopefully, will not get there. That said, the more we do now, the less likelihood of finding ourselves in those circumstances.

Bibliography

Snyder, Timothy. On Tyranny - Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century. Crown Publishing. New York. 2017..

I don’t have to add a lot here in terms of what we will likely be called on to do. You will read, again and again, how important it is to contact your reps, to volunteer your time, to march in protest, and to help where you can/as you can.

Two places to start with:

Mobilize at https://www.mobilize.us/. I have the landing page set to my area; populated with events, petitions, and volunteer opportunities, it’s practically one-stop shopping.

Indivisible at https://indivisible.org/ is another comprehensive hub. You can sign up for updates, download their guide to organizaing, find candidates to support, and more.

If you don't have a copy of "On Tyranny", you can purchase one here:

"On Tyranny" at Timothy Snyder's website where he lists several options. Support local bookstores and buy local or check it out from your local library.

Navigation

Introduction and Chapter 1