What would Henry David do?

 Sometimes, when the Current Occupant of the White House seems overwhelming, I wonder what Henry David Thoreau would say.

Perhaps this:

 

The attitude of resistance is one of weakness, inasmuch as it only faces an enemy; it has its back to all that is truly attractive.

 

We commoners should resist tyranny. We also should think beyond resistance.

The Current Occupant sometimes has such a grip on the news, on our attention, that we focus on resistance, rather than on upholding what’s good. His ironically named Make America Great Again movement has destroyed some of what’s good about this country.

Henry David reminds us that the challenge is not just to resist but to rebuild — and also to go on with the business of building new goods.

• Source: Henry David Thoreau, Wild Fruits, edited by Bradley P. Dean; New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2000, p. 165.