When the World Is on Fire: Rethinking Resistance and Care

Trying to put myself to bed with some words as the city burns.

It’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the sheer magnitude of what’s happening in the world right now. Authoritarianism is rising, climate disasters are becoming routine, and the social fabric feels more frayed than ever. Here in Los Angeles, the fires raging across our hills are a visceral reminder that the world is, quite literally, on fire.

In moments like this, it’s tempting to retreat into despair or denial. But what if we could use this moment to rethink what resistance and care can look like in the face of such immense challenges?

A Sick Society and the Crisis of Care

Our society often labels individuals as “mentally ill” without acknowledging the sickness of the systems in which we live. Rising rates of anxiety, depression, and psychosis are clearly not just individual phenomena—they’re symptoms of a world out of balance. From the fires in LA to the global surge of authoritarian regimes, it’s clear that our collective structures are not just failing—they’re actively harming us.

For years, I’ve worked with people in extreme states—those who are often dismissed as “mad” or “psychotic.” I’ve come to see these states not as aberrations but as profound expressions of a world that makes less and less sense. These individuals are like canaries in the coal mine, warning us of a deeper systemic illness. What would it mean to take these experiences seriously—not just as symptoms to manage, but as messages to heed?

Rethinking Resistance

The rise of authoritarianism is a global phenomenon, but its contours in the U.S. are uniquely tied to our history. What we’re seeing is not entirely new; it’s the resurgence of a deeply embedded structure of power—one that thrives on division, fear, and transactional relationships. Scholars call this “personalist politics,” where loyalty to a leader replaces adherence to principles or policies. It’s a dynamic that corrodes institutions and undermines collective resistance.

How do we fight this? Not just by resisting the leader, but by building resilient communities. By focusing on relationships over transactions. By reimagining what solidarity looks like when the stakes are this high.

Caring for the World and Each Other

In times like these, care can feel like a radical act. I’m not just talking about self-care, though that’s important. I mean care as a practice of building and maintaining relationships, of holding space for each other’s pain and transformation. As the fires rage here in LA, it’s not just firefighters who are showing us what care looks like—it’s neighbors helping neighbors, organizers creating mutual aid networks, and people showing up for each other in small but profound ways.

Resistance and care aren’t opposites. They’re two sides of the same coin. We resist the forces that harm us by building systems of care that nurture us. And as we care for one another, we create the conditions for resistance to thrive.

Finding Our Place in the Fire

When the world is on fire, literally and figuratively, the question isn’t just, “How do we fight this?” but also, “How do we live through it?” How do we become the kind of people who can hold grief, anger, and hope all at once? How do we build something better, even as the old systems crumble around us?

I definitely don’t have the answers, I’m lying awake at night thinking about my young children and wondering about their future. But I do know this: change starts with seeing clearly—acknowledging both the depth of the crisis and the possibilities for transformation. It starts with finding each other and imagining, together, what comes next.

The fires here in LA will eventually go out. But the deeper questions they illuminate—about how we resist, how we care, and how we rebuild—are ones we’ll need to keep asking long after the smoke clears.

Let’s not look away. Let’s build something new. Together.

Mad Love in Mad Times, Stay in touch with me! Sascha

---

Public/Private Practice: