Like most of us, I am preoccupied with current global events right now.

Russia chips away at the edges of Ukraine. China is relentless in its attempted assimilation of Tibet and now antagonizes Taiwan. But among the great powers, never did I think the U.S. would be perhaps the greatest risk of all.

As I write this in late January, it’s clear the American president should be removed from office. Pick a reason; they’re all related to him being unmoored from reality.

Donald Trump asks Vladmir Putin and other despots to join his “board of peace” while he uses economic coercion and verbal intimidation on Canada and Greenland. He just has so many imbecilic thoughts that no one can keep up.

But when the rules don’t make sense anymore at the top there’s only one thing we can do here in our own community – work to strengthen local democratic and social resilience. Because the only levers still in our control are municipal and community-level ones.

Research on community resilience and democracy shows that communities with dense social networks, good local organizing, and shared information recover better from crises and cope better psychologically. When national rules fray, local institutions become the safety net that keeps ordinary life intact, such as our schools, our volunteer services, our neighbourhoods, our small businesses, our municipal government.

Strengthening those things isn’t glamorous, but it works. Dense social networks — neighbours who know one another, groups that meet regularly, churches and clubs that share resources — are our first line of defence against the idiocy of Trumpism and the like. Practical action like voting, joining municipal committees, taking part in food drives, and keeping pressure on council, local MPPs, and MPs all matter.

Fortifying local journalism is also important. That might just mean reading local news – not just the headlines – and sending us more letters to the editor. You can also monetarily support our efforts and visit the advertisers who choose our local magazine and newspaper.

None of the above is a substitute for national accountability.

Former Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, probably the most important Canadian leader since Lester Pearson when it came to foreign affairs, said: "The fundamental goal of government is to make a better world — a world that is safe from war and safe for democracy, a world that is free from deprivation and free from degradation."

Trump doesn’t know what that means, nor does he care.

So now, in the absence of great power leadership, it is up to the rest of us. It is the practical, stubborn work that preserves democracy right where we live. It also protects our mental health; people who feel connected and useful weather shocks far better than those who feel isolated and helpless.

For now, despite all the chaos, we have places to visit, people to love, and lives to live. Because democracy isn’t only a ballot once every few years — it’s the daily practice of looking out for one another.