Tablet is a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture. It is not even 10 years old but has grown up and often gives me food for thought. For today’s bright spot I am attaching an article from Tablet that moves us forward by looking backwards.

The author describes his Austrian grandfather’s approach to life, particularly life under attack, as a question of how to tackle a moral crisis. Since the article is longish, let me summarize the three main tenets (italics are my add ons):

1. Treat every poisoned word as a promise. When a bigoted blusterer tells you he intends to force members of a religious minority to register with the authorities believe him. (Note that today’s news report on talk about internment camps referring to Japanese camps as precedent.)
2. You should treat people like adults, which means respecting them enough to demand that they understand the consequences of their actions. (Even those Trump voters who claim not to be racist, sanctioned racism and worse with their voice.)
3. Refuse to accept what’s going on as the new normal. Not now, not ever.There’s no point indulging in the kind of needlessly complex thinking that so often plagues the intelligent and the well-informed. There’s no room for reading tea leaves, for calculations or projections or clever takes. The only thing that matters now is the simple moral truth: This isn’t right. (Working with the new Government is NOT an option.)

Photographs are from Austria, albeit not Vienna where I’ve never been. In Innsbruck the houses look like wedding cakes until you look a bit closer, Mozart (father and son) are commemorated for their short stay, and even the dogs wear Tyrollean hats.

What to Do About Trump? The Same Thing My Grandfather Did in 1930s Vienna.