In the eleven months since Donald Trump took office – during which he has unleashed unprecedented assaults on the checks and balances of American democracy – there has been a wave of warnings and advice from activists, writers and scholars who have either fought against authoritarian regimes or studied them closely. A common thread runs through much of their guidance: Americans, especially those in positions of power, must find the courage to stand up for what is right, even when doing so carries personal risk.

Yet few have addressed the harder questions: how does one become courageous? How much of courage is innate, and how much is learned? And what can we do to help people find the courage to act?

I am a Chinese human rights advocate. For 15 years, I have worked alongside many brave individuals in China who have stood up to the notoriously repressive Chinese Communist party (CCP). Their experiences have taught me invaluable lessons about fear and courage. If you are a federal government employee wondering whether to resign rather than carry out an order you believe is wrong, an academic debating whether to speak to a journalist about political interference on your campus, or an editor weighing the risks of publishing a story that could draw government retaliation, here are a few lessons I hope will help you.

Most people understand that if everyone were to resist together, they could prevail. But they also know that such unity rarely happens and that resisting alone can seem to bring only personal cost, with no visible gain for anyone. I have no easy answer to this classic “collective action” problem, but I can say this: while acting on your moral convictions can be risky, it can also feel profoundly good.

Over the years, many people from........

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