Jack My uncle Alex was a merchant marine for 30 plus years. He had Hold Fast on his knuckles. We used to ask why and he told us stories of why and what it meant to him and the others who he served with. At those times grip meant more than strong hands. My father agreed and he always said when putting us to bed to sleep tight.
That’s powerful, John....and exactly why Hold Fast resonates beyond the literal grip.
For people who’ve lived real danger...it’s not just about hanging on physically...it’s about anchoring yourself mentally...when the world is pitching around you.
Your uncle and father understood something...most people don’t learn until they’re in the storm:
Steadiness is survival.
Grip is a mindset first...hands second.
That lineage...merchant marine to family wisdom to you...puts you in a long tradition of people who didn’t just endure...they stayed awake through chaos. That’s the energy I want behind this hashtag. Not a slogan. A SIGNAL
.
Thanks for sharing that story. It gives the phrase even more weight!
We were told at home when being tucked in, “Nighty-night. Sleep tight.” I never knew where the saying originated. Our father was in the army before we were born. Thank you for sharing that, John Smith.
HoldFast was a Rally Cry for ending the Vietnam war and, also, for getting the 18 year old VOTE. I know first hand that this really works. Thank you, Jack, for shouting it out today, and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
I just bought some new poster boards to make new signs for the No Kings protests Saturdays at the Legends! Thank you for conveniently reading my mind (free of charge) and providing me with the PERFECT message!! You rock, Jack Hopkins! 👍👍🥰❤️
Love it, Elizabeth...and that’s exactly how this spreads. One person shows up with a clear... defiant message...and suddenly the whole tone of a protest shifts. Signs become symbols. Symbols...become momentum.
Post those pictures when they're done....I want to see them in the wild!
And thank you for putting real boots on the ground instead of just doomscrolling. That’s how we win. YOU rock!
I am sketching them out tomorrow. We have a lot of veterans stop by and honk, so it will be especially meaningful to them! Thanks for letting me steal your thunder! 😆❤️🥰
Jack, thanks for this. Many years ago, when I was married to a guy going through pilot training with the Army (also Warrant Officer Candidate training). He told me about the command, "Stand fast". I always laughed because I pictured people running in place, but then I figured it out. #HoldFast makes good sense.
I love that, Roberta...and it's a perfect connection.
Commands like "Stand fast" and "Hold fast" come from worlds...where hesitation isn’t just inconvenient...it's catastrophic. They’re about anchoring yourself in position...when everything in you wants to run...flinch...or retreat.
It’s not passive...it’s discipline under threat.
And the fact that you heard it in the context of flight training...and Warrant Officer Candidate culture...makes it even more fitting...because that’s a community that literally trains for stability in chaos!
#HOLDFAST works the same way now:
Hold your footing...hold your clarity...hold your line...especially when the instinct...is to panic or disengage.
Thanks for sharing that memory, Roberta. It gives the phrase even MORE real-world weight.
The right thing at the right moment. I know Miles Taylor settled on Defiance! as the new mantra, but it seems like you gotta avoid being swept off of the deck first or there won’t be anyone left to fight. If Canada has their #ElbowsUp we can sure #HoldFast.
Gotcha! #HoldFast
Rock on, Rae!
#HOLDFAST
Jack My uncle Alex was a merchant marine for 30 plus years. He had Hold Fast on his knuckles. We used to ask why and he told us stories of why and what it meant to him and the others who he served with. At those times grip meant more than strong hands. My father agreed and he always said when putting us to bed to sleep tight.
That’s powerful, John....and exactly why Hold Fast resonates beyond the literal grip.
For people who’ve lived real danger...it’s not just about hanging on physically...it’s about anchoring yourself mentally...when the world is pitching around you.
Your uncle and father understood something...most people don’t learn until they’re in the storm:
Steadiness is survival.
Grip is a mindset first...hands second.
That lineage...merchant marine to family wisdom to you...puts you in a long tradition of people who didn’t just endure...they stayed awake through chaos. That’s the energy I want behind this hashtag. Not a slogan. A SIGNAL
.
Thanks for sharing that story. It gives the phrase even more weight!
-Jack
Hold Fast is the motto of Scotland’s Clan MacLeod. I have always felt both power and hope in this phrase.
We were told at home when being tucked in, “Nighty-night. Sleep tight.” I never knew where the saying originated. Our father was in the army before we were born. Thank you for sharing that, John Smith.
HoldFast was a Rally Cry for ending the Vietnam war and, also, for getting the 18 year old VOTE. I know first hand that this really works. Thank you, Jack, for shouting it out today, and will reStack ASAP 💯👍
That’s incredible context, Karen...and thank you for bringing that history into the conversation.
Movements that win...are always powered by a phrase...ordinary people can grab onto...and carry forward.
If Hold Fast helped push the end of Vietnam...and win the 18-year-old vote...that’s not just a slogan...that’s proof of concept.
The power is in the people who refuse to let go.
Different era...different battlefield…
...same instinct to dig in...and force change...rather than waiting for somebody else to do it.
Appreciate you adding that lineage to the phrase...and thank you for carrying it forward.
ReStack helps more than you know!
-Jack
I love it. #HoldFast
I just bought some new poster boards to make new signs for the No Kings protests Saturdays at the Legends! Thank you for conveniently reading my mind (free of charge) and providing me with the PERFECT message!! You rock, Jack Hopkins! 👍👍🥰❤️
Love it, Elizabeth...and that’s exactly how this spreads. One person shows up with a clear... defiant message...and suddenly the whole tone of a protest shifts. Signs become symbols. Symbols...become momentum.
Post those pictures when they're done....I want to see them in the wild!
And thank you for putting real boots on the ground instead of just doomscrolling. That’s how we win. YOU rock!
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
I am sketching them out tomorrow. We have a lot of veterans stop by and honk, so it will be especially meaningful to them! Thanks for letting me steal your thunder! 😆❤️🥰
I really love this, Jack! #HoldFast. I protest weekly! A new sign is in my future!
Patty...you're awesome. YOU...are doing the work!
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
I’m going to have a T-shirt made.
I LOVE that, Lori!
#HOLDFAST
Excellent rallying cry, Jack!
I know I sure liked it...especially when I got the backstory on it, Joanne!
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
Jack, thanks for this. Many years ago, when I was married to a guy going through pilot training with the Army (also Warrant Officer Candidate training). He told me about the command, "Stand fast". I always laughed because I pictured people running in place, but then I figured it out. #HoldFast makes good sense.
I love that, Roberta...and it's a perfect connection.
Commands like "Stand fast" and "Hold fast" come from worlds...where hesitation isn’t just inconvenient...it's catastrophic. They’re about anchoring yourself in position...when everything in you wants to run...flinch...or retreat.
It’s not passive...it’s discipline under threat.
And the fact that you heard it in the context of flight training...and Warrant Officer Candidate culture...makes it even more fitting...because that’s a community that literally trains for stability in chaos!
#HOLDFAST works the same way now:
Hold your footing...hold your clarity...hold your line...especially when the instinct...is to panic or disengage.
Thanks for sharing that memory, Roberta. It gives the phrase even MORE real-world weight.
-Jack
Genius! #HoldFast👹
#HOLDFAST Rachel!
-Jack
Thank you, Jack! #HoldFast
You're welcome, Kathy!
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
Excellent rallying cry! #Holdfast
Rallying cry...it is, Robert!
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
That works. It reminds me of Hodor (Game of Thrones). Which meant “hold the door” to stop the White Walkers (deadly bad guys).
Ha...yeah...that’s a perfect parallel, Chichi.
“Hold the door” wasn’t about the door itself...it was about holding back the thing trying to break through and destroy everything behind it.
Same energy here.
It’s not passive. It’s not “wait and see.”
It’s the line you hold...so the people behind you...have a future.
The difference is...this time we’re holding the line against an authoritarian slide...not ice zombies.
Though honestly...some days the comparison feels closer than it should.
#HOLDFAST
-Jack
The right thing at the right moment. I know Miles Taylor settled on Defiance! as the new mantra, but it seems like you gotta avoid being swept off of the deck first or there won’t be anyone left to fight. If Canada has their #ElbowsUp we can sure #HoldFast.
When you’re numb, you lose strength and you let go.
Refuse to be numb to the bullshit!
HOLD FAST
#HoldFast. Powerful and precise.