What Good Does Activism Do?
If you don’t know find out. If you do know — do it!
I originally published this article 9 years ago in another online publication. A friend of mine reminded me of my mission back then:
“ The purpose of my life is to live my life on purpose. My mission is to co-create a world of peace, joy, and fulfillment by embodying life-giving perspectives.”
Not much has changed, in my purpose or the world.
It seems to me that the need for activism is present because there is a constant need for change. Okay, not bad! But what is our problem that we must continue to kill each other to affect that change? Huh? What? WTF?
While I am glad to be growing from the place I was nine years ago, I am sad that I haven’t done more, that my work hasn’t produced more (more peace that is) and that I/we are in essentially the same quandary as we have been for millennia.
Why is the human species seemingly acting to destroy itself? Huh? Why? WTF. When will it end?
The answer for me is still the model set by activist Jody Williams — a Nobel Peace Prize winner whom I mentioned in my previous article nine years ago seen below.
Not much has changed, except my hair is gone and I write on Medium more frequently.
I am willing to change, even more than I have in the past, to do more, and I am. Will it ever be enough? Not if my/our collective mindset and history continue to be predicated on the idea that there is only one way to live…my way and if you can’t handle that then I’m getting violent!
I hope and trust that someday we will stop competing with each other and find a collaborative spirit. I believe it can be much more beneficial than the singular mindset way we currently operate under. We must find a way to transform me into we if we are ever going to progress, proliferate, and propagate peace.
My Questions About Activism
What good does it do to birth the infant only to feed it pesticide-filled food?
What good does it do to vote only to return to the ego of our division?
What good does it do to stroke a check for a cause only to return to the greed which plunders our children?
What good does it do to encourage the fight for justice only to sit back and wager on the destruction of the weak?
What good does it do to say “I love you” in betrothal only to feign the demonstration to your mistress?
Isn’t it better to vote and act in the ways of honor? To be vigilant and collaborative on the issues of life
Isn’t it better to fund a project for healing and work in earnest to ensure it’s mindfully spent?
Isn’t it better to seek to understand the battles we wage than to be one who profits from the losses of our planet?
Isn’t it better to mean “I love you” then surrender it to the hypocrisy of foolish verbiage?
We can be aware and not act, yes we can walk away, we can think and feel and still turn our heads.
We can act as if we are truly living, we can be anything we choose!
We can be conscious of living to the full and we can act in the interest of all people.
We can be anything we choose! We can recognize hope in the action of being…one
What good does activism do? A lot if we get active!
May Peace abound in your heart, in your mind, in our world!
