Activism

Real activism is about change. And not just any change, but something that actively improves the lives of people. It needs to be meaningful, impactful, and consistent.

It seems like many folks have forgotten that real change does not come from ranting on the Internets, shouting at people, harassing others, or promoting pseudo-science. Virtue signalling is all the rage these days. People expressing opinions for the sake of sounding smart and trendy, institutions implementing changes that bring no actual benefit to society, individuals focusing on themselves and stoking their egos by claiming how greatly they care about others.

You cannot bring positive change in the world by placing yourself on a high horse and looking down on everyone else. Also, you cannot improve the lives of others by thinking you know better and telling them how to live. No, to be a real activist you need an open mind. A mind that is focused on other people, on the world around. You need to have empathy to understand how people feel and the ways in which they struggle, strength to disregard the unimportant and do the work. Do what actually matters. The most noise is generated by people who claim they care about the world but have no clue that what they actually care is themselves. And it doesn't really matter either it's people on the left or the right of political spectrum. Horseshoe theory explains it very nicely.

I believe the future is made by the people who quietly do their job every day. Who smile to their neighbour, who take care of the people around them. Who do volunteering and put in the hours. People that operate non-profits that are not focused on self-preservation. Small businesses that donate to their local communities. People who have empathy. People who disregard the noise and all the drama.

I believe the future is made by those who actually care.

This post is part of the #100days project, where I try to write a post a day. Today is #day15