It's not because I haven't had things to say (if anything, the need to speak has quadrupled!). But my life got busier, and seemingly complicated, and I could only express myself in micro bursts (thank you, Twitter!). I just didn't have the time and energy to write lengthily blog articles, and design a corresponding comic, and all that.
But I always felt sad that I had 'given up on' my Going Green blog.
Luckily, I have realized that I don't have to keep to my original layout. I've discovered flexibility, people! If microblogging and doodling on scrap pieces of paper is what I need to do, then by God, let's do it!
So here's it is. The space where I can go longer than 140 characters...but not too much longer (???), because there's a lot on the go and a lot of ideas, and lots happening and action to be taken, and so let's jump now to a bullet list, the handy dandy format that allows one to hop skip and jump across the rocks and make it from one side of the stream to the other in no time. Here we go....
Things I've Learned So Far About Becoming an Activist
- Politeness and civility matter
- Compassion and empathy matter
- Change can happen locally and it can have a huge ripple outwards effect
- So Find out more what's going on locally
- Check out your local political people: who are they and what do they stand for?
- Find people like you in your area and meet them in person
- Find out what activist groups in your area are doing
- Determine if there is a central purpose or action you could all join together upon?
- Aim to build unity and focus among groups: build strength and purpose in numbers
- Aim to socialize and eat food together and get to know each other as people!
- Connecting with others is important
- Opening up to others is important
- Having a sense of humor is important
- Self care is also important
- Moments of distraction will happen and that's ok
- Moments of despair will happen and that's ok
- Moments of feeling ineffectual will happen and that's ok
- Other life moments might dominate for a while and that's ok
- Moments of guilt at not doing or being enough will happen and that's ok
- You do not need to apologize for having an opinion
- You do not need anyone else's permission to have an opinion
- You can revise and further develop your opinion as new information arises
- Keep honing your intuition and your internal bull s$$t meter
- Use your strengths: whatever you are good at can be brought to the table
- Keep alert for allies...there's more out there than you may at first realize!
- Transformation is possible, on all sorts of levels
- Keep at it, keep doing something, big or small, individual or collective, consistently or in little bursts, imperfectly or efficiently, just do it
