We were talking about this very thing the other day during one of our activist/allies gatherings, the weight of bearing witness and the pervasive sense of hopelessness and powerlessness that accompanies it because the world runs on greed and cruelty. As with organizing with others to fight for the rights of workers and others, surrounding yourself with folks who share a passion recharges the batteries, gives some hope. At the meeting I trotted out my go-to mantras, courtesy of Bryan Stevenson: "Incredible things happen when you're proximate to those who suffer." ... and ... "Change happens when good people are willing to do uncomfortable things." These may sound lofty, naive or worse, but Stevenson has the chops to prove change can happen. And he certainly bore witness to the worst that "civilized" society has to offer. As hopeless as this existence indeed is most days, we can't give up. I know you won't.
We were talking about this very thing the other day during one of our activist/allies gatherings, the weight of bearing witness and the pervasive sense of hopelessness and powerlessness that accompanies it because the world runs on greed and cruelty. As with organizing with others to fight for the rights of workers and others, surrounding yourself with folks who share a passion recharges the batteries, gives some hope. At the meeting I trotted out my go-to mantras, courtesy of Bryan Stevenson: "Incredible things happen when you're proximate to those who suffer." ... and ... "Change happens when good people are willing to do uncomfortable things." These may sound lofty, naive or worse, but Stevenson has the chops to prove change can happen. And he certainly bore witness to the worst that "civilized" society has to offer. As hopeless as this existence indeed is most days, we can't give up. I know you won't.