How do you understand the word radical in radical activism? I look at this powerful adjective as rooted in truth. Not in the sense of an ultimate truth, rather, in the sense of what is truthful about ourselves in this moment and how do we allow ourselves to be filled by courage and compassion to act according to that truth.
How do you look at the word activism, and especially in these times we are living? There are so many things we could act on, so many stances we can take, organizations and movements to join, causes to defend. The wish to make a difference, do the right thing when we see so many wrongs, is a very strong motivator. Yet, I dare ask: what if nonaction were a type of action? What if us choosing not to do something is a way of doing something?
I have often found myself at a loss about what to do next lately. This feeling materialized into a physical sensation that was stopping me from acting. Of course, the sensation presented itself subtly: around my shoulders and then my arms that would feel so heavy like I can’t possibly pick them up and use them now. Do you recognize it? How does it manifest for you?
Many times before I chose to ignore it; so now, it took a while to realize I can choose not to ignore it. So many times before we have kept doing what we know how to do, kept picking from the same (limited, might I add) options that we seem to be presented with. So maybe the physical sensations were telling me I was growing tired of doing the same thing over and over. What do you think yours are telling you?
This is an invitation (another one) for you who might resonate with these words. An invitation to join me in these questions:
What if you, like me, belong to a group of nonacting activists?
What if our role were to carve out different options than the ones we keep choosing from?
What if one way to do this is by stopping to feed the field of existing options?
How do you see the word disengagement? If we look at engagement as creating a link that ensures an energy flow, then by engaging with something we are feeding energy into it. What if one way to stop feeding energy into something that no longer works for us is to disengage that link, open it up and let the connection break.
Where will all that liberated energy choose to flow?
