This world has brewed strong cups of chaos in the past and continues to do that today. One of the most impactful ways to combat upheaval is for many different people to coalesce, stand up and fight for what they believe is fair and just. But there are some masses today who greatly misuse the concept of true activism and ultimately create the ripple for even more chaos. In order for a positive and enduring impact to be made in the world, we must stay aware of the core of what activism is and also what activism should not look like.
WHAT ACTIVISM DOESN’T LOOK LIKE
Activism is not a riot or a hate-charged protest. What do we prove when we burn property, use fire arms, get violent, and throw things? What do we solve when we publicly express fits of rage? Absolutely nothing. Such anger is not productive and will not elicit any form of peace from our environment. Because many people respond more strongly to negativity these days than positivity, these riots which attract more media coverage will likely lead more to believe that creating bedlam is a way of evoking positive change when it’s really not. There’s no strategy or structure put behind a riot, so chaos continues to ensue.
Activism should not encourage division. It is meant to bring peace between many nations and breeds of people. What kind of positive protest stands for segregation? Division of classes? Or age discrimination? Activism should always be clothed in peace, justice, and love.
Activism requires action and armchair activismhas no place in today’s world! Armchair activism is when you feel so strongly about an issue and motivate others to make a move but you’re the one who is not creating any momentum. Instead, armchair activists sit in their “armchair” while waiting for their political goals to be manifested, when they are the catalysts for the change they want to see. A difference is not made until an activist’s intellect and plans interact with the physical world.
HOW ACTIVISM SHOULD LOOK
Activism is sparked with a thirst for positive change. One must internalize a current societal issue so strongly and be shaken to the core to have a vision for a better world and almost feel the hunger pains for a positive change. One must have a burning passion for the people and for what they stand for and a vision of what their society or the world could be, instead of only seeing it at its current state and saying, “Oh, well, it is what it is.” A passionate leader will attract passionate followers. One must not only have the boldness to promote their world-changing vision, but also the intelligence, wisdom, and influence to materialize it.
Activism is strategic and forward-thinking. It is most successfully carried out when the geniuses behind it are future-oriented and can spot worldly patterns. People who are involved in activism possess a genuine love and awareness for humanity and want to pursue a better nation. True activism is when different people come together under mutual purposes and passions and desire to achieve the same goals.
QUOTES FROM WOMEN ACTIVISTS:
“You may shoot me with your words. You may cut me with your eyes. You may kill me with your hatefulness. But still, like air, I’ll rise.” ~Maya Angelou: Poet & Civil Rights Activist
“Women, if the soul of the nation is to be saved, I believe that you must become its soul.” ~Coretta Scott King: Author, Activist, Civil Rights Leader
“At present, our country needs women’s idealism and determination, perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.” ~Shirley Chisholm: First Woman to Run for the Democratic Party Presidential Nomination
“Today’s black power is transforming democracy, but we cannot do it alone. We need the best and brightest thinkers, strategists, coders, surveillance experts, tech geeks and disruptors to utilize all of the tools we have available to us to build the world we want to see. A world where black lives matter. A world where all lives matter.” ~Alicia Garza: Co-Founder of Black Lives Matter Movement
“This is what my soul is telling me: be peaceful and love everyone.” ~Malala Yousafzai: Women’s Education Activist & Nobel Prize Winner
