When thinking about activism, it is important to ask yourself, “Do I want social good for the oppressed, or do I just want to be known as a socially active person?”
Because that’s where many activists go wrong. They want their name on it, like a consolation prize for “being a good person.” Shouldn’t just being a good person be consolation enough? The good feeling of making the world a better place? The problem is, that isn’t always case. The prizes for good work are craved more than doing the work itself, and as we look at ourselves as more and more separate from one another, the prizes need to be more grand.
You know what the trick is? To stomp the ego. To stop trying to “be someone,” and think about the greater whole. To loosen up your tight grip on control for long enough to experience the disillusion of separateness. To dissolve that yearning part of you that thirsts for recognition and validation. Validate yourself; love yourself. After all, you have to truly love yourself to truly love the world.
As Russell Brand once said, “You can change the world if you are willing to do it without anyone knowing about it.”
