The Silent Activist (Activist Project)

As much as I would like to say that I have been a member of Greenpeace for three years or a lifetime member of Habitats for Humanity, and as much as I would like to say I have taken to the streets, picket sign in hand, to bring awareness to a war or conflict abroad, unfortunately, I have not.

Now I ask myself the question: Does this mean I am a bad person? Do I care about those less fortunate than myself?

And although I haven’t shown my support for a particular cause, I still know the answer to this question. The answer being that I do care. So why am I not doing something about it?

I do not find myself especially political but I do care about what matters in the world. I may not have a button pinned to my backpack that says I care about the environment, but I recycle. I may not have been a part of a signature campaign to garner support for the hungry in Africa, but I donate to my church and create food baskets at Christmastime.

What I’m getting at is that I may not be an ‘activist’ in the traditional sense of the word, but that doesn’t mean I’m insensitive or apathetic. I believe that activism does not need to be organized to be effective, that it starts with the person - the individual - and though the larger and more formalized organizations help the cause, they are not the only solution or option. I may be a silent activist, but I still feel strongly about certain issues and help where I feel I can (at this ripe young age of 18).

I recycle, I donate to charity when I can, I donate to my church and I want to do more but I feel like I can’t. Maybe that’s an excuse, but I feel inclined to use the cliche, “I don’t have enough time.”

And as I type this I get angry. Who am I to say that I “do not have enough time” for the poor, the helpless, the taken-advantage-of? I’m writing this blog in a warm house, wearing designer clothes, and clicking away on a MacBook worth more than some of these poor individuals make in a year.

But I “don’t have enough time,” right?

Ah, I love being a part of the multi-tasking, blame-absolving, Facebook generation. It’s a sad, pathetic, (hopefully you’ve inferred, a ‘sarcastic’) love, but a love all the same.