Activism
Some presumptuous tips on making a difference and trying to fix the world.
Many of us have an innate desire to fix the things we see wrong in the universe, but it’s worth taking a moment to consider some obvious truths about this feeling.
- Pick your fights. You cannot fix everything. Accept it.
- Match effort to influence. Your level of effort on Issue X should roughly correspond to how much control and influence you actually have over it. Taking too big a bite can choke you.
- Most issues are outside your control. So Hey Jude, refrain — don’t carry the world upon your shoulders.
- Control exists on a spectrum. It ranges from low to high, or high to low — whatever framework works for you.
- High-control issues demand action.
- If you can truly influence something, there are no excuses for not trying to fix it.
- Feel some shame if you don’t.
- Study the issue in-depth.
- Have a clear stance.
- Consider practical solutions and possible fixes.
- Low-control issues allow restraint.
- For most of these, just let them go.
- Still, try a bit to understand them, proportional to your sphere of influence.
- Stay somewhat informed.
- Have at least a stance, even if minimal.
- Not everything “wrong” is truly wrong. Double- and triple-check whether Issue X is actually worth solving.
Cautious reminder: Often, it’s far more productive to focus on working with influential or motivated individuals to change institutions, and let the average person be.