I've been ruminating as to whether or not to write this note for the past several months, ever since my "vacation" to Cuba over reading week for my brother's wedding. Today marks the end of a two week forced "vacation" to my hometown during which this note came to mind again. I hope the following will help explain why I place vacation in quotation marks on paper and in my mind, then, and now.
Every once in a while, some unwittingly brave soul asks me the same question they'd ask anyone they'd met for the first time: "what do you do?" My first reflex is usually to wince in my mind as I reflect on the high value the denizens of Western culture place on what we do (or more specifically: how we make money) rather than on who, what, or how we are. My response, the same response I've given for the past 6 or so years, would be, in some form or another "I serve the Cause."
Over time I've adopted the word, Cause, to express what I do on a day to day basis without alienating those closest to me.
What do I mean by "Cause"?
By Cause I refer to my single overriding objective of making the world better than it is, and hopefully, the best it can be. Coming from a Social Justice and Peace Studies background, one might expect that my former class mates would instantly understand what I meant when I used the word cause in association with what we do. However, this is not so. Most of my friends and acquaintances from school interpret the Cause as an ends of environmental sustainability, and/or global equality, recognition of the inherent dignity of life, etc. Even together, these goals are merely shadows of the true Cause. It's one thing to make the world sustainable or liveable; it's another altogether to make it good.
It's probably easiest to express the substance of the Cause through an explanation of what the world would look like if it is actualized.
If the Cause is served, people will no longer be the objects of sophists; they'll be subjects of critical thought.
If the Cause is served, sacrifice will no longer be a requirement for happiness.
And if the Cause is served, the wise will no longer regret bringing new life into this world, but treasure its genesis more than their own.
In sum, to aspire to the Cause is to pursue the best for humanity and the planet - not just environmental sustainability or protection of inherent and inalienable human rights.
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If what I do is "Serve the Cause," then how do I serve it?
I'd argue that we can, and do, serve the Cause in many ways at many different times throughout our lives.
Maintaining the former sentiment put me at odds with many of my class mates. Many of my peers would claim that the only way to serve it, or to serve even a shadow of the Cause, is by waving a sign, getting arrested for civil disobedience, or shouting through a megaphone. I've even had class mates go so far as to claim that I have no idea what social justice is. Look people, anyone can serve the planet, even working day to day - it depends on what they do at work and how they spend their money/leisure.
Along with other students, I've even ended up at odds with one of my favorite professors with regards to how best to affect change. Every year while I worked/mostly volunteered at the Center for Social Concern he asked me to go to the School of Americas (SOA) at Fort Benning, and every year I turned the offer down for the same reasons:
First off, I already have the morality that I'd develop out of the experiences I'd have at Fort Benning.
Secondly, there are far more efficient and effective ways to minimize American "neo-imperialism" and militarism in Latin America than to put crosses in a fence.
I highlight my refusal to participate in the SOA because participation in this event exemplifies the main barriers that afflict the efforts of many modern activists. I find that most self-proclaimed activists struggle with two obstacles:
1) A weak vision, or at least weak goals.
Most activists set the bar relatively low, and in doing so, handicap their efforts. Let's be serious, no one can eliminate poverty by itself. Setting the relative nature of poverty aside, (for the sake of this note, let's define poverty as absolute poverty), it cannot be overcome until we overcome all the issues that feed into it, such as conservatism, racism, and patriarchy. This same systemic nature applies to basically every cause worthy of the title "social issue," including homophobia, food security, cosmopolitanism/sovereigntism, etc. Activists often willingly drown themselves in a struggle without acknowledging the connection of their struggle to various other causes. Honestly, even though "their hearts are in the right place," they're merely wasting time and energy, especially in light of the big picture and thus the available alternatives.
In most cases, a grand vision of change would be dismissed as just that: grand. However, I think in this one case: the betterment of our world, it's beneficial to go all or nothing. Due to the systemic nature of social problems, they are best overcome systemically, which means targeting the entire system is often the most desirable form of activism available. Of course, by systems, I'm mostly referring to our institutions: the behavioral modifying engines that organize our society.
I sometimes scoff to myself when activists claim they're raising consciousness (and by one of the better means at that) by waving a sign, when we have this giant institution that we pour billions of public dollars into each year called public schooling. To claim that waving a sign is the best means available to bring systemic change is be ignorant of the systemic nature of our society and subsequently its institutional foundations. You want change? Institutionalize it! I can't stress this enough. Human beings didn't have "rights" until they were enshrined in law and enforced by a public security - what are all these beings but institutions -
And this brings me to the second barrier...
2) Short-sightedness.
Most modern activists are looking for short-term solutions to long time coming, complex, problems. Anyone that's even grazed a Western Civ text book would understand it took us an incredibly long time to get where we are, and that where we are after all this time isn't much further than where we were anyways - exhibit Ancient Greece.
As an amateur historian, I can almost promise you that revolution is a neat in theory, but never truly happens in practice.
System wide change can and will occur the same way it always has: gradually, like a slinky. Our best bet as activists is to harness our institutions and strive for quicker long-term change.
All this to say, most likely the greatest activists you've ever encountered, you didn't even realize were activists. This relatively new breed of activists never asks for or expects thanks, because those they aid almost always belong to the future.
In reality, I'll probably never go on "Vacation," because to me the Cause is always right in front of my eyes. It's not limited to the sites of protest and civil disobedience. It's on the sports fields and in the class rooms of our children. It's in the hearts and minds of those who care. The Cause is everyone, everywhere.
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