Activism

I find myself wondering about the question of activism. There are accusations that fly around every so often that no-one is pulling their weight as far as being active in voicing our opinions to depose this and that regime or corporation.

From my humble perspective I view it this way.

All my working career I have made monetary contributions either to the RSPCA, Green Peace of Friends of the Earth. I have on occasion made contributions to different children’s societies. When I eventually had more time on my hands I started physically volunteering for charities. A few years were spent with a disabled riding school, then working as a volunteer at a hospice for the terminally ill and on a short stint as a volunteer secretary and receptionist for a fledgling Steiner School and at the RSPCA reading stories to traumatised dogs.

I also fill in petitions for all kinds of things and write letters where necessary.

I have taken part in demonstrations the last one being with my daughter when we took part in a demonstration against the invasion of Iraq.

I have since hung up my activist shoes when it comes to demonstrations because the energy sometimes gets ugly and I have difficulty in huge groups of people.

I know that none of this is ground breaking stuff, but it was the best I could contribute.

I am now working in a sleep centre as a sleep technician. The patients that cross my door are very tired and ill. I see my job there as one of spreading love and joy, so that when the patients who’ve been under my care leave in the morning they take something good away with them. I take time to talk to them and listen to what they have to say. I do have a lot of patience.

So does that make me less of an activist as I am now dealing with patients one on one rather than huge numbers of people? I just feel that the old way of doing things is no longer relevant.

A lightworker hairdresser uses her love and light to uplift those whose hair she cuts and styles. A dustbin collector lovingly takes away all our dirt so that we don’t live in rat infested neighbourhoods. A street sweeper clears away the debris thus making the pavements and streets less hazardous. Are these any less of a valuable contribution towards a working society. Each one has an important role to play. If everything is done with love, then surely our energy focus changes our reality. Violence merely creates more violence.

But surely this need to focus on love has to start somewhere and that somewhere is with the lightworkers.

I do believe that for many millennia the Earth has focused on negative feelings of anger, hatred, jealousy, etc. I don’t want to feed that energy any more. And so I now focus on feeling love. Does this make me inactive? If more and more of us take our attention away from anger and fear and pour it into positive emotions, surely it will tip the balance when it comes to creating our world in favour of love. Focusing on fear creates more fear and we have evidence of this – take a look at the world we have created. It is now time to turn away from this and focus on love. Is this wrong?

And when it comes to accusations of not being active enough, what exactly is being asked of us? Are we supposed to be flying out to different countries and taking part in their demonstrations? Shooting heads of corporations that we believe are keeping us down?

Lightworking websites are places I can go to find like-minded people and we can talk about the positive. It doesn’t mean I ignore what is going on in the world. I’m surrounded by it and I enjoy one place I can go to and not have to see it. That doesn’t make me blind – simply taking time out and supporting others and getting support in return.

When we stand together in our light, hold hands and create an impenetrable wall against negativism, we are accused of burying our heads in the sand. Surely if we keep focusing on the worst, this is what will happen?

Can anyone answer this ‘activism’ question, because I am horribly confused when I am being told that what I do is not enough?

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