Letter to a Weary Activist
Dear one,
I know you’ve been carrying the weight of the world in your heart. Here – you can leave all that baggage by the door, take off your shoes, step into the warmth of this home. Here, at least for a little while, you should know that you matter, too.
There’s a lot of grief and anxiety in this work. It may not be physically demanding, but it demands much spiritually. You need to rest and fill your cup before giving to others.
It’s probably been a few months or more since you stopped to think about what you need. You’ve been eager to make a difference and guilty for using any time to rest. It feels wrong to take time away from the necessary and noble work you do. You’re knowledgeable about injustice and able to do something about it, which is more than most can say. The thought of stopping while others continue the fight feels like abandonment. Let me ask you this, though: is your work still making your heart dance?
We can get caught up in so many expectations for ourselves and for the world. Maybe you’ve been expecting tremendous change, banning yourself from happiness until that change is achieved. None of us are free until we are all free, after all. Have you been tying your heart to the hearts of others? I’m sure you know how tricky this can be. It can be helpful for a while – a strong motivator for changemaking – but your health suffers for it.
Compassion and self-sacrifice are not the same. The former depends on understanding and internal transformation while the latter only requires hurting yourself for others’ expense. We often believe that compassion requires self-sacrifice. This is mistaken. Understanding and internal transformation can lead to sacrifice – I think of the political prisoners who were wrongfully imprisoned for their convictions – but there are countless other ways that we change as a result of radical understanding. When we have compassion for others marginalized and oppressed, when we understand how we too are oppressed in different ways, we walk differently. We speak differently. There is a necessary gentleness and humility that arises from the greatest activists, and it’s because of their compassionate transformation. I understand the tendency to deify self-sacrifice, but I caution against this. Self-sacrifice is not the greatest value we have; the greatest value is love.
It is from love that we draw infinite energy; from love, nothing can make us weary. And this is not hippie or religious nonsense. It is the truth. It is as true as the conditions of the oppressed. Whether it’s on the streets as protesters share food freely or in coffee shops as companions share personal stories, this love reminds us that what we are fighting for is real. The principles of justice and fairness which is the backbone of our work compel us to love ourselves – why would we exclude ourselves from our own care? You’re caring for the world; who’s caring for you? We must be in service to ourselves as much as other people.
Rest truly is radical in a capitalist society. You deserve to take a break. The work will still be there, your comrades will understand (they’re probably feeling the same as you). So listen to your favorite music, take a trip outside, eat something sweet. Remember that you’re wonderfully loved and full of love.
Yours,
Maria