Why Activism Matters To Me Just As Much As Taking A Break

Ever since I was a small child, I’ve been a pretty empathetic person. My brain’s first response to seeing someone else in pain has always tended to be “hey, let’s imagine that is happening to you too!” I’ve yet to determine if this is my greatest strength, biggest weakness, or both. This empathy has led me to seek out ways of helping others my whole life, and has shaped my ethical standpoint on many issues. The obvious downside to this, though, is that it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the amount of suffering going on in the world – and to feel personally responsible for all of it.

The phrase “weight of the world on their shoulders” would be a fair description of how I’ve felt at many points in my life. For various reasons, I have a somewhat overdeveloped sense of personal responsibility for global issues. Being aware of the power of your own voice as a consumer and activist is great, but feeling like you are a terrible person for not actively engaging with every single issue in your field of consciousness is… not so great. You just can't be productive about issues when you're weighed down by guilt and sadness.

Like many people, I really want to be a good person. And while I have no idea whether I am or not – but I like to think that, objectively speaking, my existence doesn’t cause as much harm as it could thanks to my choices as an individual. That being said, I obviously have my limits. I only have so much concentration and energy in a day, and I simply can’t spend all of it on understanding complex ethical, political, and environmental issues.

There is no way to quantify what is "too much" for one person emotionally, but I think we each know our own limits. For me, I reached that limit last week when I sat down and tried to understand what is currently happening in Sudan. I saw bloody images, horrifying stories about what’s happening to children, and far too many zeros in death counts. It wasn’t the only thing bothering me that day, but it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Everything piled on top of one another in my mind and I spiralled into a panic attack.

I think that when news articles send you into a literal state of panic, that’s how you know you need a break. I put my phone away, worked on getting through my panic attack, and vowed not to look into that issue any more until the next day. I know I am so damn privileged to be able to put my phone away and not think about it anymore. I know that. I am so privileged to even be able to write this blog post. But when talking about it with my mother, she said some things that really helped me rationalise.  

To quote my mother talking about large-scale tragedies, “We’d become completely useless to ourselves and anyone else if we kept all of these things at the forefront of our mind at all times.”And I think she’s right. If we don’t take care of ourselves first, we can’t be of any use to anyone. It’s like the whole “put on your own oxygen mask on before assisting others” concept.

Realising the magnitude of suffering in the world is an overwhelming thing to come to terms with, for sure. It's easy to resort to a nihilistic world-view in response to information like this - or complete disengagement from various issues. But I do not think these attitudes are the solution; I think it's important we do not lose hope for a better future. Right now is statistically the safest time ever to be alive - and, even though there is still such much violence and suffering going on across the world, this fact alone is proof that we can make large improvements as a society. The future may look bleak at times, but by lying down and accepting that destiny we are sealing our own fates. 

Activism is important to me, for many reasons. It’s partially because I don’t want any innocent person to suffer, it’s partially because I feel an enormous amount of responsibility to use my voice properly, and it’s partially because I know what it’s like to be the person whose rights are not being defended. As a disabled person, I have to deal with a lot of people disregarding my worth as a human. This obviously isn’t something I would wish for anyone, and I do urge you all to use your voice to fight for human rights when you can – but it’s okay if you need a break. It’s okay to put your mental health first if you don’t have the energy to engage with a certain issue. Just do the best you can.

We have a lot of power as individuals, but we cannot be everything to everyone. It doesn't mean we shouldn't still try - but we need not feel guilty for our own limitations. After all, we're all only human. 

As always, if you have anything to add I'd love to read your comments! Sending love to you all. Keep defending human rights! 

Hugs,

Isabel xox