Today I was listening to some people talk about how the protests for black lives matter are to blame for a rona outbreak (guess what rona is. I’m sure you can). Hint:

You: cough, cough.

Me: uhoh, you’ve got the rona. Better go get a swab shoved ten miles up your nose.

OK, so, these people were talking about the protesters and pretty much blaming them for the outbreak. Because I refuse to consume news in any shape or form, I was only marginally aware of some protests, but didn’t really know where they took place. I also heard a story about some people stuck in a building somewhere, but like the protests, didn’t really know where this building was or any of the details about it. It’s not up to me to convince people of the objective truth (actual reality, not opinion or speculation) regarding any of this because if people are smart enough, they can find that out for themselves and that’s all perfectly fine, because that’s not what this post is about anyway.

I got to thinking about how change happens, like really big change, and if we’re to make an impact on issues that are important, like social justice, human rights abuses, corruption and climate change we can’t expect people to shut the hell up because there’s a risk of getting the rona or spreading the rona.

Nothing is ever going to be the same again and if we tell people to wait until the ducks line up to go back to putting pressure on authorities, then increasingly more and more people will suffer and change will slip further and further from our grasp. And when will the time for action again come? Who can tell. If we just keep waiting, it means we don’t have to make a decision about anything and some things are too big, too important and far too urgent to be put on hold.

Big change that is pushed by groups of people, like for instance, the people calling for change regarding the Black Lives Matter movement isn’t just about black people. This kind of change means we can all become better humans because it’s humanitarian change. The people calling for change regarding the Break the Silence movement isn’t just about domestic violence victims. This kind of change means we can all become better humans because it’s humanitarian change. The people calling for change regarding the Me Too movement isn’t just about victims of sexual harassment and sexual assault. This kind of change means we can all become better humans because it’s humanitarian change.

Do you get what I’m saying here?

Incase you don’t: being better humans is never a bad thing, just like being educated is never a bad thing, just like being more inclusive is never a bad thing, just like equality is never a bad thing, just like having human rights is never a bad thing. See what I mean?

Can anyone think of a humanitarian change that humanity has not benefited from? Can anyone think of a big, important and far-reaching change that came from not taking action, even when times were tough? I’m not asking about how stuff has impacted individuals, I’m asking here about humanity as a whole. I’m just clarifying the question because often people believe that their own personal experience and that of their immediate friends and family is realistically reflective of the entire human race’s. It’s not, in case you’re wondering, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important, especially at the individual level.

I’ve had a bit of a think about it and I really can’t come up with one.

The thing about big change is that it’s slow to happen, which is why stuff like protests can seem so ridiculous and arbitrary to people who aren’t aware of how change is brought about. “They’re all lunatics!” a man said to me once about Stop Adani protesters. “No they’re not, they’re just everyday people, the same as you and me.” He was aghast. “They’re all crazy!” I can’t imagine what he and other like him must think of the Black Lives Matter movement. “Can’t you see it’s not about the protest itself?” I wanted to shout at him. Because it’s NOT, it’s about the change that’s embedded inside the protest and if change is to happen it requires action and the action of many is always more effective than the action of a few.

The same logic of how change works operates at the individual level as well. Take for example the desire to improve your health and wellbeing. It’s never, ever going to happen if you don’t do something about it. You can’t change unless you change. We should be used to change as a species. We’ve certainly seen enough of it in our 200 000 year history, but still we are resistant to it. Why is that given the advances we’ve seen in society since civilization began, which by the way, all involved change? It kinda blows my mind when I drill right down into it because it doesn’t make much sense.

All I can do is to take charge of my own life and the things that I’m in control of. I’m not a frontline activist, but consider myself to still be involved in activism, albeit a very subtle form that fosters change through living demonstrably. I think I’m good at this and I can see my efforts starting to seep into the small community where I live. This isn’t always easy and sometimes I get hated on (much like the frontline activists do when they’re called loonies), but I don’t care because it’s my life and I can do whatever the hell I like and I’m not going to give up on stuff that I believe is important just because someone says they don’t like me or thinks that what I’m doing is crazy.

Change is where opportunity lives; opportunities to do amazing things that you never thought possible.

Let change in and see where it can take you