The Beatles sang “we all want to save the world” and “take a sad song and make it better.” They recognized that people acting from the best parts of themselves want to improve their world. It’s a natural part of compassion.
It’s how and for whom to make it better that we argue about. (For example, see the 2024 presidential campaign in the US. Two very different candidates put forth very different visions.)
This month, I am considering the kind promise “I will advocate courageously.” It’s a recognition that, as Paul Wellstone said, “we all do better when we all do better.” I feel better when I am taking action to make the world a better place.
This year, I have three opportunities for advocacy on my heart:
- The health of the earth and survival of species – human-caused climate change, as well as ecological carelessness, is putting all life at risk. I grew up watching nature shows on TV and rambling Wisconsin woods. I saw the variety, beauty and fragility of nature. My first activism was with my Brownie troop placing trash cans in the business district of my hometown to reduce littering. Then hese days, we face an existential challenge: can we humans do enough to save civilization? How many other species will we sacrifice?
- An end to racism in me and around me – for more than a year, I’ve been working with a group on the ideas of Resmaa Menakem. We are trying to learn and practice embodied antiracism. Menakem believes that we carry racialized trauma from our ancestors. It’s up to white people like me to dismantle white body supremacy. I am committed to helping build an antiracist culture that will be sane and loving and will provide everyone with a sense of belonging.
- A just economy and a stable democracy – often public policy is driven by fear and greed. I am in touch with ISAIAH Minnesota, which is working to promote a caring economy and a multi-racial democracy that honors every person’s dignity. They let me know how to advocate through the state legislative session for comparatively compassionate policy. Beyond land, it’s up to me to watch for votes and actions that I can support.
Advocacy isn’t limited to politics. It’s standing up for anyone (including myself) when they are treated as undeserving of dignity, love, and belonging.
Whenever there is injustice, I can look at the inner, personal, and transpersonal aspects of the issue. How is my own attitude contributing to the problem? Can I learn to think differently? What can I do as an individual? What buttons when I “act in community? It’s important that I remember the words of Walt Kelly “we have met the enemy and he is us.” I am no better than the people that I judge. If I had the life they have had, I would be just like them, doing what they are doing.
Working for the common good, taking whatever action I can take helps me stay grounded in an uncertain world.
In your journal:
- Do you want to make the world a better place? How?
- What causes did you want to support (or work against)?
- Do you see the seeds of injustice in yourself? How? Can you learn to think differently?