By Jaclyn Friedman
IT TAKES TOO MUCH TIME. True, some activists devote a lot of time to peace work, but you don't have to in order to have an impact. If you've got time to read this email, you've got time to take action. The best source of quick-and-dirty actions for peace is www.moveon.org. Just sign up and they'll send creative action ideas right to your inbox - many of which just require a couple of clicks to participate.
IT'S BORING. While there's tedious work to be done in any job, the best activism is done by folks who love what they're doing. Like to party? Use a local club night to raise money. Are you a performer? Do street theater. The more you love what you're doing, the better you'll be at it, and the more effective your action will be.
IT'S TOO LATE. Au contraire. However atrocious W's war is and will be, it will be many times worse if he thinks no one's going to blow the whistle on him. Just think - he wanted to go to war in January. We made him wait and wait. The pressure of global activists in support of peaceful governments always has an impact, even if it's not as much as we'd like it to be. We have to keep the pressure on more now than ever.
I'M ONLY ONE PERSON. This is true in almost all cases (though some folks I know do so much they must have clones, I swear). One of the most effective things you can do is talk one-on-one with someone who's not so sure that peace can work - and only one person at a time can talk one-on-one! Rallies of 1,000,000 people like the ones we saw last month are all made up of one-persons who just showed up to be counted. Politicians base a *lot* of their legislative decisions on how many of their constituents call or email to support or oppose proposed policies. Each of those constituents is only one person. George Bush is only one person, too. If you stay quiet, he has more power. Get counted.
I DON'T KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT THE ISSUES. Believe me, we all feel like this, even those of us who like to sound like we know everything. Theglobal situation is enormously complex and it can seem impossible to know what the "truth" is amid all the spin and hype. The best you cando is educate yourself through media sources that aren't owned by corporations, like NPR (90.9 FM in Boston) and www.indymedia.org and ask lots of questions from other people. Never be ashamed to ask about what you don't know - your curiosity is what counts! And don't wait to act until you know it "all" - you never will. No one does.
IT TAKES TOO MUCH MONEY. Sure, peace organizations need money. But they also need lots of other things you can offer. Are you a writer? Good at computers? Crafty? Organized? Loud? Whatever your skills, you can use 'em for peace, usually without spending a dime. Contact UJP at www.unitedforjusticewithpeace.org and offer to do what you do best.
IT DOESN'T REALLY AFFECT ME. Or does it? In wartime, violence against women increases dramatically. This has been statistically proven. Poverty increases. Racism increases. Our civil rights (like the right to privacy, anyone? Due process?) are quietly eroding at an alarming rate.
Not convinced you care? How's your job? Secure? And your friends' and family's? Consider this: in the worst economy in recent memory, billions of dollars that could support social services such as health clinics, unemployment benefits, AIDS care, affordable housing, education, you-name-it, is being spent instead to kill innocent civilians and steal oilfields half a world away.
And those soldiers who are putting their lives on the line? Most are there through the "economic draft" - that is, most folks seek out the military as a way of getting an education or job experience they could otherwise not afford. Poor people fight and die in wars.
Still not convinced? Consider this: last summer, our very own CIA, that bastion of radical peaceniks, issued a report that said, basically, that Saddam Hussein posed no risk to Americans UNLESS WE ATTACKED HIM. Hmmmm.
IT'S DANGEROUS. Yes, you can get arrested while protesting, even if you haven't broken any law. But the vast majority of peaceful protesters don't. If you're really worried about being targeted, do something else. Go to a fundraiser. Volunteer. Call your senator. You can choose the amount of risk you feel comfortable with.
NO MATTER WHAT I DO, IT'S NEVER ENOUGH. This is one of the most dangerous attitudes out there. A burnt-out activist is of no use to any movement. Do what you can, but please don't try to do everything. Feel like going dancing with friends or staying home to watch Buffy instead sometimes? Do it. The reality of what we are up against is brutal and toxic to the soul. No one can stop it singlehandedly, and everyone needs playtime sometimes. It's good for you AND world peace.
I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START
But I've got handy contacts! Pick the one you like best. Happy activism, everybody!
* * * * CONTACTS * * * *
For info on how to contact your legislators and great media tips and contacts, visit: www.workingforchange.com/activism/tips.cfm
For a very organized and easy way to get active in a global movement, try MoveOn: www.moveon.org
For an umbrella organization working of peace and justice orgs in Greater Boston, try United for Justice with Peace: www.unitedforjusticewithpeace.org
Want a good indy news source? Try www.indymedia.org or www.npr.org