a new direction

A new direction deserves a new post. I'm going to go to an Forest Alliance volunteer meeting. My reasoning is as follows.

I'm having trouble caring for things that are far from me, so I will (somewhat reluctantly) accept a trade-off. Instead of trying to address the world's most obvious sores in human suffering, the worst of which are far away from me, I'll see what sort of local stand can be made for the environment. There are strong local advocacy groups, I see the forests and mountains all around me, and I've cared about them for all of my adult life. There is a meeting soon - I'll go.

Not a priority

Somehow, this whole activism thing is not a priority. Whatever it is that drives people to spend all their free time researching injustice and making noise about it, I don't seem to feel it. All I have is this muted sense that many things are wrong with the world and most people are either completely indifferent, ignorant (consider an emerging middle class, just now able to afford cars while we ask them not to consume so much) or simply malicious. Sure, I can justify myself by pointing to the stuff I already do for the world - I don't own a car, I recycle, I don't eat much meat, I write to my MP when someone asks me too and I Big Brother - but this doesn't justify the stuff that I do not do. I am not helping to lead a campaign for the environment, I am not fund raising for Haiti or Chile, I am not writing news articles in support of the fight against malaria or AIDS, nor am I educating myself on how to improve women's rights around the world.

This brings about an interesting thought. I need to compile a long list of things one might be an activist for. I invite you to put your own ideas into the comments (though I am perfectly aware that no one reads this but me).

What is wrong with me?

I think I will stick with Oxfam. Not because I think it is the best organization, but for the sake of choosing one.


I feel an insurmountable disconnect between me and enviromental/social injustice but yet I know the issues are important. Name just about any serious human rights violation, for example the Bhopal chemical disaster, and I would tell you that those people are very unfortunate and I hope that things change for them. But somehow, I struggle to believe that little me, over here in Canada, would have any effect on their fight to survive and receive the compensation they deserve. I'm not sure I even believe that a whole group of mes would have any effect.

I went to a talk by US presidential candidate Ralph Nader in late 2008 at the University of Waterloo and he spoke about getting involved in civic action. He mentioned four key obstacles to this: time, knowledge, fear and helplessness. The first two are self explanatory. Fear refers to fear of ridicule and opposition. Last is the one I am experiencing and that is helplessness. By joining Oxfam, I hope to observe that individuals and NGOs are not helpless and are in fact very influential. I have a hunch that this can be true in certain cases, but I need to see how it works.

He also talked about how sensationalism affects involvement. A highly sensational issue (eg fire) is very motivating. A more abstract issue (eg global warming) requires a more intellectual understanding. Being capable of abstraction, I'm joining the fight purely on the knowledge that it is important and not, so far, because I have a desperate (even emotional) need for it.

Things matter to me when I begin to understand how they work and one of the biggest barriers between me and serious action is that I don't know how activism works. I see activists try, I see their optimism and sometimes they report successes. But this is the way any corporation works. They will continually announce success until they give up completely, rationalizing their failures and presenting them in a positive light. I need to see these stories first hand or I will always be cynical about them.

My goals for the time being are to read up on Oxfam's initiatives and be able to represent them adequately at their tables.

Oxfam and Amnesty International

I went to both the Oxfam and AI meetings for student groups on campus and am a member of both of them now. I have also gone to oxfam.ca and become a member.

Why did I choose these two over, say, the red cross? Frankly, I'm learning by doing. I have been pondering what sort of activism I really care about for months and have realized that the next step needs to be action, regardless of how complete my information is. On the other hand I have heard good things about both of these organizations from people whose opinions I trust. From what I understand Oxfam has a focus on developing sustainable local solutions and AI focuses on policy making and lobbying.

My hope is that I will find a cause through one of Oxfam's campaigns that I really care about. On the other hand, maybe helping the organization as a whole will be the best thing for me to do.

I will become active with Oxfam and stay up to date with Amnesty International's activities in Victoria.

Beginnings

I am a rebel without a cause. I want to make a positive difference in the world and I do not know where to start, nor am I passionate about anything in particular. There are things I care about - but nothing I will take bullets for. Seem familiar? If it does, follow along as I embark on my quest for activism.

I am a 27 year old Canadian pursuing higher education at the University of Victoria in Canada. My father is Canadian, my mother is Chilean and I was raised in Vancouver, BC.

Three significant things have happened to me in the last few years which have led to this decision to become an activist. Firstly, I found Jesus and then (fortunately) unfound him. I am now more of a fan of Richard Dawkins. Nevertheless, the idea of giving yourself away stayed with me and I can't help but notice that I have much more to give away than many less fortunate individuals. The second thing is that leading my course union and organizing a national conference made me realize that I have some potential for leadership. Not that I am looking to start a new cause, but in taking up someone else's, I can help by convincing others to do the same. The third and final thing is that doing my Master's at a highly competitive university felt like it consumed my entire person. This made me realize that achieving academic success was about to cost me my entire life and is nearly entirely self serving.

This blog tells how this rebel finds his cause. Or several causes - at the moment I am unable to predict the future. A while back I wrote an open letter to a generic activist:

Hi,

I'm writing to you because you are an activist that is doing something significant and valuable and I hoped that you might have some advice for me.

I'm a 27 year old PhD student in Theoretical Computer Science. I'm ambitious, ressourceful and constantly tackling some new project, from backyard maggot farms to sailing to Big Brothering. I like doing these things but I long to make a significant and ongoing contribution to social and environmental justice. As a student I have an incredible amount of freedom and I think that it is imperative that I make Changing the World an integral part of my life before I graduate. How do I do this?

Of course I see all sorts of volunteer opportunities from building shelters abroad to taking donations for Amnesty International, however, I'm looking for something more involved. A place where decisions matter and innovation is needed. I want to be a collaborator - not just a volunteer.

Where are the collaborators meeting? Where can I introduce myself and find my place among them?

Sincerely,

Alejandro Erickson

I posted this on my facebook to get the opinions of some friends and one of them commented, "we should chat". With him at MIT and me in Victoria, we were not about to run into each other, but I wouldn't let that stop us.

We had that chat today. My friend is an active member of Students for Bhopal, a city in central India that suffered a huge chemical disaster that killed thousands of people and still affects many more (http://www.studentsforbhopal.org). He told me how activism came about in his life and about three criteria which help him evaluate causes. His involvement with the group did not start on its own but rather, with that same want of a cause. He searched for his at Amnesty International by going to their events and talks and found this one. The moral of the story is that even though he didn't find this cause through a personal connection, it is his passion now and he cares deeply for it.

Nor was this the first thing he came across, which brings me the three things he highlighted for evaluating a cause. He told me this from the point of view of his experience but it was easier to write in the form of advice. I have given some of my own examples. There should be a GREAT NEED for it. It does not have to be the most economical cause (helping the most with the least resources), but the goal should be to relieve a significant amount of acute suffering. Your efforts should be WELL RECEIVED. That is, they should not be unwanted, misused, abused or squandered. A simple hopefully inoffensive example might be giving money to panhandlers (in north america). They look like they are in need, yet they are likely to squander your charity. A more inflammatory example might be "spreading democracy". Here the help is often unwanted and wrongly motivated. The last point is that your efforts should MAKE A DIFFERENCE. This is difficult to measure, but the warning is to avoid being blinded by your passion. Do not be afraid to question the effectiveness of your actions, even if you are trying to help a cause you really care about.

Our chat was very encouraging and it gives me a path to start on. Whether or not I use his three points for evaluating a cause will be decided in the near future.

I wish to start a simple tradition in this blog. Because it concerns itself with a quest, I will set some goals in each post. I am going to find Amnesty International in my city and see what they are up to within a month and I will finish reading the book "The Bottom Billion".