People need to get involved. That’s how change happens.
I see way too many folks who want a better world but doing nothing useful to make it happen. People complaining about corporate media, but refusing to support non-profit news organizations. Folks complaining about politicians, but not writing to them, not calling their office, not doing anything. People whining about Adobe, but not helping alternatives. People
If you are not feeling some pain, you aren’t doing anything useful.
You need to feel pain. That means:
Changing habits in your life
Voting
Joining a local organization or creating one
Running for office.
Writing physical letters
Giving money.
The more pain you feel, the more useful you are. Someone who gives £20,000 to a political party will feel more pain than someone who gives a like on facebook.
Social media gives people the false impression that posting content is how you change the world. Posting content on social media requires no effort and is therefore painless and useless.
Only pain moves the needle If you give £1 to a cause you care deeply about, you will feel some (tiny) pain, but you moved the needle. If you spent 8 afternoons collecting signatures for a petition that you will deliver to your city council, you will feel pain. But you moved the needle.
I actually try to apply this to my own life. I stopped buying bottled water. I got rid of Microsoft Windows. I use Linux. I give a lot of money to non-profit newsrooms like ProPublica and The Guardian. I financially support alternatives to Adobe such as Gimp and Inkscape. I try to write 2/3 physical letters to politicians every year. This is all pain. But collectively we can move the needle.
People need to get involved. That’s how change happens.
I see way too many folks who want a better world but doing nothing useful to make it happen. People complaining about corporate media, but refusing to support non-profit news organizations. Folks complaining about politicians, but not writing to them, not calling their office, not doing anything. People whining about Adobe, but not helping alternatives. People
If you are not feeling some pain, you aren’t doing anything useful.
You need to feel pain. That means:
The more pain you feel, the more useful you are. Someone who gives £20,000 to a political party will feel more pain than someone who gives a like on facebook.
Social media gives people the false impression that posting content is how you change the world. Posting content on social media requires no effort and is therefore painless and useless.
Only pain moves the needle If you give £1 to a cause you care deeply about, you will feel some (tiny) pain, but you moved the needle. If you spent 8 afternoons collecting signatures for a petition that you will deliver to your city council, you will feel pain. But you moved the needle.
I actually try to apply this to my own life. I stopped buying bottled water. I got rid of Microsoft Windows. I use Linux. I give a lot of money to non-profit newsrooms like ProPublica and The Guardian. I financially support alternatives to Adobe such as Gimp and Inkscape. I try to write 2/3 physical letters to politicians every year. This is all pain. But collectively we can move the needle.