rise
‘don’t be lazy’, by asvajit.
i want to change the world.
not being significant enough frustrates me and angers me and depresses me. i’ve been told activism isn’t for people like me, people like us, the elite, the educated, the middle-class. but i can’t see a people more fit for activism, for making some serious changes through actual action and determination. i walked out of anoma wijewardena’s exhibition ‘quest’ yesterday with a heavy heart and a seething unrest within me.
she’s one of sri lanka’s leading modern artists and her exhibition of photographs and carefully selected words left me gasping for some fresh air. i was left with a burning desire to channel my energy to doing something about, and something for, the world.
i can see the vicious cycle so clearly : the reveloutionaries have almost always been the poor, the downtrodden, the ones who never benefit from the advantages we so easily take for granted. they are driven to activism, to reveloution because they have no option. they very badly want a different life. they have experienced injustice first hand and have borne the brunt of the political corruption that makes sure some of us stay safe and happy. they have been there. seen it. lived it. they are compelled to take action by sheer desperation, by their most primitive instinct : the instinct for survival.
yet, once they flippantly flee into methods of action that they see as the only way out, they are outnumbered, outsmarted, crushed, silenced.
look at us. we have everything it takes. we’re educated, resourceful, creative, talented, and reasonably rich. we have everything it takes, and we never take the moment to see beyond our sphere of life. because we’re scared. because we’re indifferent. because we really don’t care. of course it bothers us. of course we’ll blog about it. of course we’ll communally mourn the downward spiral the world has taken. but we won’t change it. we won’t even try, because, really, to us it doesn’t matter. we aren’t goint to risk our lives to change the world because the world as it is, works for us. we aren’t going to sweat anymore than we need to, we aren’t going to plan and talk and go that extra mile to take an actively determined step towards making a difference.
but if we did, we’d have something a lot of people throughout history didn’t have the luxury of having access to, whilst taking a stand : we’ll have our power in numbers, and better yet, in knowledge.
we’re the educated ones, right? we’ve been taught compassion and stratergy, history and understanding. we’ve been taught good judgment and tolerence.
i want to change the world. but this doesn’t mean i want to overthrow the government or assassinate george bush. even if i could, i doubt i would choose to because i’d simply have no idea where to take it from there. i don’t know enough. i don’t care enough. even if i could take over the world i wouldn’t because i could never run it properly myself : what a shit job. to run a world in which not at any given point you can rest assured that everyone is happy.
discontentment and restlessness comes from something larger than war and conflict, misery and violence comes from something more infinite than ethnic hatred and xenophobia. we’d never be rid of unhappiness, even if we didn’t kill each other. but exactly for that reason, it would be nice to not kill each other. don’t all of us have enough to deal with as it is, just being human?
i’d be happy changing it a little, just a little.
I like this post a great deal.
Comment by Sanjana Hattotuwa — June 4, 2006 @ 7:16 pm
Well, as I always say: You have to WANT to change something before you TRY to change something.
Okay, so I don’t always say this, in fact I’ve never said this before, but I think it is a pretty smashing phrase. You will be inspire and you will like it.
Comment by Tori — June 5, 2006 @ 5:42 am
Sweetness have you checked out www.anomawijewardene.com?
Comment by amahen — June 5, 2006 @ 7:26 am
Enjoy reading yr blog very much. Specially about life, love etc. And putting in to captivating words, all the good and the bad experiences/feelings in life. Good stuff.
Comment by Dils — June 5, 2006 @ 11:21 am
I looked @ the last 6 lines of this post n realised i never looked thru this pov
Brings new meaning to the solution for the question “Why?”
Comment by The Evil Lankan — June 6, 2006 @ 3:53 am
pen is mighter than the sword, electra. keep writing.
Comment by naz — June 6, 2006 @ 10:46 am
The first oath doctors take is not to help people, but to ‘do no harm’. If they rush into help people without thinking they can cause a lot more damage than was there in the first place. Too many revolutionaries never thought that way and end up trashing the place worse (Cambodia, Cuba, SL even). You’re wise to say ‘this doesn’t mean i want to overthrow the government or assassinate george bush. even if i could, i doubt i would choose to because i’d simply have no idea where to take it from there.’ That’s the reason I’d rather change stuff from within
Comment by indi — June 6, 2006 @ 10:52 am
That’s the kind of thinking I’ve been trying to instigate. The want to change things, even slightly, is important. There is always a need to be discontent with the system - look out on the streets for evidence. Those who can afford to say “Screw this world/country” say it at the expense of the poor, who utter the phrase with so much more conviction. Do everything you can to help others who need it - it’s your duty.
Comment by Prophet — June 10, 2006 @ 8:48 am
Perhaps those who tell you what you can and can not do are only those who should be listened to, only to get an outsiders point of view. Nevertheless your own cource of thoughts and actions are best suited to your own judgement. Ask many questions from many people. The same ones of cource and see how their reactions and view points are. Their insight is perhaps quite wonderful although you should not be easily influenced. Being influenced is like playing a hand of cards by taking the advice of a guy who just went out of the game by playing his way. My advice is if you’r going to play this hand of cards called your life. Do it your way, and so far wanting for a better tomorrow for others should be an infectious didease. If only. loved the post as always!!
TC
Comment by The Evil Lankan — July 6, 2006 @ 8:51 am