serenity

Let's put aside, for a moment, trying to build hard definitions of what is good and what is evil. Assume, for the purposes of this discussions, that there is something called good, and actions can be labeled as good or evil or even in-between. You may still hold that good/evil are temporary, dependant on the conditions on the socity, but assume that there is a concept of good now. (If you think there is no such thing as good/evil, then there's no point in discussing how one is good, right? ;-).)

So take your definition of good. How does one best apply it in the real world? A lot of people say you need to be active, and they would have a good point. Great change has been affected by those who have decided to take public office or approach things from a more grass roots level. Lobbying, petitioning, protesting, or marching -- these can be seen as the things that can change society for the better (and has).

Personally, I feel that this may be good for some people, but not for everyone, and at times is not the most effective. I think you can shout yourself hoarse and not get anywhere. My feeling is that if you put all your effort into creating a better situation for friends, for your family, affecting changes in their livelihoods and your own, you accomplish much more than the protestor with a ski-mask in the picket line. I especially like this quote from Timothy Burke's commencement speech at Swarthmore:

What do you think? How do you apply your values in real life? Do you do it at all?

wilbjammin

Research. Read the news. Vote. Have discussions based on facts. Teach. Constant evaluation and re-evaluation of what determines what is best, what best is or should be, and how to get there.

I do my best to be as consistent with my values as possible... it is something that a lot of people don't like me for (draw your own conclusions).

I understand this is likely just a random example, but I think it illustrates something. There are reasons that people turn to activism - seeing radical injustice or having personal injury are two major reasons. Truthfully, the world has too many problems for any one person to tackle. We have to pick and choose our battles, and often that means family and friends have to come first (because they are what keeps us going).

The current atmosphere in America is full of tension over many things... I wouldn't be surprised if we see even more protests and social action soon (will it be covered in the media), esp. if a draft is reinstated.

For whatever reason, people often find it too difficult to relate how what happens in Washington affects us personally in our day-to-day lives. When these decisions get brought into the fore and many see these decisions as having a serious negative impact in their lives then we will see more action.

Perhaps it is a matter of scale or creating a critical mass. I always look back to Martin Luther King Jr.'s words "Time is neutral" when I consider how people think that problems will just go away with time... we would be so lucky.

I don't have any answers to all of this, but I think that starting with self-education and then educating others will get a lot farther than most. The challenge is the mode of education. Protestors often think that the only way to gain attention to education people is through these highly visible actions. And then there are the questions of violence and property destruction... certainly individuals need to do a lot of thinking and evaluation of their morals to decide how to cope with the world that we live in.

__________________
Innominate.

Rodney

There's a middle ground between going out and manning the picket lines and staying home and minding your family and close friends. And that involves being of service to others in your community: donating your time or energy to homeless suppers, suicide prevention or peer counseling, literacy tutoring, neighborhood watch, maybe even just hooking up with the local volunteer center to go shopping or do yard work for housebound older people, lobbying the city council for needed services in your neighborhood, etc. Although you are closest to your family and friends, your community is the sea that you all swim in, and it both behooves you and is to your direct benefit to make it a better and more hopeful place for all who live there.