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2021, week 29

Good morning!

Early publishing this week. Feels good to get up early and achieve personal things before work.

[Personal story time]

I remember, a few years ago, I loved to repeat myself that I was not a morning person. This is still true, I can’t really describe myself as a morning person today, but I would have been dumb not to experience what is really behind this ritual of getting up early. The satisfaction you get from it, revealed strengths I would never have experienced otherwise. Of course, I have my phases, I won’t get up early for the sake of it, but when I feel down I know exactly where and how to get this satisfaction that will help me feel better. It’s still a pain in the ass to get up early and sometimes I fail but, what a rewarding and lasting feeling when I take that free opportunity back.

What’s magic about mornings (of course, it depends on your lifestyle) is that you can spend your first pourcentage of energy on yourself. Morning is a moment out of time, like if the day didn’t really start but you’re already doing stuffs that matter to you. There is no rush, it’s bonus time you gift to yourself. Discovering that feeling of satisfaction a few years ago changed my life and my mindset forever. It did not become a morning routine like a famous book describes it, but it definitely became a tool I use when I feel the need to get my focus back.

[Let’s get back to the newsletter topic]

It’s funny how some content can echo each other. I’m not even searching for it, they just randomly cross my path within the same week. That’s a sign I should write about it and it’s the reason why this week topic is about Activism. That’s a subject I’m not very comfortable with because I’m not very active in this field but my curation work is making me reconsider that part of me.

Have a good read.

Statement of the week (10\10)

A relationship is as good as your ability to deal with conflicts.

Highlights

I don’t care about your guilt or commiserations. Be an active accomplice, not an apathetic ally.

1. Apathetic ally

‘’We don’t need your indignation because it does nothing but centre you. We need you to use your privilege.’’ Remaining silent is already a choice and a decisive action. You choose not to care and ignore what’s happening. We too easily overlook inaction. Your inaction, in addition to the others’, can have a real impact on the end result. That’s exactly what happen when you choose not to vote, in the end you end up giving more weight to the persons who choose to do so. But conversely, saying something doesn’t necessarily make you an active person. In fact, complaint is the worst enemy of activism. It gives people the feeling that they have a voice while they speak in a vacuum. Complaints represent the dangerous inactive majority. Everyone has an opinion, but only a few would stand out against it. If you have the energy and the time to complain then you don’t have any excuse not to make something about it. Even a little but meaningful action like sending a mail/email to the right person can already make a difference. See online

What’s needed today is sustained outrage at the powerful, by those with the time and resources to express it.

2. Low-key activism

The word Activism has been overused. Mostly because of the media, we usually associate this term with images of an isolated group of people making crazy things in public to get attention. The media will interview the most sectarian individual of the group and then you, distant spectator, end up having negative feelings about the practice of activism in general. I’m not saying those events are useless but many actors know very well how to cleverly reverse the situation and radicalize a movement. They focus the attention on the methods to discredit the message and occult the substance. When you see so much energy being patronized, you unconsciously think that nothing else could ever make a difference. The best excuse of people for not taking action is to think that their small inputs will not make any difference or that someone is already campaigning harder for that cause. I don’t blame this cynical thinking because, yes, it’s hard to be heard but not doing anything gives even less chance to make a change… Don’t count on others if we can’t already count on you. This is why I like to read about this idea of ‘’low-key activism’’ as Kai Brach defines it. Nothing revolutionary, just little actions that are already accessible to anyone but that we call activism : like sending an email, signing a petition, donating money, etc. It doesn’t have to take a lot of individual efforts to grab attention, it takes a mass and targeted citizen mobilisation. See online

Enjoy this issue and see you next week. Take care!