The 12 Rules of Joyful Activism by Hank Stone

The 12 Rules of Joyful Activism

This lovely little bon bon was waiting for me in my inbox this morning...
It was written and sent to me by a friend, here in Rochester,
Who also, blessedly, is the keeper, originator and maintainer of the "Peace List"
(An email community of local Peace Groups and Activists...designed to keep
us Connected in a Spirit of Cooperation, Collaboration and Affiliation).

Kudos, to you once again, my Beloved Friend and Cohort, Hank Stone!

So it is in this attitude of Shared Connection and Mutual Resonance of our Sacred Mission...
I most Gratefully pass it along here to all my fellow Sacred (& Joyful) Activists...

Twelve Rules for Joyful Activism by Hank Stone, Rochester, NY

America and the world face unprecedented problems, including climate change,
oil shortages, falling water tables, overpopulation, economic injustice,
poverty, continuing wars, and economic distress.

Peace, justice and environmental activists like me try to help solve these
problems. But unlike some friends, I’m not worried about the global future.

Why not?

I follow these Twelve Rules for Joyful Activism:

1. KEEP PERSPECTIVE. The Universe is a big place, with 70 thousand million
million million stars according to recent astronomy. We have a small piece of
the action on one planet, in one solar system, for just an instant of a 13.7
billion year history. We can help change the world, but it’s not reasonable
to carry the world on our shoulders.

2. LIVE IN THE NOW. The future doesn’t exist, so don’t fear it. We
can’t change the past, so don’t regret it. In this moment, we can’t
rescue war victims in Afghanistan, or even in the next room. Knowing this, we
can look at dysfunctional situations without distress, and see new
possibilities.

3. PREMPTIVELY ACCEPT WHAT IS. Decide beforehand not to be carried away by the
negative. Don’t waste energy denying, personalizing, or excessively mourning
what can’t be changed. Looking at problems doesn’t make them worse, but
solvable.

4. THINK BIG! Look down on problems. If a problem looks big, climb higher
up—don’t struggle against problems. Choose a perspective that makes the
change you want easy. It’s easier to solve global problems for the whole
world than for just one country. You can’t set a broken leg with Band-Aids.

5. TAKE ACTION. If you live in the U.S., your share of the infrastructure
alone exceeds your share of world resources. Changing light bulbs is good, but
changing minds is also needed: activism. Fixing society drives off fear, frees
your creativity, creates optimism, and feels good!

6. JOIN A GROUP. You are not alone, and can get help with big solutions.
Collective action makes big solutions possible. Whatever your role, support
from like-minded people can help. Network--ask friends and Google who’s
doing what near you. But don’t limit your thinking to the consensus of the
group: extraordinary times make extraordinary activism possible.

7. LIVE THE NEW STORY. We all grew up believing that what we see is normal:
business as usual. But activism to improve business as usual IS business as
usual. We must envision our objective realized, then “work backwards” to
see how it was done. This unblocks creativity and attracts support. Consider
this new story: One human family, protecting the Earth, living in peace.

8. KEEP NO ENEMIES. Activism driven by anger or fear can make you sick, and
can burn you out. People are caught up in obsolete cultural stories, and may
oppose our actions, but everyone is a potential ally. People are doing the
best they can with what they believe. We can all be mistaken.

9. LISTEN AND SPEAK. People believe different things, and need a safe
environment to consider new ideas. Let people vent. Listen humbly. Whenever
people’ beliefs differ, dialogue (rather than debate) can lead to learning.
Understand first, then explain what you think.

10. CREATE OPPORTUNITIES. People have enough problems. Process problems into
opportunities by finding what’s needed, who can provide it, and how they can
benefit by meeting the need. Match decision-makers to opportunities. Spread
the word when positive paths are discovered.

11. PACE YOURSELF. Visualize the new story now, but allow people time to
adjust. Phasing out the war system, for example, will include honoring and
paying military people for decades to come. Big social change may take years
for people to change their thinking—or to retire.

12. CELEBRATE LIFE! Saving the world is a part-time job. People have
different personalities as well as beliefs: be yourself. If your activism
isn’t fun, do something else. Get connected, look down at the problems, and
do your part to help. Then relax and party!