How difficult could it be, I thought, to end poverty or homelessness or sexism or warmongering? Surely if enough people wanted to banish these things, it could be done? Surely if enough people were sufficiently horrified and sickened by what other people were forced to endure, then things would change?
I was forever going to rallies, going to sit-ins, signing petitions, lobbying politicians, and being the stereotype frenzied activist, espousing every worthy cause and predicting a better tomorrow.
I gradually realised as I grew older and more worldly-wise that these problems were much too deeply rooted to be eradicated overnight. They were so embedded in our collective way of life, so taken-for-granted as "just one of those things" ("the poor are always with us") that it would take the most colossal effort to make even the smallest inroads into these long-standing horrors.
I could agitate to the point of exhaustion with little to show for it because so many people were content to live with these problems rather than solving them. Or even worse, they stood to gain from them. The weapons manufacturers. The loan sharks. The privileged males. The landlords charging exorbitant, unaffordable rents.
So now I desist from most political activity and let others summon up their enthusiasm and optimism on my behalf. I still sign petitions and email my MP but that's about it. I anticipate that by the time I've shuffled off my mortal coil the poor will unhappily still be with us.
I can relate. Having recently abandoned my SOS activism due to exhaustion. Our MP offered to throw a party for us and I laughed in his face. It was only about the next election and what a great chap he is. He never mentions the word poverty. Verboten in political blah blah.
ReplyDeleteI guess we do reach the age where it seems all for nought.
XO
WWW
www: Sounds like another self-centred politician, only seriously interested in his electoral prospects.
DeleteI realised when quite young that it takes a real revolution to achieve change...you have to make the oppressors fear for their lives.
ReplyDeleteOn a lesser level,the IRA got nowhere attacking the civilian population, but when it went for the City of London the peace talks started in earnest.
We, ordinary people, mean nothing to those in power and fine words - and deeds - butter no parsnips.
Fly: Indeed, the IRA's attacks on civilians achieved nothing but pain and anguish. But even revolutions can turn sour as those in power see opportunities for feathering their own nests.
DeleteYes, indeed, and here on our doorstep in Nicaragua we have Ortega as living proof of that. But the Sandinistas' overthrow of the Somoza regime did bring lasting benefits in terms of health and education.
DeleteFly: Good to know about the improvements to health and education. Though Wikipedia refers to the lack of quality care in more remote areas of Nicaragua.
DeleteYes out on the mesquito coast things are not so good, that is true, but visiting quite remote parts of northern Nicaragua - in search of the old, first capital destroyed by Captain Morgan, would you believe, I found schools and clinics serving their areas...plus local points enabling farmers to get their goods to market collectively.
DeleteFly: That all sounds very positive.
DeleteSome things, like suicide, homeless/drug abuse, and sometimes poverty fall under mental illness, which has its own limitations of being solved. I find that doing things on a local level is more helpful than anything else.
ReplyDeleteBijoux: Mental disorders have risen dramatically in the UK, and mental health services are now woefully inadequate. I agree that local solutions can often be better than top-down ones.
DeleteThere are so many problems in society that could use some help but I don't think things are going to get any better any time soon.
ReplyDeleteMary: Very true. It tends to be a matter of a step forward on one issue and a step backwards on another.
DeleteUnfortunately it's going to get a lot worse with climate change and the ever-growing population. The best guess is there will be a lot of crises, chaos, and authoritarianism. Humanity is in for a rough ride
ReplyDeleteJean: I think you're right. The future looks pretty bleak right now. Humanity is indeed in for a rough ride.
DeleteI have never been political. But I have always done what I can to relieve poverty and homelessness. I used to give time and energy to organizations like Habitat for Humanity but now just give goods and money. My current favorite charity is Homes on Wheels Alliance; they convert minivans to provide cheap housing to those in need. https://homesonwheelsalliance.org
ReplyDeleteLinda: We do donate to charities we know well and trust to spend the money wisely. We donate to local food banks for example.
DeleteI've never been outwardly political. My family is mostly civil service or military. Having strong political beliefs is considered a faux pas. Add to that I am a liberal in a very conservative culture.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it is hard to eradicate human miseries. But we have made progress. Child labor has been abolished. Work conditions are better than the sweatshops in the past. There is promise. But it is a zigzag road forward and backward.
Ann: Yes, advances have been made in a lot of areas, as you say. Unfortunately new horrors have been added to the list - like vicious trolling on social media and theft from personal bank accounts.
DeleteOh to be young again and have that optimistic hope!
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Ms Scarlet: I wouldn't want to be young again. It was a pretty difficult time for me in all sorts of ways. And optimism unfortunately is often accompanied by naivety and gullibility.
DeleteSince I had to pay my way to higher education I had no time for social activism nor did most of my contemporaries during our teen years as the India then was vastly different from the India of today. Teenagers today can take financial and emotional security for granted as they are my generation's grand children. Mine and the next built such security for them and now they do the things that we could not or did not have the wherewithal to do.
ReplyDeleteRamana: Interesting that the young in India can do things you weren't able to do. In the UK it's more the reverse. Many young people face unaffordable houses, can't get the sort of jobs they aspire to, are paid very low salaries, and are often on short-term contracts that can be terminated at any moment.
DeleteAt some point, it makes sense to pass the mantle of activism to the next generation.
ReplyDeleteAgent: Not everyone does though. I often see photos of rallies with a good sprinkling of oldies still plugging one cause or another.
DeleteI think you may be right in saying Nick that enthusiasm for certain causes may be for those younger and that it wanes as we age and discover that the same issues are ongoing.
ReplyDeleteBeatrice: There are a few persistent oldies who never give up the political struggle and pop up regularly at rallies. They must have bottomless reserves of optimism.
DeleteSadly Nick, I agree with you. I am dismayed at what little progress has been made over the past decades to alleviate hardship and suffering.
ReplyDeletePolly: At the moment hardship and suffering in the UK seems to be getting worse and not better. It's just survival of the fittest.
DeleteTragically, I think you're so right, Nick. I recall thinking since so many ordinary soldiers didn't really want to die in fighting as leaders who didn't die sent them off to do should just refuse to fight on both sides. Duh! That doesn't happen.
ReplyDeleteJoared: Indeed, the generals enjoy their usual comfortable lifestyles while thousands of poor innocent sods are sent off to war. As you say, why don't they just refuse to fight?
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