EcoTuesday

Nikki Martinez and Oren Jaffe started EcoTuesday
as a chill networking event for Green business folk to interact with each other

EcoTuesday
rsvp at www.ecotuesday.com

My name is Abby and I'm a recovering Activist. After committing many years to social and environmental activism I was spent, burnt-out, broke, disillusioned, disempowered and bitter. In other words - I'd hit the bottom.

How did this happen? How could such good intentions lead down such a fruitless path? How can such important work go so unrewarded? In the years that followed my crash, I have asked my self these questions many times and in many ways. Eventually, I started to understand what went wrong. I have formulated a 5-step plan to help anyone become an effective agent of change - how to become a pro-activist, not a re-activist - and it is my hope that I can save other well-intentioned people a lot of time and tears by offering you this plan.

Perhaps you may see aspects of yourself in my story. It all started in high school in the hallway just outside Ms. Benning's classroom. Blam! Like a lightning bolt from nowhere I declared to myself: "I am going to do GOOD on this planet. I am dedicating myself to helping - in whatever way that is." I don't remember telling anyone about my decision, but it was indelibly etched on my soul from that point forward.

I went to a respected university in the deep South and worked in a Summer program selling books door-to-door - gaining all kinds of experience from running my own business - recruiting, management, sales, customer relations, etc... In short, I was well prepared to enter the job market. But a funny thing happened. I was unable to bring myself to attend any of the job fairs or follow the advice of my career counselors. I couldn't help it - "real jobs and me" were like oil and water. Deep down I just knew I didn't want to be part of "the system". Even though I hadn't formed any well-articulated opinions about it, I had an innate sense that this was not my path. This, of course, was upsetting to my parents who wanted value for their college investment in me. All they got from me was values.

After graduation, equipped with a degree in Rhetoric and a pile of money from selling books, I could afford to do what my heart dictated. So I followed my boyfriend to Philadelphia where I immediately got a job at Greenpeace. We canvassed in Philly, Delaware and New Jersey. It was not easy. We were canvassing against the Gulf War (during the Gulf War) in the town who had the grim honor of having one of its boys as the first person killed. Every street was awash in yellow-ribbons and American flags. They weren't very receptive to my message.

Undaunted, I got into every campaign - educating myself about the incessant destruction of habitats, the pollution of our water and air. I volunteered for NOW, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. The world was my oyster and there were so many issues to choose from. It was like activist heaven. Well, sort of. Lots of issues, not so much joy. The more I learned, the madder I got, the madder I got, the more energy I put into these campaigns, the more intense I got, the less people wanted to engage with me.

Eventually I moved to San Francisco and became the Director of CALPIRG (the California Public Interest Research Group) at the Telephone Outreach Project. Here I learned that the opposition could out-lobby us to defeat good legislation and the laws we did pass could be "loop-holed" out of effectiveness or broken without enforcement. Corporate America was running the show, and Democracy had been replaced by Capitalism. Everybody around me seemed too busy watching TV and consuming to really care.

My idealism became anger, and my anger became bitterness. I was bitter that everything I had learned in school about how the system was supposed to work was a big, fat lie. I was bitter that my roommates who worked in advertising (fueling the consumer "machine") were being very well paid and got outrageous weekend perks while I couldn't afford to do my own laundry and spent my weekends at organizing conferences (as a Director in San Francisco I made $12,000/yr before taxes.) I was bitter that I was working so hard and yet going into debt (since rent took most of my income, groceries and other life incidentals went on my credit card). I was bitter that everyone who worked for Corporate America was being rewarded and everyone who worked for the betterment of the planet (environmentalists, teachers, care-givers) was being punished. Finally my bitterness became judgement. They were WRONG. They were THE PROBLEM.

And then something happened. All the anger and judgement turned inwards. Who was I to point the finger? I was living on credit cards, driving a car, using paper towels, leaving on lights (as my roommates loved to point out) etc.. All the weight of the dying world was on my shoulders and finally, I caved in.

Fast forward through a number of non-activist jobs, many an hour of intense soul-searching and a spiritual awakening. When I was recently invited to give a talk on activism in today's crazy world this plan came as an instant download and, due to my own experience, it resonated. I realized that I had always been a RE-activist, which has limited effectiveness and much fallout.

Here are 5 steps you can take if you would rather be a PRO-Activist:

1) Commit to doing the inner work
2) Say NO to what you don't want
3) Say YES to what you do want
4) Gather around you people who share your vision
5) Package your message in the positive One.

One. Commit to doing the inner work. If you only do one of the 5 things on this list - do this one. It is by far the most important and far-reaching step. By working on yourself, you unlock the doors to your own power, inner peace and the chance to successfully follow the next four steps. It is imperative that you as a person do not get sacrificed in your work. Disempowered, angry people are only effective up to a point. You can't create lasting positive change from an angry place.

Commit to working on yourself - in whatever way works for you. It could be therapy, counseling, drug treatment, meditation, yoga, energy work, psychic work, exercise, religion, or workshops. Anything that helps you understand who you are and why you behave the way you do will help you to heal old wounds and love yourself. It is never a one-shot deal; it needs to be an ongoing exploration of yourself.

Organize your life around positive principles (whatever they may be). Take responsibility for your actions and, to the best of your ability, always remain in integrity. Learn that judgement 'serves you not' and that blaming is never good enough. Understand your role as an individual and as part of a collective.

Prioritize your emotional and inner needs. Don't let the urgent eclipse the important.

Love yourself. Be mindful. Be conscious. Learn the benefits of non-attachment. See the interconnectedness of all things. Explore new worldviews. Engage in LIFE!

Two. Say NO to what you don't want. This is where so many of use get lost - there is so much to be against. It's the easiest step, yet requires the most skill. For a long time I played with the idea that saying NO to something, placed you in a dialectic that fed energy into what you were against (what you resist persists). But I now believe that if you are honestly committed to step one you can do step two without it consuming you.

So, go to marches and be counted. Boycott companies that damage life. Write letters to your representatives, take the time to sign petitions and make phone calls saying NO. When something is going on that is not life-enhancing, you have every right to say "this is NOT OK". The silent majority needs to speak up. But you can do it without getting mad. When you get mad or go in to judgement/blame, you lose a little bit of your own life-force, your own vitality. You are letting something outside of you, something you deplore, rob you of energy. That certainly does not help your cause. Do what you have to do - but do it from Love, not hate and anger.

So, by all means, exercise your rights (while we still have them) and do so in an equanimous, unperturbed way. If you're doing step one, you know what I mean.

(As a disclaimer, I wish to acknowledge all the hard work and dedication of activists world-wide. I intend no disrespect to groups who are screaming NO! I see them as an important part of the overall push towards change. That is why it is so important for all different groups to work together and acknowledge each other - we are all part of the larger change matrix.)

Three. Say YES to what you do want. Now its getting fun. I'd much rather chant a pro-peace slogan than an anti-war one. There is really no value in doing away with a set of beliefs and behaviors if there is nothing to fill the vacuum. It is by having a vision that we avoid the trap of the dialectic. Saying NO is the obligation, saying YES is the experience. NO is the death. YES is the birth.

By having a vision of what you DO want, you create a very positive thought-form that others can resonate with. It is this seed of possibility, this willingness to inspire, that ultimately effects change. In these chaotic times it is very important that positive, alternative thought-forms take hold in order for workable beliefs, behaviors and systems to emerge. Permaculture, community, corporate responsibility, and government policy based on compassion are all examples of visions that work that are gaining momentum.

And the best way for them to gain momentum is step 4:

Four. Gather around you people who share your vision. There is so much power in the collective. There is so much disempowerment when we are all home, individually plugged into our televisions, mutely absorbing whatever the media-establishment tells us is true. This has got to stop. Turn that thing off and seek out others who share your non-mainstream beliefs. You may be pleasantly surprised to find that there are more of YOU than you thought.

As you gather with others who share your viewpoints, they become more solidified, more real, more acceptable, more viable. As more people realize it is safe to speak their truth - the more truth you will start hearing. Resonation is a powerful force and when a group of people resonate around positive ideas, the effects can be amazing. All the elements fall into place, connections are made - the hundredth monkey takes the leap!

Five. Package your message effectively. When you feel strongly about an issue or situation, you usually want to make a difference. What is the most effective way of bringing about change? Who is the target audience for your message?

There is always the desire to focus exclusively on the problem. Also, preaching to the converted feels good, because the converted always reflect back our own opinions. Detailing problems is an important part of an activists' message, but its shouldn't be the main thrust. We all know that the environment is in trouble, the humans and animals are suffering worldwide, and a host of other issues that exist today. More bad news often causes overwhelm and can actually cause the very people who need to hear your message to block you and your message right out.

A skillful message creates a win-win scenario for everyone. It feels good to be a part of the solution, people really light up when they feel empowered.

This brings us back to the resonation factor. A message that radiates a positive message is magnetic and attractive and brings in the pro-activist energy for change. Although we can all easily rally around the NO, we are more likely to see change if we become it - if we become the YES, the vision.

One of the main tenets of successful rhetorical debate is that your opponent must save face. There are plenty of people who tempt me greatly into labeling them as wrong or evil, however, I am unlikely to win them over by insult and blame. People with power can dig in their heels and send back quite a bit of pain. Also, I believe a lot of good people work inside bad companies, organizations and political systems. Let us create the way for corporate and political leadership to change, leave or disperse in a win-win manner. Let's keep it on high ground. I'm not saying "don't point out what's going wrong" I'm simply saying that the main message needs to be grounded in what you want. Details, facts and information speak for themselves. People are already in a lot of pain. Impassioned editorializing isn't necessary. Just open a door to the light and people are naturally drawn to walk through it.

And that's it. I hope these five points will help all you pro-activists out there create the beautiful world which we all know is already there - just waiting for us to stop all the terribly important things that we are doing and just notice.

Peace,
Abby

More About Abby
Abby graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1989 with a BA in Rhetoric. During her time at Vanderbilt, she learned a great deal about people, herself and operating a business while selling educational books door-to-door for the Southwestern Company for 4 summers.

Abby's professional roots are as an activist. She spent a year working for Greenpeace in Philadelphia, PA. When she moved to San Francisco, she became the Director for the California Public Interest Research Group's Telephone Outreach Project. She has been a speaker for Planned Parenthood - educating youth about safe sex and birth control. She has also volunteered for the ACLU.

After burning out on activism, she spent 5 years contracting at numerous web shops in San Francisco. Among her former clients are SFSU's Multimedia Studies Program, Process39, CNET, Organic, Fluid, Entasis, and Looksmart.

She became interested in the subject of ETs in 1997 and experienced a dramatic spiritual awakening and deeper understanding of the nature of reality. In 1998, she was hired by Joe Firmage to be the Communications Manager at the International Space Sciences Organization, dedicated to expanding the frontiers of space by space travel, new forms of propulsion and alternative energy. When ISSO dissolved, she continued this work with a group called Dynamis.

Currently, she lives in Ashland OR and is working to create the "Activist Alley" for Earthdance International, a global, synchronized peace event based around electronic music and higher consciousness. She is a major fan of Dennis Kucinich and can see him being the next President of America.