Recently I had a conversation with a girl that was surprised/disappointed that I don’t consider myself an activist.  “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem,” she told me. I have a few major concerns with that line of thinking.

First, if my feet are not helping me fight off the flu, should I cut them off since, by her logic, they must be assisting the virus?  I happen to find my feet quite useful.

Second, not choosing to join the “war” IS taking a stance. In order for a battle to rage on, soldiers must participate. If everyone said “I do not see a reason for war”… there would not be one.

Third, most activists are unknowingly battling a symptom. If I’m going to be an “ist” or fight an “ism,” I want to (have to) affect change. Fighting the negative effects of tourism gave us eco-tourism… hooray!  Oh, wait, now EVERYONE wants to go visit the pristine waterfall… well, that was counterproductive. How people traveled was not the issue… how many, and to where, IS.

Fourth, “every little bit helps” is total bullshit. Attempting to “make things better” is very different from “making things right.” If a morbidly obese person switched from eating 300 cookies a day, to 300 low fat cookies a day… is that change enough? Too many “ists” are fighting for moral victories instead of real, tangible, change.

Now I do feel that change is possible, but NOT with the current strategies employed by so many would be “agents of change.” The harsh reality, the change you promote is likely not enough unless it makes you uncomfortable.

Example – Go Green! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – The dilution this message has suffered from the days of its inception until now are absurd. “Recycling” has become a clear crutch that society as a whole uses to continue to consume more and more of our environment each year. I know it sounds like an alarmist view, but its a fact – we USE more of the planet each and every year. Recycling has become our “fat free cookies.” The truth of the matter is we must focus on limiting consumption. Anyone ever heard that message? Probably not. Even tree huggers want the new iphone.

Research, Reinvent, Redefine – Here’s to being an Inactivist.