Continuing from the thread of my last post, Dreams of Joe Hill, if you need a little inspiration, here are quotes on activism that always give me chills - and hope:
And now that I'm about to cry, stupid starfish story gets me every time - I'm such a friggin' sap, I ask you to help me keep believing. No more turning away. Take a small step, make a big difference - fists in the air in solidarity, we go forth to change the world.
If you're not sure where to start, may I humbly suggest you consider joining my favorite grassroots organization working for social, economic, and environmental justice? Kentuckians for the Commonwealth - click over and see for yourself. :)
Coming tomorrow: Rob, and his job with the Mob - the story of one friend who helped me believe and changed my world.
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance." ~Robert F. Kennedy
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| By cropped from photo by Luca Galuzzi (Lucag) [CC-BY-SA-2.5 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons |
"In the face of all the challengers we face today, is my optimism about the future of humanity idealistic? Perhaps it is. Is is unrealisted? Certainly not. To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we mus do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up." ~the 14th Dalai Lama, Facebook status, January 13, 2012
"An old man had a habit of early morning walks on the beach. One day, after a storm, he saw a girl picking up starfish and throwing them back into the water. He asked her why she was doing this, and she replied, 'The sun is up, and the tide is going out, and if I do not throw them in they will die.' He said, 'There are miles and mile of beach and starfish all along it. What difference can you possibly make?' She looked at him, then back at the starfish in her hand, threw it into the ocean, and said, 'I made a difference to that one.'" ~adapted by the Starfish Charity from Loren Eisley's The Star Thrower
And now that I'm about to cry, stupid starfish story gets me every time - I'm such a friggin' sap, I ask you to help me keep believing. No more turning away. Take a small step, make a big difference - fists in the air in solidarity, we go forth to change the world.
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| (c) Kentuckians for the Commonwealth |
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Just quoted the starfish yesterday. And, we all know my thoughts on the turning away. Strange/strong genetics. :)
ReplyDeleteHere's another good one:
ReplyDelete"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
-- Margaret Mead
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Theodore Roosevelt
26th president of US (1858 - 1919)