Are You an Armchair Activist?

My husband entered the living room and asked what I was doing. “Armchair activism!” I said. I’d just responded to a post that said we should not call women “hard cases” because abortion should be freely available for anyone and everyone, and not only those who conceive by rape.

I’m an armchair activist.

I always say, “Speakers speak.” That’s what they do, so if you have anything you don’t want told, don’t tell a speaker. They’ll find a way to use it in a story, a sermon, a motivational speech, a business proposal or some thing. The same is true for activists. We act. We go to that meeting or testify at that hearing. Our minds and hearts are always interested in the world around us and we actively look for ways to respond.

Activists genuinely care about their fellow human beings. We are often misled. Sometimes terribly so. We hear and listen to the voices all around us, but there are so many and they sometimes come in rapid succession. It can be really difficult to think critically about what we see and hear. Many of us do not diversify our media choices either, narrowing our field of view, packing us into groups of like-minded lemmings, headed over one cliff or another.

Life has ebb and flow.

Life isn’t a linear experience. Sure, some of us have times of relative peace or monotony, but life is a process with ebb and flow. You may be in a job or own a business or you might be retired. If you look back over the last few years, then, look further back, you’ll see that there were people you saw every day or every week, during a span of time, that you no longer see. There were regular activities that you used to engage in that are no longer a part of your life, right?

We are constantly growing and changing. Our minds are marvelous. We choose. Whether consciously or unconsciously, each of us decided what we did today. Who we listened to, which story to believe and what to throw out -because it is stupid.

People learn and grow with experience. Listen to a lecture, try a new medium for art, chart your run-walk cycle or practice that new dance move, we learn by experiencing something. If you are not learning, you begin to die. We are created for a purpose. I studied creation science and evolution. I studied my Bible and a bunch of cults. Eschatology, which is the study of the future, end times and history. Both are important.

Maybe, someone needs to experience something we have knowledge of.

I frequently suffer from symptoms related to damage from undiagnosed Lyme Disease, Bartonella, and Babesia. Basically, I get tired easier than some people. Joint pain, stiffness, weakness, and problems with my eye sight are some of my daily companions. I hope to be rid of them at some point. For now, I have to sit still at times. That is not easy for an activist.

Share any way you can.

You have gifts and talents that others need to experience. Activism is for their life’s journey. Being active in a community can mean different things to different people at different periods of their lives. I had a job as a nurse for 26 years. I used to be able to go out, drive wherever I wanted, see whomever I pleased, provide a peaceful pro-life witness -letting women know there are people who care and will help them through their problems, and many other activities.

For a few years I was at home, alone for most waking hours. I barely left the house and often that was only to go to the doctors. I felt like a burden because I couldn’t drive and my husband had to take off work to bring me. But it was during that time that I began to learn about being an armchair activist.

It was by accident, for sure, but I realized that I could encourage others online. There were also times when I could teach or reveal concepts or truths to other people to help them along their journey in this life. We have the ability to use our learned experiences to help others experience learning, even when we are incapacitated physically.

Keep an open mind.

If you are an armchair activist, thank you. No matter what you advocate for or against, you have a purpose.

I have no intention of staying in the state I am in and I hope you won’t either, no matter what that state is! Keep growing, learning, and leading others to do the same. People need to know what you know, even if you’re wrong and they correct you. We all grow better together.

Online or offline, people need people. I noticed that the wood of the cross of Christ has two distinct directional parts. The vertical, pointing to our benevolent Creator in heaven and the horizontal, whereon Jesus stretched out His arms, as in a gesture of openly reaching out to everyone as far as possible.

It is a picture of how we should live. First and foremost, we can choose to be acknowledging and loving God for His goodness and then, reaching out to relate to the people around us, in whatever community that may be, in any moment in time.

I’d love to know your thoughts about this.