Decide to Become Active, Not Just Reactive

It’s a nice idea that, once we re-evaluated and cleaned up enough old distress, we will have better memories, have a more flexible brain and will look more freshly at the future – and therefore we will be more active in bringing about a better world for all. But the latter point is doubtful. Maybe eventually, we’ll start help improving the world for all, but if we wait for this spontaneous change, in most people it could take very long. Better is to take decisions “before we feel ready.”

Being Reactive

Reacting is a lower life form. Even viruses and bacteria react. Even lifeless objects, like billiard balls, react to changes that affect them.

This is not to say that reacting is unimportant. You are crossing the street and a car is approaching – you better make sure you stay safe. You have an important test – you better learn. Don’t ignore reality.

I was having a bite at a quick-and-dirty. (It was actually not dirty.) Someone came over and asked  me: Would you buy me a small meat meal? I said: sure (although I’m a vegetarian). Later he asked: Could I also have a drink? I said: Anything you want (although I never drink soda myself; he had a coke). I just reacted – it was easy.

The biggest disasters happen because people fail to react. Wars can only happen when m ost people look away. The Holocaust is also caused by millions of silent bystanders (and governments and media that didn’t report what was going on). The serial abuser was often believed that it was a one-off thing and so could become serial.

We know from our sessions how much unnecessary distress and oppression was in the world and still is. And it seems profitable to all people to stop this pandemic of irrationality. We surely don’t want to wait until all people got enough sessions to stop the misery. And after a couple of sessions, we can also know that we are the best persons available to help clean up the mess.

Be Active Too

But good as reacting is, acting is better. And someone who is active will certainly be reactive – and not let indifference, inaction and apathy allow oppression to take place unchallenged.

Waiting until we’re ready is going to be a slow process. Deciding is faster. Let’s do ourselves a favor and take a few sessions on “I’ve decided to become active.”

And I don’t just mean that we should all go save the planet – though I wouldn’t object if everyone did so. It could be too: I’ve had enough eating junk food and snacking – I’m going to have proper food only. Or will start exercising. (See Harvey’s Commitment for “World changers.”)

Let’s not just sit around waiting for when the news or the spirit grabs us. We don’t need anything from outside of us anymore and no one needs to tell us, to go do something.

In the times that an atomic world war, nuclear holocaust, was looming – may those times never return – one slogan was: Better active today than radioactive tomorrow. It’s not always easy to become active. We sometimes seem to need a lot of motivation.

But what also may help is an awareness that we simply can be active, that we’re invited to become activists, that life is better fighting for an ideal than just riding out the ride, that we are most ourselves when we do.

To choose change. To do a few sessions to decide to become active in wide world change. To stop just reacting to the news but rather join the troops of idealists forever, always on the lookout where to chip in.

Not just to react when our response is needed in emergencies. We can make a difference before the shit hits the fan.

Even radioactive substance shows spontaneity (but not free will). We have the ability to initiate. To spontaneously say: I have enough of this, I’ve seen enough, I have a thought.

Participants in groups often just sit around and wait, react to what is offered. TV culture. But when called into leadership, we suddenly emerge as initiators, begin to think about what we could do and say.

(Leaders are often not more talented, wiser or smarter. Rather, they got the idea or the job to take initiative. When we take the job, we also get ideas. As soon as we try to think about something, we’ll have thoughts.)

Humans can brainstorm, jump linear thinking. We have an ability to foresee the time after now and imagine improvement – and work for it.

Not because we should. Not to avoid punishment or condemnation. Not because otherwise we won’t be a good person or it will be all our fault.

Rather, we may become activists for a better world for all because that is the best expression of who we are. Being an activist is the best life.