In the Face of Despair

   Would you rather live a happy existence or a fulfilled existence? Think about it. If you could be without a care in the world would you do it? It sounds like a nice time. Or, would you rater be fulfilled; know that in your life you helped make a difference in the community and improved the planet. This option is not always happy. You struggle, you get frustrated, you become familiar with despair and your day to day thoughts can sometimes turn bleak. True fulfillment comes form acknowledging those defeatist feelings and overcome them towards a challenging and rewarding goal for the future. Blue pill or red pill? And in the end do you have a choice? As an Environmental Studies major; learning about world problems and the different aspects of each, all a part of fixing the problem; it feels like I took the red pill. I decided to go through life acknowledging injustices and hidden discriminations in our daily lives in an effort to help destroy these oppressive systems of power in our society. Knowledge is the enemy of evil. When the voiceless are given a voice the powerful cannot rest easy at night. I feel as an educated and informed citizen on this topic I have an obligation to educate and stand against oppressive powers and fight for social justice in an oppressive society. To quote Roth’s article Hope for Human Rights, If we keep raising the cost of abuse there is every reason for hope”.    

   Dealing with the frustrations of the state of the world can be a challenge. Especially recently it seems like every day there is a new event happening in the world that makes it seem a little more bleak and troubling. In the readings this grief is seen as an ever present obstacle we need to overcome to grow and improve. In Sherman Alexie’s chapter for example Mr. Grief is a character the author recognizes as a present entity around the hospital where they treat his son, and how he affects everyone but in their own different ways. Mr. Grief casts doubt on ourselves. The weight of the world feels unbearable, casting doubt on our own significance. Goska reminds the readers our gestures are NOT insignificant and neither are we! We and our small actions matter. They make a world of difference. in the article Hope for Human Rights the key to hope is to realize there are things we can do to curb suffering in the world. Actions have effects and when they are directed towards positive endeavors they ripple outwards to create great change in many places. Our culture has forgotten our connection to the planet. To quote Prisoners of Hope: “Spiritual malnutrition and existential emptiness are rampant”(293). Brought about by instant gratification to insignificant frivolous things while things of meaning become to time consuming to work for. By seeing and understanding invisible power structures of oppression we can direct our actions towards meaningful and beneficial changes as we come of age in a society “at the end of nature”. Small actions create big effects. It worked for Calta Star overthrowing a communist Bulgarian government and can work in fixing our warped and disjointed view of how societies interact amongst each other and the planet. We just need to make powerful actions.

   Powerful actions come in many forms. Quoting Sherman Alexie, “everything is stuffed to the brim with hopes magic and dreams”(168). We all like to think each person place or thing is only itself when in fact it is a combination of our hopes, actions and potential. We do not honor what we can do. We think we have no power. How can one insignificant speck on earth make a difference, but with that defeatist view nothing will get done. You would be submitting to Mr. Grief. We are in charge of our own choices. We have the power through our actions to create a change. Corporations rely on consumers for their income, so by putting pressure on them through your actions and standing with others who suffer injustice you make powerful actions that are noticed in the higher up levels of power. If we keep raising the cost of abuse there is every reason for hope and we can do this through our actions and time in this life. It is not always easy. To face the problems of our society is to immerse yourself in problems and injustices and it is easy to be overwhelmed. Self care is necessary. Your actions are only as good as your being. Challenging these problems can easily make us unbalanced and pessimistic. We always wrestle with despair but we should never allow it to have the last word. 

   Those who choose the red pill; to choose to understand these issues and let go of the simplified view of the world may be crazy. In fact I know everyone in this field of study is a little bit crazy in some way. But craziness is necessary to pursue dreams and ideas. It is what keeps our heads above the water. We work for some vision in our heads of what it can be. We are just crazy enough to strive to make it happen, and that is why I cannot picture myself doing anything else.