Activists in a Depression? How to Replenish Inspiration While Our Will is Distorted

There are things in our lives that are unchangeable. The qualities of people around us, the inherent qualities of the world around them: things we shouldn’t meticulously keep up with or expend our energy trying to change, because we cannot and should not try to change them.

This saving of energy is necessary to use our energy for what we truly can change, even if it seems like we can’t change that thing. People need focus and priority.

But determining which aspects of our lives should be controlled or changed, altered, is a complex decision. Depending on an individual’s opinion of what is important and what isn’t, it’s not solipsistic to let go of concern for certain unchangeable aspects of life: things that are not our concern to alter or influence.

It’s not solipsistic to suggest some aspects of life would be best untouched by our influence. Solipsism is defined as, “the view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist,” or “the quality of being self-centered or selfish.”

Solipsism is also the concept of there being no such thing as objective truth, because truth is only a matter of personal perception in that view.

What solipsistic people fail to realize is that powers above us instill solipsism in our culture to neutralize our ability to create and influence the world we live in.

So this is a factor influencing our stagnation: solipsism.

But one equally effective strategy being used to annihilate coherent opposition to tyranny, a strategy being used to divide activists essentially, is not a solipsistic or lazy indifference. At the moment it is an energetic, rabid contorted form of “caring about the future-energy”: the attitude of aggressively trying to alter things in our culture and way of thinking.

That “Donald Trump” type of energy: pushy, misdirected energy to change things: that is currently eating at activists, distracting people, and depressing those who see through it and are disappointed in everyone falling for the propaganda.

If this can be aptly described, right now this “post Trump attitude” (as cringey as that sounds), is gaining prevalence that is dangerous and divisive to the morale of activists and thinking people. It is this aggressive, “lets change things with force” attitude that is pure misdirection on the opposite side of the spectrum from the New Agey, solipsism attitude. And there’s the new left/right falsehood of course: antifa v.s. alt-right. That got old really quickly.

But the point of this article is, the morale of activists and thinking people is clearly lowered at this moment. We’re in a low point. We need to solve this problem and not let our morale be crushed and inspiration become stagnant. However, sometimes all thinkers and activists need a break. Without people getting the rest they need, inspiration can never flow naturally.

So here is an idea: it would help the mental state of any free thinker to (without too much rigidity), prioritize what to think about, learn about, focus on opposing, and focus on building. Are you paying too much attention to tabloid, insignificant developments in the world of politics, of Trump? Are you getting caught up in the statements and petty distractions orchestrated by the political echelon of power? How much over-analysis of these things can we take without having our inspiration and focus be annihilated?

What are activists choosing to do, to think about, to try and create?

What are people really going to create? If activists form opposition to something, what will they practically accomplish?

It would help activists to not waste energy on petty problems or distractions, and focus on building, growing, with discipline and steady, balanced persistence.
It would help people to prioritize what they spend time on thinking, while absolutely not neglecting to do hard research and check what they think they know rigorously.
And it all boils down to this: free thinkers who seek a more free, decentralized, down to Earth life detached from the system are facing a trajectory that seems like an inevitable path of destruction. It can be really difficult to shake the feeling of hopelessness, if you pay attention.

Philosophers of our time such as John Vibes and Derrick Broze have laid the foundation of ideas on how to start existing the system.

Their latest book can be found here.

But one of the very most difficult tasks people could have is committing to exit the system and become disciplined about completely living to abolish the system. As difficult as that sounds, it seems to be the best practical strategy for creating a better future.

Featured image: Banksy Art