My Pursuit Of Activism Essay

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Activism cannot, and never will be, a passive pursuit. In order to be an activist, one must live it. Sitting idly, preaching about how “this needs to change” while never doing anything to change it isn’t activism. It’s raising awareness at best, and being a hypocrite at its worst. This is not a novel concept. The popular Bible verse, “Faith without works is dead,” is a powerful way to look at this. No matter what beliefs and values one holds, if they do not work towards these ideals, they might not believe in them at all. At the same time, it is important to find balance. Personal goals and aspirations do not need to fall to the wayside in one’s quest to make a difference. I do not have a similar biography to either of the activists discussed in class. I grew up in an extremely well-to-do, supportive, loving family. My family has always wanted the best for me, unlike Dena Simmons. I don’t have the gumption to go to a third world country and die for something I believe in, like Rachel Corrie. I haven’t had any real hardships in my life. My college education is paid for. I worked full time in high school, but only because I wanted to. I’m very privileged. The issue I’m extremely passionate about, suicide prevention, does not put me in a place outside of my comfort zone. There would hardly be a situation as dire as Corrie’s. As a result, I cannot …show more content…

In layman’s terms, the quote is telling readers, “we are torn between thinking we are better than we are, and underestimating ourselves,” which is exactly what Simmons did as a teacher. Simmons was concerned about making the deepest impact on her students. She feared not being able to help them. At the same time, when the opportunity for higher education arose, Simmons thought she could balance teaching and pursuing her degree. She loved her students so much that she thought she could do it all, while at the same time being afraid to let them

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