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Mid Crisis Crisis
Negotiating my own activism
Preamble
The following is a somewhat self-absorbed introspective – take it or leave it – where I’m sorting through the laundry, pans and bad hair days of my own disordered, privileged existence in order to be better equipped to be of use to others.
The rubble
Compassion fatigue is a cliché and more often than not an excuse for not really being committed to that which tugs at your heart strings. It’s not so much the fault of those sensing that fatigue as the lack of agency they find themselves having. We have to question if this really is a thing at all or is it an invention to cover a deeper malaise.
Quickly sliding into the 7th month of the unfolding Israel/Palestine nightmare I’m more conflicted than fatigued. I’m sensing that my tiredness is mostly to do with doubting myself and what I’m doing. This might be compounded by my running on the spot (burning energy but achieving nothing). In late October I gained many new friends and as in any new situation it’s exciting to discover new things about people without preconceptions.
As more people enter into your sphere of activism, relationships become more complex. This is normal and needs to be accommodated. Our brains thrive on novelty and this also needs to be acknowledged. We…
