Resistance Is Not Futile

The real damage is done by those millions who want to ‘survive’. The ‘honest’ men who just want to be left in peace. Those who don’t want their little lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves. Those with no sides and no causes. Those who won’t take measure of their own strength, for fear of antagonizing their own weakness. Those who don’t like to make waves — or enemies. Those for whom freedom, honour, truth, and principles are only literature. Those who live small, mate small, die small.

It’s the reductionist approach to life: if you keep it small, you’ll keep it under control. If you don’t make any noise, the bogeyman won’t find you. But it’s all an illusion, because they die too — those people who roll up their spirits into tiny little balls so as to be safe.

Safe? From what? Life is always on the edge of death; narrow streets lead to the same place as wide avenues, and a little candle burns itself out just like a flaming torch does.

I choose my own way to burn.

- Sophie Scholl

In especially times like these, there are opportunities one must take, there are moments ones are given. You can either do something that will leave an impression, that will at least highlight an atrocity you think is wrong, or leave the the moment behind with maybe your conscience questioning you whether not taking up the moment was the right thing to do. But whether they make you nervous, or uneasy, one must go beyond one’s own comfort for the sake of doing what is right.

Silence — wanting to live your life as if nothing is going on, maybe due to fear, aggravation, or maybe even selfishness can at times, be seen as a form of complicity. Wanting to live a normal life is what we all want, but we’re not living in normal times now, are we? Those being targeted also want to live a “normal” life — instead, they have to live in fear alongside their attempt at normalcy. Can you live your normal life knowing that?

Of course, there are many situations where you think keeping your mouth shut might seem like the best course at the moment. Or that you need to pick your battles. But sooner rather than later, there will be a moment where you can’t pick which battles you can fight. There will be moments that keeping your mouth shut will cost you and those around you dearly. There will be a moment where you’ll be the one afraid, and then you’ll be the one to ask why is no one speaking up for you? Those moments are coming. Keeping quiet in an attempt to live your normal life will be a luxury no longer afforded.

So how does one prepare for when that time comes? Like everything, it starts small. Disobedience to a regime tasked with hurting people through small action is a great start — make their job harder for them.

Pull out your phones and record. Non-violent protest the shit of out them. Call them out on the wrong they are doing to others.

Using any platform to say something, anything on the wrongs and injustices you know are happening. Any amount of disobedience, even if you think it won’t matter, it will! People will see. It will encourage people to do the same. Soon that small action, through the actions of many others will turn into bigger action.

Helping others by becoming something people can lean on for help, whether its being a source of information, or being someone that can be relied on, through both support and action. That’s the way to defeat Authoritarianism. Wise words from Sophie Scholl — choose your own way to burn.