Activists’ Lives Are Actually More Joyous Than They Appear

Here’s a quote from Emerson that I used in one my books in a chapter on environmental activism: “God offers to every mind a choice between repose and truth. Take which you please–you can never have both.”  I.e., living so as ameliorate the hard truths of the world is great, but don’t expect it to be restful and diverting. 

In retrospect, however, I’m not so sure about this.  There’s an enormous amount of joy that comes from being on the right side of humanitarian issues.  And how much fun can it be, getting rich and watching civilization crumble before your eyes?

Maybe it goes back to the old adage about giving and receiving.  Here’s one thing I’ve learned: When we look beyond the thin veil of material pleasures and begin to see our lives in grander terms, we finding ourselves, whether we we’re looking for it or not, on the receiving end of more joy than we could have possibly imagined.

Let me close with a video I think you’ll enjoy.  Nice to see that it has 27 million views.