Day 497: What I am Living for

People have asked me why I do what I do, why I don't let "other people" fix the world's problems and focus on making myself happy. Why don't I travel? Why don't I go out? Why don't I make new friends? Why don't I do all the things I've always dreamed of doing? It's not that I don't want to - my desires just come in second to changing the world. If I die tomorrow, I will not feel ashamed. I will know that I did everything I could to make real changes, not just token gestures of good will. If this life was different - if everyone and everything alive had a life that I would want for myself if I were them - only then would I live for myself, knowing that all is well and no one is suffering from the consequences of mine or any other's actions.

It would be so easy to stop - to give up. Carrying on is hard. Continuing every day to go against everything that most people simply accept. Continuing to question why things are the way they are. Making the choice every day to not stop until it is done, until all children, all women, all men, all animals, all of the world is safe from our warmongering and greedy lifestyles - this is the hardest choice to make, and it must be made in every waking moment of every day.

I make this choice to stop murder.

I make this choice to stop rape.

I make this choice to stop inequality.

I make this choice to stop greed.

I make this choice to stop poaching.

I make this choice to stop pollution.

I stop this choice to stop abuse.

I make this choice to stop cruelty.

I make this choice to stop stealing.

I make this choice to stop hunger.

I make this choice to stop sickness.

I make this choice to stop cold.

I make this choice to stop inadequacy.

I make this choice to stop selfishness.

I make this choice to stop war.

I make this choice to stop violence.

I make this choice to stop exploitation.

I make this choice to stop deforestation.

I make this choice to stop genocide.

This is why I do what I do. I do it because it must be done. I do it because doing anything less would make me accomplice to the crimes against life. I do it no matter who stands with me. I will do it whether I am doing it alone or with the whole world. I do it because our world, society and what we have made of our lives is unacceptable. I do it for my children to come. I do it for the children who are already here. I do it for all life. I do it to honour the gift of life.