I wouldn’t say there had not been instances when I felt this will was not strong enough. But I’m saying that at many important moments and sometimes in the most unexpected situations, people do rise to the occasion.
Pinatutunayan ninyo at ng marami pang aktibista na maaari palang mag-asam ng pakinabang na lagpas sa sarili, na ituring ang ating kapakanan na mahigpit na kaugnay ng sa iba.
It’s good that you wish to reflect on what happened, but I believe this is something you can do later, when emotions are not high, and even on your own, when you’re in a calmer place.
How can I overcome my debilitating fear of leaving my current organization to move to where I am needed?
Is there ever a way of pushing aside this capitalist mindset of comparing to others? Can academics be a vessel for change and a causative form of activism?
May dahilan kung bakit kilusang mapagpalaya ang tawag sa atin. Hangad natin ang pagpapalaya ng bayan at ng uri, na isang matagal, malalim, at masalimuot na gawain.
I’m planning to ask my boyfriend to marry me. He's been my rock throughout all the years we've been together. But I know doing what I do—community organizing and political work—will put us at risk of attacks by state forces and by those who wish to oppress the communities I serve. I know this because I’ve already experienced it myself. I'm afraid that I'll be dragging my boyfriend into that if we spend our lives together. He's not an activist but he knows and understands the work that I do. How do I prepare him for it?
One of the great privileges of my vocation is being able to see, beneath that complexity, people at their barest. In their most honest, most vulnerable moments, my counselees taught me that everybody, almost always, simply wants to do the right thing.
When comrades come to us, our role, I have learned, is not so much to give advice, but to listen. They’ve already analyzed all sides of their predicament, being the proper activists that they are.
Step by step, person by person. It’s true that practice makes progress; for every nine nos you utter, say yes to something. Don't be afraid to go into uncharted territories, anchored in your belief that you know what this is for.
