top of page
Search

Social Justice Causes are like Fitness Gyms

Updated: Aug 31, 2018

It is tempting to want to draw attention away from one cause towards another you feel is more worthy.


It is tempting to want to draw attention away from one cause towards another you feel is more worthy.


I have often thought, what if instead of a million little non-profit organizations, we just had one really effective one, where everyone who cares about that issue comes together? We could do so much good.


But then I realized, people are human, and to be human is to be different. Even when people agree on the same cause, they may have different ideas about how to approach it. Different ideas about what's more effective, what's most urgent, what's most important. Some may tackle the front end, rescuing one by one, while others may focus more on large scale policy and strategy to try to eliminate the problem at the perceived root. Are either of these approaches wrong? Is one better than the other?


And then there is the minor setback of, ah yes, people don't even agree on what issues are important.


Whose job is it to play God and prioritize numerically what issues deserve our top attention? And the complicated mess of seeing that some issues are cyclical and related, with one affecting the other. And even then, even if we knew what issues were most important or most pressing, how can we control the human heart, each that is so wonderful and unique, that beats its own rhythm? Who are we to tell a heart what it ought and ought not to feel, to be moved by? People are different, they have different experiences and perspectives, and some causes may just make one's heart beat more than others. What is wrong with that?


Each person that comes to a cause, who looks outside of themselves and decides they want to give of themselves to advance this cause, they come with their own gifts and talents, their own special sphere of influence. It's the way we were made to be. No one else in the world can have the same exact impact and influence as you can, because you are uniquely and preciously created, and you inhabit your own little space in the world.


Which brings me to my aforementioned metaphor: social causes are like fitness gyms.

Instead of trying to homogenize the experience, to promote one way over another, we should embrace the beautiful differences, how they sometimes sync together and then other times depart.


In fitness gyms, everyone's goal is health and fitness. While there are some exercises or methods that are statistically proven more effective than others, that means nothing to the individual. Each person must find the routine and environment that works best for them, and where they can be most productive. For some, that's group classes, for others it's early mornings. Some prefer competitive CrossFit while others swear by yoga. Some prefer a small community oriented gym while others may prefer to blend into a crowded mainstream facility. Some can afford more, some can afford less. Some have preexisting health issues to work around, while others' goal is to push themselves to peak performance.


If we can embrace different people's fitness journeys, and see that rather than there being a need for one single perfect gym that can do it all, and that we actually benefit from having a multitude of fitness options, can we not take the same approach to social justice?

Recent Posts

See All

Comments


bottom of page