photo: ItzaFineDay

A few weeks ago a reader asked me about social activism for introverts. Wikipedia says this about social activism: “Activism, in a general sense, can be described as intentional action to bring about social change, political change, economic justice, or environmental wellbeing. This action is in support of, or opposition to, one side of an often controversial argument.” I couldn’t have said it better. Activism means doing something to help give forward movement to a cause one believes in.

When we think of social activists, we think of people like Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson Mandela, Wangari Maathai, Jane Goodall, Harvey Milk and others. These people were strong types who were out there in the middle of it. Social activism isn’t something that can be done secretly, and it does require participants to be in contact with other humans – sometimes contact of the conflict kind.

By it’s nature social activism forces a person to get up and do something. One doesn’t necessarily have to become a Mother Teresa, but to be involved in social activism, one does have to do something. And as I’ve already mentioned, that something can’t be done in solitary, and it can’t be done in secret. It has to be out in the open. For introverts, this might cause some hesitation. But the truth is that Mother Teresa was most likely an introvert. So is Elie Wiesel, and Martin Luther King, Jr. leaned toward introversion. These are and were powerful people.

Because introverts have many valuable gifts, vast inner strength and awareness, the ability to look at things from angles that the mainstream might miss and to stand alone when necessary, we can participate in social activism – we can make a difference in an area that we feel passionate about.

Here are some ways you can participate in social activism without having to make phone calls to strangers, knock on doors or be in the middle of throngs of loud protesters or supporters of a cause:

• Start a blog – Blogs are easy to start for even those who aren’t tech savvy. Do some research and find a blogging platform that is user friendly and then do some more research to educate yourself on how to get decent rankings in the search engines and to develop a following. You can make an impact with a blog (but blogs take time to get recognition, so don’t give up too soon). One thing about blogging – because blogs are considered published works, you can be sued for what you say (write) about others – just keep it in mind.
• Write letters to editors – The good old letter to the editor still works.
• Write or email or phone your government officials. Don’t be shy about this. It’s estimated that for every letter, email or phone call, there are 1,500 people with the same opinion. Lawmakers pay attention because they do the math.
• Use your leadership and organizational skills, then ask for help or delegate the work that requires lots of social interaction – If you have leadership skills, and often introverts make excellent leaders, use them. Yes, this might make you have to go to meetings and even speak in front of people. Some introverts can handle these tasks very well. Use your leadership skills, and let (or ask) others to help you out with areas that aren’t your forte.
• If you’re passionate, stretch yourself – If you’re really passionate about a cause and you really feel compelled to help, then you’re probably going to be motivated to stretch yourself a bit in order to get the word out and create awareness. And just like stretching the body feels good, so can stretching the soul. It’s OK to get out there in the mix when you can. Then make sure you withdraw to regain balance.
• Go to the meetings and make some connections – You don’t have to say much – you have to learn and you have to find your niche and your place in the bigger picture.
• Remember that with social activism, your job is to make people think – A big part of social activism is giving people fodder for thinking. It’s not all about trying to shove a belief down someone’s throat. If you can find a creative way to create some awareness and make people stop and think – you’re helping. Consider your own talents and how they can be creatively used to help create awareness and to help compel people to take action.
• Be prepared to answer questions – If you’re wearing the t-shirt, or giving the talk, or writing the blog or the letter, or plastering your car with the bumper stickers, make sure you’re informed enough to answer questions.
• Write a book – I’m not joking here. If you’re passionate about helping change something you can write a book and if you don’t have a traditional publisher to publish it (let’s face it – unless you’re a well known author or have some GREAT connections, it probably won’t happen) – self publish. If you’re wondering about how to self-publish, contact me at livingintroverted at gmail.com.
• Talk about it – Don’t be an obnoxious bore. But when you are having a conversations, talk about your cause, or recommend a good book about your cause to others.
• Turn to social networking – There’s that damnable word again – social. But when it comes to being an activist in the 21st century, social networking is a good tool. And the beauty is that you don’t have to do all of it, and you don’t have to be crazy involved in it (although with social networking, consistent participation is key).
• You don’t have to go great guns – You can do your social activism in ways that are fairly subtle, but ones that will still hopefully make someone curious if nothing else.
• You can always dress up as a polar bear, or just about anything else and carry a sign or ask people to sign a petition. It’s not a bad idea and can be pretty effective.
• Keep your introvert balance. You can go to the meetings and rallys, but then be sure to give yourself some rest. You can meet up with people to discuss your cause and plan ways to create public awareness, but make sure to protect your energy and keep your boundaries in tact too.

Social activism isn’t for everyone. It attracts attention. It attracts criticism (because you know that someone out there is not going to agree with your stance, and they might be very rude about it). But it’s one of those things that over the course of time can change the world. Strong willed and strong minded people are social activists. It doesn’t matter if you become famous, or if you spend most of your time blogging from the computer that sits on your kitchen counter. What matters is that if you believe strongly in something, you’re speaking up.