Better to light a candle.

KONY 2012

Now, don’t get me wrong it’s great that this KONY video has had an impact on a lot of people, and activated people who don’t tend to sign petitions or do anything like that. Obviously this man should be arrested, that’s very very clear, and I’m not sticking up for him or saying otherwise.

The issue is that Joseph Kony is one bad guy in a system within a system of bad guys. I will feel that this campaign has failed if the hype dies after the arrest of Kony. Nothing ends with his arrest, there are countless bad guys to replace him, rather it could be beginning of real change in Uganda.

It’s like with Troy Davis, everyone started to care about his case when he was hours from death and what that did was rouse huge support for the end of the death penalty. My concern with the Kony case is that when he’s gone, it’s gone, and that’s not the way it should be.

The thing they don’t tell you about being an activist leader…

It is seriously hard work.

I mean, you get people that care and I mean they really care, and they go to meetings when they can and they attend the marches and they sign the petitions and they are utterly, utterly crucial to the activist population and that is amazing. I’m so grateful to everyone who ever turns up to an event, donates money, sends a letter, or just supports us. 

But they have the easy bit, and sometimes people forget just how much work goes into these things. You need permission, you need to advertise, you need substantial belief that your idea will work, you need to make sure it doesn’t clash with other events by similar groups, you need to get outside support, you need to be on the ball all the time to answer questions, defend your position and help people out with anything. You have to be the best example you can possibly be and its utterly exhausting.

Of course, that’s the bad side of it. The good side of it is that it makes you feel so insanely good when its all worked out. To see all your efforts come together and resulting in 100 people in orange jumpsuits holding up traffic in Princes Street

to see a sold out venue

to collect 600 signatures

and to meet some of the very best of people.

And you know what? Throughout the stress, and the disappointment and nights losing sleep. It’s worth it.

It’s always worth it.

I just tried to write a post about how important Amnesty International is to me but I can’t really put it into words.

I have had a very interesting morning. Amnesty Scotland asked for Glasgow Uni Amnesty’s involvement in the launch of their Arms Trade Treaty Campaign. This means I met half of the people who are employed by Amnesty Scotland, including the Director and an inspirational man called David Grimason whose son was killed in crossfire in Turkey in 2003. It’s great meeting people who are just as passionate as I am, and just as dedicated to changing the world for the better. It’s inspiring and heart warming.

(Source: BBC)

I just do not understand how people can be against abortion in this day and age. I mean, it’s not really anyone’s business but the parents’ and to be honest some people are just not ready to be parents and I don’t see why they should be condemned for that. People fought for the choice to be able to choose when and how they became parents and that’s perfectly right, and it’s also in the best interests of the child and parents. I wouldn’t want to bring a child into the world that I couldn’t properly provide for.

No one has the right to tell anyone what they can and can’t do based on their own personal beliefs.