Arthur C. Brooks in The Atlantic: "“A good deal of social and political activism is zero-sum, and admits only two possible outcomes: winning or losing. When these causes become an uphill battle, as commonly happens, losing is likely. Then the disappointment can be crushing. None of this is to say that activism is a mistake; that is for each person to decide. But much of the data present a challenge for people who want to stay engaged without sacrificing their mental health—as well as for people in positions of political leadership and in academia, who often encourage young people to be involved in ... www.themelancholaholic.com

@BenjaminHolsteen Hello, I just saw this and wondered what you thought about whether it's ok to do both - the service and the activism. Also: much respect for your PhD project. We're singing one of his songs at Wylie's Baths at Coogee in Sydney next week. It's now a ritual all choirs have to perform to demonstrate their allegiance to Australia.

@writingslowly Absolutely one can do both. What I found completing about this article was the idea that if we reduce activism to protest, especially in response to deeply rooted and systemic issues, we are likely to find ourselves headed for burnout and tempted to despair. But when we broaden our activism, maybe even giving privilege to more practical actions, however small and unnoticed they may be, we are more likely (for a whole host of reasons) to actually begin to effect the positive change we want to see in our own little spheres of influence…which generally are significantly smaller than the internet might lead us to believe.

@BenjaminHolsteen well there’s a saying that all politics is local. You think people care about truth and justice, but mainly they want the drains unblocked. But the article got me thinking of the wins I’ve experienced in my lifetime, not shying away from big-picture activism and audacious goals. The certainty that big changes happen all the time, and that in this context nothing is impossible. I’m not closing that door.

@BenjaminHolsteen Ha, The Ship Song. It’s become a choir favourite😆 I’d love a different one myself. Any thoughts?