Activism
"God helps those who help themselves." It's not in the bible, and I don't personally think it's true. In fact, I think the bible is full of examples where people DIDN'T do it themselves, God did it, sometimes even against their will. I think it would be more accurate to say that God causes those who seek to find. It doesn't matter what you want or need, you probably aren't going to get it by sitting in front of the TV.
This has been the dominant theme in my life over the past year or so: if I want to get something out of society, I should put something in. It first really crystallized to me at All Fur Fun this year; if I want a convention in Spokane to continue and be the wonderful, amazing little convention it is, I should help out, both monetarily and with my time and effort. So I talked to Moorcat about taking on a more involved role next year, and he seems pretty positive about it, too. Yay for small beginnings!
Silly cougar; I had no idea what a Pandora's box I had opened.
At Rainfurrest, I got to see what the furry community looks like in larger cities. More importantly, I was introduced to the world of furs like Trapa, who devotes all his money and abilities to helping furries get together, the Bellfurs staff, who keep their collective house open and available to furries and furmeets on a near-continual basis, and Helping Pawz, a group dedicated to volunteering in their local community and improving society's view of furries and fursuiters. And it occurred to me that being a sponsor at AFF or dropping an extra few dollars here and there wasn't really enough. As the bible puts it, I hadn't yet resisted (or in this case persisted) to the point of shedding blood. I had no right to complain that there wasn't a furry convention near me, or that more of my community wasn't furry, when I had barely put any effort at all into causing any of these things to come about.
I want to see the furry community associated with something good and positive, not with CSI. I want people to be able to tell others that they are furry without having to risk fear or disdain, without knowing they'll have to spend the next few hours or days or years explaining in word and in deed what being furry REALLY is. I want furries to know that they are safe from prejudice and judgment from their fellow furs, and hopefully, eventually the rest of society as well.
I want all these things, but what have I done to make them so? Offered a few hugs and mostly hid in my room. But no longer--I want to take a paw in my environment and build towards a brighter future. This new driving force I think is becoming a part of who I am, not just what I do. It's good, too, and it's spilled over into pretty much all areas of my life. For instance, GMD and I have teamed up to form a state-wide furmeet, but more on that in a subsequent post. I've also been feeling motivated to get involved in the political realm, perhaps at the community council or similar level. (Mayor Jari? o.0 The world (or at least the community) is doomed! :-P )
I think this whole new motivation thing has its roots in my long-time campaign to identify my own priorities. The two most important things in my life remain, I've decided, Christianity and furriness, in that order. I think the two communities share a lot in common. They're both oppressed to an extant--occasionally (but not often) blatantly, much more often through subtler means. Everyone who has heard of either has an adamant opinion on it, nearly always without bothering to do any research on their own. Both preach messages of love and acceptance, but society at large thinks they believe and practice something totally different. Both are full of very smart, very quiet, very enlightened people that are stuck in the same I-don't-like-this-but-nothing-I-can-do-will-make-a-difference boat that I have been in up until now. The difference is that I can see how I can help the furry community, at least a little, but I'm much more confused about how I can help my religion. I'm starting to get a little glimmer, though, and I'm gotten more involved with my local church, helping out Sunday mornings. Hopefully much more soon.
So that's what's been going on in the mind of Jari. What do you think?
This has been the dominant theme in my life over the past year or so: if I want to get something out of society, I should put something in. It first really crystallized to me at All Fur Fun this year; if I want a convention in Spokane to continue and be the wonderful, amazing little convention it is, I should help out, both monetarily and with my time and effort. So I talked to Moorcat about taking on a more involved role next year, and he seems pretty positive about it, too. Yay for small beginnings!
Silly cougar; I had no idea what a Pandora's box I had opened.
At Rainfurrest, I got to see what the furry community looks like in larger cities. More importantly, I was introduced to the world of furs like Trapa, who devotes all his money and abilities to helping furries get together, the Bellfurs staff, who keep their collective house open and available to furries and furmeets on a near-continual basis, and Helping Pawz, a group dedicated to volunteering in their local community and improving society's view of furries and fursuiters. And it occurred to me that being a sponsor at AFF or dropping an extra few dollars here and there wasn't really enough. As the bible puts it, I hadn't yet resisted (or in this case persisted) to the point of shedding blood. I had no right to complain that there wasn't a furry convention near me, or that more of my community wasn't furry, when I had barely put any effort at all into causing any of these things to come about.
I want to see the furry community associated with something good and positive, not with CSI. I want people to be able to tell others that they are furry without having to risk fear or disdain, without knowing they'll have to spend the next few hours or days or years explaining in word and in deed what being furry REALLY is. I want furries to know that they are safe from prejudice and judgment from their fellow furs, and hopefully, eventually the rest of society as well.
I want all these things, but what have I done to make them so? Offered a few hugs and mostly hid in my room. But no longer--I want to take a paw in my environment and build towards a brighter future. This new driving force I think is becoming a part of who I am, not just what I do. It's good, too, and it's spilled over into pretty much all areas of my life. For instance, GMD and I have teamed up to form a state-wide furmeet, but more on that in a subsequent post. I've also been feeling motivated to get involved in the political realm, perhaps at the community council or similar level. (Mayor Jari? o.0 The world (or at least the community) is doomed! :-P )
I think this whole new motivation thing has its roots in my long-time campaign to identify my own priorities. The two most important things in my life remain, I've decided, Christianity and furriness, in that order. I think the two communities share a lot in common. They're both oppressed to an extant--occasionally (but not often) blatantly, much more often through subtler means. Everyone who has heard of either has an adamant opinion on it, nearly always without bothering to do any research on their own. Both preach messages of love and acceptance, but society at large thinks they believe and practice something totally different. Both are full of very smart, very quiet, very enlightened people that are stuck in the same I-don't-like-this-but-nothing-I-can-do-will-make-a-difference boat that I have been in up until now. The difference is that I can see how I can help the furry community, at least a little, but I'm much more confused about how I can help my religion. I'm starting to get a little glimmer, though, and I'm gotten more involved with my local church, helping out Sunday mornings. Hopefully much more soon.
So that's what's been going on in the mind of Jari. What do you think?