New Year's Resolution - Take Up Your Pens!
Even though we're halfway through January, this seems like a good day to share the only New Year's resolution I ever made. I'm not sure what sparked it off, but a few years ago I decided to do something on the broad theme of human rights every day.
To increase the chances of my resolution succeeding, the actions had to be small and measurable. The main one was writing letters to governments and embassies regarding human rights abuses in their countries, mostly based off Amnesty's cases.
The actions also had to become a habit for the resolution to succeed. So that's how I wound up eating breakfast with one hand and saving the world with the other hand, every morning.
Due to the recent murders in Paris, I'm doing it again, although this time with slightly more focus on freedom of speech matters. Will you join me?
It doesn't have to be every day, if that doesn't work for you, but something regular would be good. Letter writing, signing petitions, they do have effect and it's better than putting your head in your hands in despair and doing nothing. Although that last is an understandable response to the horrors in Paris, Nigeria and elsewhere. Just not every day. Pick up a pen. Do something. Please.