One of the most common topics that seasoned environmental activists talk about is burnout.
It's related to something that Don Alexander writes about in this article - that activists, (if they've got a martyr complex), sacrifice more than they get back from activism.
A good analogy of the difficult side of activist experience is being dumped by a wave, and struggling to reach the surface to breathe- that kind of disorientation that comes when the pace of change is fast, and everything in your worldview is questioned and turned on its head.
I guess that's why i've been treading warily amid the student activist milieu since i've come back from overseas- wary of committing to anything that will consume me and drag me under.
So i've been a bit of a contemplative for the last few months- valuing time alone to think- especially walking long distances (eg sydney uni to town hall), and the commute to work and from uni...
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