Taking a stand for what you believe in
I recently had the privilege of interviewing a Norwegian member of Parliament from the Green party. I was inspired by his passion to be of service. I was also inspired by his desire to be of service to all humans beings and future generations.
He is one of three members of the Green party in the parliament, which is a parliament with 169 members. So he is a minority, and on a daily basis comes up against the majority who have a very different perspective to him. And yet every day he gets up and is a stand for what he is passionate about and what he believes in.
It is easy to exist in life on auto-pilot. We fall into a job after college or university. We end up in a career. We focus on having a nice life with some nice possessions doing nice things and well I have spent much of my life in that way. I have lived that way, and whilst I’ve had a fulfilling life myself, I have ignored so many problems that are existing on a more macro-level. I live in a world where there is significant poverty, where there is discrimination, where there is illness and disease, where there is conflict and war, and where much of the ecosystem that is fundamental to life on this planet is being destroyed.
I’m starting to ask myself… how can I carry on in my cosy little life, when there are so many bigger problems around me. Like the Norwegian politician, I find myself now being called to take stands, stands for what I am passionate about in this life, and in this world, a stand that is about being of service and making a different way beyond myself.
So what is taking a stand and what should you take a stand for?
Firstly, there is no prescription in this article. I am simply sharing from the heart to inspire in you whatever gets inspired. No telling and no judgment.
Taking a stand could be many things. It could be:
Not taking on a piece of client work because you don’t align with their values
Speaking up to your CEO when you disagree with his/her approach to people
Posting an article on social media on a topic that you believe in, even if it’s contentious
Getting involved in a cause that you’re passionate about
Being activist on human rights or Black Lives Matter or the climate crisis.
It could be small matters occurring in any moment, or it could be a whole way of life.
To take a stand, you have to first of all work out what you are passionate, about what situations or causes in your life, in your work, in your community, in society or in the world. What do you care deeply about?
I believe that the world is in such crisis on so many levels that we are being called to stand up and play a role that we haven't needed to play over the last few decades.
I am being called to use my skills to support local businesses that are struggling. I am being called to support local charities. I am also being called to speak up and stand up on topics that I think are important such as caring for the environment. I am also being called to be an activist on such topics and to support activism.
Being a stand in your life requires you to get into touch with what you are deeply passionate about. It then requires you to let go of your fears - the fear of how you will look, the fear of how you will be judged, the fear of looking stupid, perhaps even the fear of losing friends. When you release yourself from those fears and you find your strength, you can step up and be a stand. It is in these moments that also experience the added benefit of feeling so alive and so inspired.
The other thing that can stop you taking a stand, is your own mental comfort zone. You get caught in the dialogue that you can't be bothered or that it won't really make a difference, or that the problems are so large what's the point? But in the world today, there is something spectacular happening. Each one of us that stands into our own power has a catalysing impact on those around us. It’s like the Butterfly effect.
It reminds me of the inspiring quote “Be the change you seek in this world”. After all, what would the world be like if Gandhi had stayed at home? What would be the situation if Rosa Parks hadn’t bold stayed on the bus? What if Greta Thunberg thought she was too young or too insignificant? Change actually happens one person at a time, and then has a snowball effect.
So what are you deeply passionate about? What do you no longer want to tolerate in your world or in this world? Where are you called to take stands?
