To the surprise of absolutely no one, my walk got derailed.

I'll write about it on Patreon, but for now: sitting with 4 migrants telling their story of hoofing it across South America for work was just what I needed for perspective.

Also:

I know it annoys some people that I don't go hard enough against awful things.*

Being a humanist makes me look like a damned fence-sitter.

But there's so much to learn from holding views in tension.

We all deserve to be treated humanely *just as we are*.

*Amusingly, mind you, some folks also think I already go *way* too hard on some things, and that I'm a shrill radical left nutbag, so YMMV. 😉

@MLClark We can be fair, compassionate, understanding and measured when it comes to voicing our opinions. But sometimes, we need to come out swinging too. We are under no obligation to treat anyone kindly when they are out to end our way of life and upset the balance that we work so hard to achieve. You don't have to be over the top but you also need not be passive. In science we learn that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

@Tacitus_Kilgore

Who said I was being passive?

I don't disagree with forms of activism that involve combative response. There are many tools in the wheelhouse, and all have their time and place.

I don't agree that advocating humanistically is a "passive" position, though.

There's a difference between treating people "humanely" and "kindly", though, so maybe that's the trip word in what I first wrote that gave the suggestion I'm advocating for rolling over when people want me/others killed.

@MLClark I think how I worded that myself caused a slight misunderstanding. I was not implying you or I were passive. I simply mean that the humanistic way can be perceived as being passive and when we do come out swinging it can appear to others as being harsh.

@Tacitus_Kilgore

Text is a rotten medium, eh? :)

Often, people just want affirmation that you're part of the tribe. The efficacy of the activism doesn't matter as much as reassuring others you're on "their" side.

I have a *lot* of people who dump anger at the world in my direction, and want me to be angry with them at their level. (This morning, a marginalized person in my writing circles.) Then I look like a fence-sitter when I'm already in the "acting on it" phase, not the wild fury phase.

@MLClark I've been struggling lately when writing, especially short text like these and have been misunderstood. I think the emotions all of us are feeling is making it difficult to be clear and understood.

I'm the type of person, but working on it, who has always tried to meet the other person's level of anger. Now that I'm trying to be more even keeled, I struggle somewhat because it is a relatively new experience for me and I need practice.