It’s okay if you don’t take me seriously!

Last evening we went for dinner to Navdanya, an Organic Food Café started by another bloger Vandana Shiva, who is a famous environment activist. There were people from various countries who had been fighting for issues of patents, for the rights of the farmers, for slow food etc. It was really inspiring to meet all these crusaders.

There is no dearth of causes in the world and each one so important. Somehow, in this part of the world that we live in, the causes seem to have been steadily increasing and so is the number of crusaders! I too try in my very humble way to raise some of the issues, whenever I get a chance. My problem is that I instinctively get drawn to many issues, although aware that I might be spreading myself thin.

You are asked to choose your favourite cause! As everything is linked and everything needs a voice, how do you choose one over the other? I am then flooded with advices from my well-wishers-“ If you associate with one issue, only then will you get credibility” or “people will not take you seriously if you talk about too many different things.” “Dig deep and narrow and not wide and shallow.” I don’t know how to respond to all this! There are so many who are ‘doing’ such good work and I have to defend myself for speaking out in support of issues.

One of my favourite quotes is “In our times we will repent, not for the evil deeds of the bad, but for the silences of the good.” There is too much to speak about, too many people to speak for and a lot many people to speak with and here we are asked to worry about being taken seriously.

It’s okay if you don’t take me seriously!