How do you decide?

[tenni]

I may have asked this question before...still don't have an answer. It seems almost intuitive with me. I seem to be the kind of person who will stand up for perceived injustices..or I have been. Right or wrong, I will speak out if I perceive injustices. As time has marched on though, I've tempered my activism. I will still speak out if I believe that there is an injustice or will vote that way on a poll etc. I may not act in other ways though. Just on this site today, we have several issues that have been raised. They seem worthy but I won't act on it. I don't relate sufficiently enough to the issues.

I'm going to do some donation canvasing for a medical issue. I've never really done this before. I don't have this medical issue nor does anyone that I know. Although, I knew someone a long time ago who had it and they eventually died, he didn't enter my mind when I agreed. (he just entered my mind as I typed this..I doubt it was subconscious) I received a phone call and thought that why not. I think that I must have donated the year before. I thought that it wouldn't take much of my time and I had or thought that I had some spare time when asked more than a month ago?

How do you decide whether to react or become involved in a "cause"?

Is it the relevance to your personal life and experiences?

Are it for other factors?

[Jobelorocks]

Generally there are just certain issues that touch me and those are usually the ones that I get involved in. Some are close to my heart because of life experiences or people, some are just important to me just because. It is important that justice be demanded by people. That is what makes the social changes we need. That is why women have the rights they do today or people of different ethnicities. People fought against injustice and won little by little. Everyone has a different cause. Some animal rights, some lgbt rights, some to help funding certain researches, some to stop domestic abuse, ect. ect. ect. Fight for what is important to you.

[falcondfw]

Wow! Very thought provoking topic, Tenni.
Unfortunately, I really don't have much of an answer.
For me, it all depends on the situation.
Human trafficking has affected someone I care about very deeply, and thus it affected me.
Misconceptions about things when i have lived through them, I almost always try to clear things up.
Brutal and uncalled for personal attacks will usually get my attention.
I think mostly, if it is something that has affected me or those I love or if it is a misconception or a bad personal attack, there is a good chance I will get involved. For everything else, it is usually on a case by case basis.

[Herculoid Poirot]

When I feel that something runs up against my personal sense of right and that I can do something about it, then I may get involved. Both of those factors have to be in place. I work with LGBTQ youth to give back to the community and offer the help I never had when I was their age. I'm a vegetarian for many reasons (health, animal rights, environment, etc.) and I'm involved in some animals welfare causes. Those are examples of places where I think I can make the world a slightly more just place.

[bobble]

Issues guided my career. I became a criminal defense lawyer, doing ALOT of pro bono work. The system is so unjust and unfair to the poor, disenfranchised, mentally ill etc. I walked away from a more lucrative practice. Best thing I've ever done. Not exactly the same, perhaps, as what your asking...but related conceptually, I think.

[pepperjack]

It's a reflex, gut-reaction and then when that indignation takes hold & just won't let go.

[taz321]

For me Tenni it is a personal thing. I usually give to things that affect me personally, I have had people very dear to me pass from Als, Cancer, and heart disease in just the last 5 years and I have donated my time for walks and some fundraising since their passing. Before that I never thought about all the people that lost loved ones to these terrible afflictions, so I decided to try and help in any way I could!

[darkeyes]

Its not so difficult.. whether I believe in the cause.. how deeply I believe in the issue is the determining factor on whether I become actively involved and because of pressures on time, how much.. financially I contribute to a number of causes which life and time do not allow me to become involved in.. we can only spread ourselves so far and we cant do it all..