When not to educate people
Teaching is definitely appropriate work for a Druid, but it’s certainly not all about teaching Druidry. What humanity most needs right now are people willing and able to educate others about climate chaos, politics, compassion, diversity and justice. We need to be talking about how to make things better than they are. It makes sense to focus on whatever you best understand and wherever you have the most insight to share, and no one can do everything. So, pick your fights and don’t feel like it’s your job to make everyone better informed about everything because that will burn you out.
It’s fine not to step up to educate people if you are already exhausted and/or it’s going to cost you too much to do it. Stepping away and refusing to engage are also meaningful choices and sometimes engaging just amplifies hatred.
Not everyone who has questions and says they want you to educate them is genuine. Some do it deliberately to exhaust and debilitate activists. Some of them are bots. Some are just attention hungry people. Actively putting out good information can be a better choice than tackling individuals.
It can be better not to wade in if you don’t understand what’s going on. You don’t have to have an opinion on everything, and if you aren’t informed it is painfully easy to get things wrong. Sometimes it’s better to step back and focus on listening and learning. Increasing your own understanding of a situation is a good choice. If in doubt, amplify compassion and discourage abuse – but be alert to how tone policing can impact a situation. The distress of a victim can be weaponised all too easily by an abuser.
Be wary of people who act like it’s your job to explain or defend something to them. No one is automatically entitled to your time and energy. There are a great many things you should never feel obliged to explain – why you are saying no is at the top of that list. You don’t owe random strangers explanations about why you need something or why you can’t do a thing. Anyone unprepared to take that at face value is unlikely to be persuaded by anything you say, either.
There will be people who want to learn and understand, and who consequently act with respect and appreciation. Those people are worth your time, if you have it. They are also likely to be willing to wait, or to accept pointers towards existing resources.
