How to Tell When We Will Die: On Pain, Disability, and Doom

by Johanna Hedva

I like thinking that activism will always fail, because it means that the decision to take action, to act as though what we do matters, even in the face of certain defeat, is its own purpose. It’s not going to get you paid or bring you victory or prepare you for some next success. It’s not going to demonstrate your purity, your moral superiority. It’s not about what you say, dream, or hope for. It’s about what we can do, right here, right now, for each other. It’s about starting where you are, not where you wish you were. It is important because what we do and how we do it is important. It’s the difference between giving up and not giving up. This is not nothing. In fact, this might be everything.