Who is an activist ?

 Activist is a person with a set of ethical, social, political or philosophical conviction and try to apply such set of values and conviction in her/ his vision, words and deeds . Activism can be of different political persuasion or coloure. Activists become leaders when they combine capability, competence and the commitment to learn, listen, inspire and initiate collective action for a larger cause than themselves. Abusing is not activism. Angry reaction is not a sign of responsible activism.Being simply angry at a person is not activism. An activist leader can transform anger in to collective social energy for positive social and political action. Responsible activism involves courage of conviction along with a deep sense of humility, responsible words and deeds, informed analysis and immense patience. A thoughtful activist requires an internalised sense of empathy,values, wisdom, vision and sense detachment. Activists with deep sense of empathy and wisdom can think beyond their personal 'achievements' and resist the temptation to become a narcissist. Making change happen requires an ability to communicate, convince, and commit to take as many people as possible for a larger cause. Successful advocacy and activism require an ability to combine politics of protest with politics of proposals. Strategic advocacy requires an ability build bridges, and not to burn bridges. Good advocacy involves respect for others and your political opponent while critiquing their policies and politics. Love the sinner and hate the sin. Any form of violence in thoughts, words and deed do not help the larger cause of advocacy in a democratic society. A sense of tolerance to listen and learn is a prerequisite for any dialogue, discussions or debate. Advocacy is a like a marathon and not a sprint. Respecting people is a value. As Che said love is another word for revolution and an ability to love people irrespective of their political position or immaturity is a sign of a true revolutionary. It requires immense internal confidence to be humble, loving, patient and transformative in our thoughts and deeds