the armchair activist

Social media can be a brilliant tool for spreading advice and giving suggestions about how to live a healthier lifestyle and one that is more loving and caring to our planet.

For me, it's been the medium through which I first came across the fabulous young girl, Greta Thunberg, who's taking on the leaders of the world and inspiring a collective of people, both young and not-so-young, to take steps to save our beautiful planet. It's been the medium through which I have discovered tips and tricks on how to reduce the amount of plastic I use in my daily life and, indeed, now use alternatives such as beeswax wraps for wrapping sandwiches, cloth bags for vegetable shopping, and silicon lids for covering food.

However, it's also been the medium through which I have come across the armchair activist; someone who talks a good talk from the comfort of their armchair but fails to walk their talk; someone who shares information about a product, for example one that reduces the amount of plastic we use, but who doesn't actually use the product themselves; someone who looks good on the outside but fails to shine from the inside.

And I find that sad.

It's not the dishonesty that saddens me but the lack of self-love the person has for themselves.

Here's the thing about self-love. When you love yourself, truly, madly, deeply, you make choices that benefit your life, first and foremost; choices that, whilst they place you first, are not to the detriment of others, be they fellow-humans, animals or Mother Earth. You choose to live a life on the outside that reflects who you are on the inside. And when you love yourself from the inside, you live a life of love towards others, a life of honesty, a life of transparency. Because when you love yourself, dishonesty and a pretence of being someone you aren't, simply don't exist. Because when you love yourself, you strive to become the very best possible version of you because you want only the best for you, to create a life conceived from gratitude, to live in a world filled with love to others, from others, and with others.

So when I see an armchair activist, I am saddened because they're betraying and being dishonest to the person who matters most in their lives, themselves.

Their betrayal and dishonesty arises from the lack of the very self-respect and self-love that attracts the desire to be your true self, to do not just act, to be true to your word, to be true to who you want to be and strive to be, to become the very best version of you.

When you practise self-love, you understand that your actions, seen or unseen, will always speak louder than any words you may utter from your mouth or share via posts on social media. Because your actions come from deep within, from a place of love. They're not there for show or pretence, no-one need ever see the loving actions you take; you do them because it brings you a greater sense of purpose, well-being, love.

When you practise self-love, you take action from a place of love; not want, not need, nor lack, or fear. Your thoughts and decisions come a place of love. Your words come from a place of love. Your actions come from a place of love.

And in coming from a place of love, you naturally consider the world around you, your family, your friends, strangers, animals and the very planet, herself.

Armchair activists partake in the highest betrayal of all; betrayal of themselves. Pretending to fit in, pretending to lead a life they aspire to, but not walking their talk may seem like betrayal to those around them and, indeed, it is. But betrayal to others does not cast the same shadow on you as betrayal of yourself.

Live you life truly, madly, deeply. Live with passion and conviction. Live with love and from love.

Viv xx