You are a realistic person, and realistically it is pragmatism not idealism that gets the best results. Idealism can be dangerous, becoming the justification for atrocities when people fall in love with an idea instead of accepting the cold hard facts. And besides, it looks like you can get a lot more done by working with the Social Democrats to create some quite reasonable legislation to improve the health of urban waterways than you can trying to change society’s energy habits by taking on some of the world’s most powerful corporations.
It’s unfortunate that the Social Democrat Party doesn’t take a firm stance against fracking, but the party strategists focus on the best possible outcome within the limitations of what can actually be accomplished. Democracy is a lot about compromise, a delicate balance that takes into consideration all of the interests of all of the players involved.
Just be careful when you compromise that you don’t become compromised yourself. What is the point after all, of protecting one waterway while we continue devastate ecosystems in order to support our lifestyle? Without tackling the root of our problems we are placing a band aid on a septic wound, and pacifying the voice within ourselves that demands solutions. It’s called greenwashing, token environmental gestures that don’t add up to much. Like solar panels on a Walmart, It misses the point entirely. Greenwashing allows people to continue to go about their daily lives believing that the earth is protected while our lifestyle continues to degrade our environment all the world over. The blue box at the end of the driveway is a dangerous enabler that allows people to continue to turn natural resources into garbage as they fool themselves that they are part of the solution while landfills continue to grow exponentially.
If we are willing to bend our convictions to fit within the current moral framework, how far are we willing to let that go? If we will allow our morals to be molded by the accepted norms, can we actually take a moral stand? Or do we become another voice arguing for the status quo, an impediment to change and progress? It takes courage and conviction to stand up to injustice. As activists our job is to change society. When we begin to take actions that serve to protect the status quo, we blur the lines between ourselves, our values, and what it is that we oppose in society. So take courage my friend and be a steadfast defender of your beliefs.