Paul Brown University of California-Berkeley Activism, whether political or social or environmental, has scared me at times and inspired me at others. The fanaticism with which some activists lunge at a cause often has me wondering what the meaning is behind all the vehemence. The reasons people give for joining various groups are as different as the groups themselves, but it always seems to boil down to that desire to belong to something bigger. One young man quoted in the article joined the cause to fight AIDS when a friend of his died. He needed to find some meaning in the event, it appears, and thus joined to grasp on to something much bigger than his sole voice of loss.
College is supposed to be about finding one's own identity.
It's supposed to mean trying new things, finding the limits of tolerance. All these things are good if a person takes the time for reflection and re-evaluation. Causes don't appear to allow for that. The pressure is on to make the argument more unique, to recruit more followers, to see who can yell the loudest. Sadly, the concept of self may be left in the background.