Are You Safe?

Are you safe? Do you feel safe? Should you even be worried about safety?

We have been told that life is a series of calculated risks. Where we have risks, then safety may vary. Developments, technology, and power help some enjoy more safety than the rest. 

The killing of Activists, Environmentalists, Humanitarian, Conservationists, among others

These people have several things in common, but two stand out. 

• They are busy fighting for the voiceless, and stepping in
• They are dying for speaking up for the voiceless.

Sadly, it’s becoming a norm for these deaths, and they are increasing. We are yet to see justice served, to those who killed them or were part of it. The hype only lasts for few days after they get killed. Then things go silent until another one gets killed. 

They are just providing the voice for the voiceless and reminding everyone else basics of humanity. Most of them, use everything they have in these fights. And are rarely taken care of as they do for the rest of the world. Rarely, do we check up on them or even support their fight. 

This could be due to fear, unwillingness, ignorance, or even selfishness. We let them high and dry. Where they get to fight on their own.

They are mostly fighting against big companies, governments, powerful and influential people, among others. As you can see, it’s already an unfair fight. 

Climate Anxiety

Climate anxiety has already taken a toll on most environmentalists’ and activists’ mental health. As they continue to stay strong for mother Earth, they are dying inside. Panic attacks and depressions are slowly becoming part of our lives. 

Worried every day about what will be the new bad news. Remembering that we are yet to resolve a billion problems behind. And still frustrated by the ignorant lot. Worried about the climate change refugees, the life-threatening natural disasters happening in all corners of the world, just to mention a few. 

We are not alright, and the climate change worrying trend somehow doesn’t allow much for healing as the wound keeps getting scratched by every bad news. 

Every time you wake up to negative human activities that we have refused to go slow on, a small part of our souls get bruised. Since we need to keep up the fight and win more for climate action. We just have to place a bandage on the bruised soul and move on. We are not whole. 

Safety

A few years ago when I was just starting on activists, I had friends who were fighting for a park in Kenya. They spent days and nights chained to the park and held tight to their course. Until they started getting weird messages and getting followed. 

It took them few days to surrender the course and hoped to fight another day. Just to be safe. 

We have seen how people continue to be threatened, name-called, or even accused wrongly in different countries for their passion for wildlife and nature at large. 

Indigenous people have even lost their family members and homes, because of their zeal to protect the forest. Have we seen any justice served? Nope, things just get covered up and life goes on business as usual. 

Activism is not all Negative

Activism is not all negative, and not all activists do wrong stuff. 

Most activists are geared towards activities that are destined to help the community at large. They use their voice, platforms, and resources to fight for what is right, and the oppressed. 

They are forced by circumstances and people’s ignorance to go to extremes. Which end up making them associated with negativity. 

How frequently do you bump into an activist advocating for something that hurt us? Are their interest selfish?

We should all stand against the injustices and killings of people who are helping to bring our planet back to its senses. 

Conclusion

No one is safe.

If we continue to be silent as our planet continues to get destroyed, we will end up having nothing. Our wildlife will get extinct and we will suffer our silence. Our forests will completely disappear, and we will roast. Our oceans will have plastics and no more marine life. Sustainable development goals will be history. And our window to make things better will have closed. 

Speak up and push for their justice. Let’s not allow their deaths to be in vain, it’s our responsibility to take up from where they left. And show them that we need to breathe.