The Dalai Lama, an advocate of social justice and head monk of Tibetan Buddhism, once said that it is not enough to be compassionate since you can only be an active agent of positive changes with actions. United States’ history is full of events where people had to fight for their rights as human beings, with its independence from Great Britain as a clear example. Despite what your beliefs or social standing are, we all experienced moments in our lives where you can contribute to enhancing our society, and social media have played a big role in this. The creation of social media modified social activism and hasted access to all these social disputes. The challenge this created for true change starts with the illusion of action that it generates. Most individuals can voice their opinions on several matters, which can be felt as helping a cause you believe but is this enough? Are these voices being heard by those who have the power to put ideas into motion? Regardless of how many followers we have, just a virtual voice would not stop injustice. I agree with Simon Sinek’s statement, “Words may inspire, but only actions create change,” and we can achieve this if we direct our actions to the proper entities.
By Ferdinando J. Castro Gonzalez