"The moment someone believes their mission exempts them reflection, they stop being a force for good." ~Loose Threads (Luke) youtube video link

This line was uttered in the context of analysing Ghibli villains that, in other contexts, might have been the hero, but it seems to explain my experience of seeing people purportedly fighting for social justice commit lateral violence  Often, they will have some sort of actual track record, but have teetered off the path, or be dismissive of others, or have a world view that, because they are marginalised, they are incapable of being the one doing the marginalisation.

We all grow up in societies that marinate us in their bigotries, and unless it's concerning a bigotry you're directly targetted by, it takes conscious, often life-long effort to undo those effects and be a force for positive change.

In that pursuit, self-examination and reflection are a key ingredient that drives everything else. Without it, knowledge is difficult to find and even more difficult to absorb. Empathy will lack the knowledge to drive it to positive action. Even empathy may become worn down by the cruelties of the world.

I know "check yourself becore you wreck yourself" is beyond meme status at this point, but it points yo this same truth: continued self-reflection with unclouded eyes is paramount to continue to change the world for the better 

#SocialJustice #Musings