Human Rights and Social Movements

By screwing in an energy efficient lightbulb, are you making a change? Are you a part of a transformative social movement?

That's exactly what I had the pleasure of exploring yesterday through the Harvard Kennedy School's study group on Human Rights and Social Movements. This subject is of great importance to me as I consider myself a member of the Free Burma "Movement." This discussion stirred up many thoughts about what it means to be an activist, where our energy goes, what it is to be part of a movement, and why we care.

Questions ping-ponging through my head:

• Does engaging in change in a small way (say, through screwing in an energy efficient lightbulb) detract energy from a larger social movement and provide something for people to hide behind instead of taking larger, more engaging action? And if so, what is larger, more engaging action?
  
• What kind of commitment are we looking for from people who want to create change? How successful is it to hold high expectations for these individuals?
• Is a movement more productive through having one simple goal or through proposing 3, or 5, or 100?
• To what extent does the ego drive the movement and the victories? When does the movement stop being about the objective and start being about us?

Your thoughts welcome.