On the goodness of despair

This practice note draws on experience working for Ta'ayush, Arab-Jewish Partnership to explore the dilemma of despair in human rights work. How do activists deal with the nagging feeling of futility that often accompanies action? Victories may be small and precarious, activities invisible, and the adversary seemingly invincible. The note argues that activists act because it is the right thing to do, the only thing that can be done, and not for utilitarian considerations about results and impact. Acting ethically, in solidarity with others, generates an inner freedom that can be in stark contrast to the lack of external freedom. The note concludes by reclaiming a good despair as the ground and inspiration for action, and by arguing that the moral act leaves its own trace or echo in the world.