The Activist for Activists. Author of Make a Difference with Mental Health Activism and The Happy Activist: Journey the 5-Step Activism Path to Focus Your Passion and Change the World. Teacher, Psychologist, Environmental Activist, Animal Lover.
- Grandparents Can Develop Activist Grandchildren - September 29, 2025
- Top Six Reasons Credit Union Benefits Are a Smart Choice Over Banks - August 18, 2025
- The Meaning of Equanimity: Discover How to Survive Challenges with Composure - June 9, 2025
Last Updated on May 22, 2025
Visioning, the first of five steps to get started in activism, helps you dream big about the change you want to see. For example, if your ideal world is one with a healthy environment, but the environment is ailing, that gap is a potential area for activism.
An Example of a Big Vision
My favorite example of a big vision is the Great Smoky Mountains Peace Pagoda, the vision of Buddhist Monk Brother Utsumi. He came to the United States from Japan, and his vision source was to protest against nuclear weapons and promote peace. Brother Utsumi’s passion is abolishing nuclear weapons, and one way he does his work is by building a gigantic concrete peace pagoda. Oh, and it is on a remote Tennessee mountaintop about a two-hour drive from the nuclear facility at Oak Ridge.
Brother Utsumi, Sister Denise, and many volunteers erect the peace pagoda; the work has taken several years and will need five more. My friend Catherine and I traveled up the mountain for a fall work party. The final path requires 4-wheel drive, so Sister Denise, sporting concrete-splattered glasses, hauled us up in her truck. Dropping us off at the temple, she ran the rest of the way up the hill to continue pouring concrete. All sorts of people contributed to the vision while we were there. In fact, the group included a graduate student from Virginia, a Dutch citizen who travels to the U.S. for work parties each year, a transgender woman, an older person, a Presbyterian minister and his daughter, and a Buddhist monk from Massachusetts.
Brother Utsumi’s vision of a Peace Pagoda in a remote area in the Bible Belt shows the power of a big idea for change. He and Sister Denise remind me of the power of dreaming big, having faith in people, and keeping your passion over the long haul.
[Are you ready to live your ideal life? Here’s how.]
What is the Source of Your Vision for the World?
Describe your ideal world if you were master of the universe. When I look at the factors in this picture, I have vivid ideas about some, yet I’m not sure about others. For example, in my ideal world, there are no borders. As a byproduct of that, the Earth is a free market. On the other hand, I’m less clear about the role of technology in my ideal world.
What is Your World Like Now?
Now, reflect on your current world and compare it to your ideal vision. See where change is necessary to get to your perfect world. For example, if you imagined an ideal world with a healthy environment, what change is needed to get there?
What Change Do You Want to Make?
Through visioning, you find passions that may impact your activism choices. If you find gaps between your ideal and the current world, these are perfect places to explore for your activism.
I offer tools to focus your passion, pinpoint your gifts, and find the right activism opportunity. As the Sufi Mystic poet Rumi says,
“now is not the time to stay home.”
Open the door, step out, and start the challenging work of making change.
Get started in activism. Find your vision source.
READ NEXT
-
Focus your passion and find the cause closest to your heart among the myriad of causes.
-
Match your skills with the type of activism work that best suits you.
-
Find an activism opportunity that works for your life.
-
Stay motivated in your activism for the long-term.
Pingback: Discover #147 Senior Salon • Esme Salon