2009
Compassionism :: The New aWEARness (part.one)
There’s no doubt that people are waking up to the idea of Justice and Compassion. The more Globally Connected we get, the more Globally Aware we become. In response to that, Compassion Based Organizations are popping up at an accelerated rate. People are wanting to get “involved” more than they have in a long time. It’s officially COOL to CARE.
Kids don’t start bands anymore, they start 501C3’s.
While the cynics sit in the corner and throw rocks, I stand up and put my rally cap on. I think more people becoming more “involved” is only a good thing, and has the potential to lead to something truly great for the world and for the individual.
The part of this New Awareness that’s most interesting to me, however, is the way that Compassion 2.0 is mashing up with Consumerism 1.0. As more and more younger cats get these non-for-profits off the ground, the more smart, savvy, and saturated they are with the power and magnetism of Marketing and Consumerism.
We are stumbling into a new age of activism. We’ll call it – COMPASSIONISM. It’s a way of Doing Good while still Consuming Goods. It’s a brilliant strategy (whether conscious or otherwise). An absolute contexualization of the best and worst of Globalization.
The organizations that have drawn the most attention as of late are invariably the ones that have the best design. They have the coolest shirts, hippest shoes, dopest hats, flyest bracelets, freshest buttons, and conscious easing conflict free bags.
These are the shirts, shoes, and bags that everyone wants to wear. The ones that everyone wants to be seen wearing. Suddenly, your Acceptance is now directly contingent on your Awareness. Those rules apply to me just as much as they do to anyone else. For as much as I want to Care, sadly, I Care more that you KNOW I Care (or at least that I am aware). I still fundamentally want to belong.
Your Turn :: Where you have you seen / participaed in COMPASSIONISM / aWEARness recently?
