Why Activism Rarely Works on Its Own
Sometimes it all starts with a quiet moment when we realise something will not let go of us. An issue, an injustice, a decision made too quickly. We sit there with that restlessness, perhaps with a scribbled note, perhaps only with a feeling, and we wonder whether there is even a place for what we might be able to contribute.
When we start alone, we often carry more than the idea
We know the feeling: at first the idea seems light, then it gets heavier as soon as we take it seriously. All at once it is not just a project attached to it, but the question of whether we are doing it right, whether we are being fair to others, whether we are too loud or too quiet. Being on our own then does not just mean working on our own, it also means deciding on our own. In my head, Johann sometimes says, in moments like these a kind of inner courtroom appears, where every phrase and every step is argued over. It is not the work itself that holds us back, but the weight of there being no one to glance at it and say: That makes sense, or: Let us try it differently.
Community is not the big group, but the first real contact
We tend to confuse community with something loud, with a circle that is instantly in place, with appointments, channels and responsibilities. Yet the beginning is often much smaller, almost unnoticeable. One person who listens without judging straight away. A brief conversation that brings the idea out of our head and into the world. We then notice something shift, because our thoughts suddenly become answerable. Not because we need approval, but because we realise that commitment can breathe once it is shared.
Collaboration protects us from the illusion that we must control everything
When we are out there alone, the expectation quickly arises that we ought to know every answer. That we must fully foresee the consequences of a step before we take it. It sounds responsible, but it often feels like a quiet perfectionism that leaves us frozen. Collaboration can dissolve that illusion because it reminds us that responsibility does not mean carrying everything alone. It means looking closely, asking questions and allowing ourselves to be corrected. Especially with issues that directly affect other people, it is both a relief and a necessity to have not only our own perspective, but also the friction, warmth and clarity that emerge from multiple viewpoints.
With Aktivismo, we keep seeing how structure makes community possible
We often think community is mainly about feeling, and that is true. But we have learned that feeling alone is not enough when everyday life gets in the way. Lack of time, uncertainty, too many unanswered questions, too little energy at the end of the day. That is exactly where structure comes in, not as a rigid corset, but as a calm invitation to make the next step so small that it can be shared. When an idea becomes a first draft, when a vague concern becomes a sentence you can show someone, a new kind of closeness appears. We are not building Aktivismo to automate commitment, but so that we can focus more on one another again, instead of the chaos in our heads and the hurdles in the process.
Being together also means accepting limits and being allowed to switch roles
In a good collaboration we do not always have to be the person who drives things forward. We can also be the one who asks questions, who organises, who designs, who listens, or who does nothing for a while because there simply is no strength to spare. These shifts are not a given, but they are human. And they are often the difference between a brief flare of light and a long path we can actually sustain. We find it reassuring when commitment is not tied to one individual, not to their mood, health, or willpower, but to a small, flexible community that can catch one another without taking over. If we are honest, this is also the moment when activism sounds less like heroism and more like everyday life, and that is precisely what makes it possible. In the end, the quiet question remains: who do we want to walk with? Perhaps the most important decision is not how fast we are or how big we become, but whether we find someone who will walk with us for a while. Not as an audience, not as a boost for our own ego, but as a person with their own convictions and their own limits. Johann sometimes says that the best feature we can imagine for Aktivismo is not actually in the software, but happens between us: that we dare to show each other our unfinished thoughts. And perhaps that is the beginning of community, not as a concept, but as a practice that reminds us that change rarely grows out of loneliness, but out of relationships in which we are allowed to be a real demand on one another.
