Lead by Example

I’ve lost count of the times I’ve been told that my boycott of Israel-related products—my small protest against the genocide in Gaza—”won’t work.” People in many struggles hear the same thing: prison abolitionists, climate defenders, animal welfare advocates. Your actions are pointless. Nothing will change.

But our actions are the only ones we can truly control. And when we act with consistency, we do more than ease our conscience — we signal to others that change is possible, and we make it easier for them to join in. Movements aren’t born fully formed; they grow from the visible, everyday acts of people who refuse to be complicit.

The best way to achieve something is to act toward it, even when the result isn’t guaranteed. The best way to inspire others is to live our principles, not just speak them. This is propaganda by the deed: letting our lives be the message, showing the world the kind of future we’re willing to build.

Whether it’s refusing to buy goods made with prison labor, choosing plant-based food to avoid funding animal cruelty, or boycotting companies complicit in oppression, each act is a thread in a wider fabric of resistance. Alone, it might seem too small to matter — but together, these threads weave the banners movements march under.

And maybe, even if we can’t change the world, we can make sure the world doesn’t change us.