To the demonstrators outside of a certain coffee shop

Thank you for caring. If more people actively participated in their communities and exercised their democratic responsibilities, this world would be a better place. Please don’t lose your passion. Keep participating! However, this is where our paths diverge. I find your target confusing and your energies misplaced. Take a look at the bigger picture. Look at the injustices and problems in the world, or even just this city! Are you sure this is the place for your energies? A wise woman once told me to choose my battles wisely. I’d like to say the same to you. I used to work at this company, so as someone with firsthand knowledge, I find this whole situation baffling. I feel like I woke up in an alternate reality where one of the few actual good, socially conscious businesses in the province is now the bad guy. Yesterday, I ran into a former co-worker, and we were talking with a current employee. We all agreed that this company is the best we have worked for.
I questioned whether this should be a love or a bitch. Love caused me to write, however: love for the people who have worked to make this business what it is, and love for the energy and spirit (however misguided and ill thought out) of those who are speaking out for what they think is right. BUT: step back and look at the bigger picture, both in this situation and in your future endeavors. Who stands to gain the most in the end? Who will lose? Who can manipulate this to their own gains? How will this affect others? Who is being hurt by this? What are you fighting for? Do the ends always justify the means? What will be won? What will be lost? Action = reaction. Have you considered every angle here? —Fellow Citizen and Worker

This article appears in Apr 11-17, 2013.