Broader social change begins where the individual starts. It is not the mass of people who come together at the protest that creates social change—it is the collection of individuals, having come to the conclusion that change is necessary, at the same time as one another, that really starts the ball rolling on working for those changes through direct action. Activism, in this way, cannot be merely directed outward toward institutions—it must cut to the sinew of who we are as individuals.

In my case it starts in my hands—my holding this pen and scrawling these lines… or in my fingers gripping a knife’s haft while whittling a sea otter out of a willow branch. In these actions my hands— as they whittle or scrawl—carve my mind. As the sea otter is formed of the wood externally—so to my character is whittled and peeled away. Each shave of wood—a flake of my own assumptions and illusions falling away. And through these hands I touch the wood of the willow tree I carve—a tree that overhangs my room in the house where I live. A grand willow—a broad trunk—the rubbing of its fingers on my roof. And through this tree—the water at its roots—the same water I drink, in the same yard, the same city.

As my sea otter forms—the spirit of the willow tree and my own combine to form at the nexus point of the craft. As I reach for the willow, so to I reach through my craft to others who work with their hands to create this city, this world. So it is not just me doing the craft, the whole world whittles with me—the whole world stands or walks with me. All found at the nexus of craft and willow tree.

So what if one were to come along with a sharp axe to chop down the willow tree? Do I disconnect myself from the tree to spare myself the axe’s strike? Or do I stand in front of the axe—my faith through the craft that the whole world stands with me? This is the decision that we, as activists, have made. We stand in front of the axe.

In this way, craft is a powerful access point. Gandhi found his determination to resist in the wool of his spinning wheel—he stated over and over that it was the "spinning wheel" that was at the root of his solidarity with the poor and working class of his people. And as I crudely whittle my sea otter out of a willow branch, or scrawl with my pen—I too can access the very spirit and energy that strengthened him. We all can. To be a better activist, and human being, first a person should learn to whittle, before taking to the streets.