Every couple of weeks our school receives visitors who hang around campus handing out bibles or who set up in the quad and tell us about God.

For example, not long ago our campus was graced by a woman who thought it prudent to yell at us and tell us that we are going to hell. Better yet,  she also said that we deserved it.

As I walked by this woman I couldn’t help but wonder if she actually thought her method was working.

Yes, there were students surrounding her but they were arguing with her rather than listening to her reasoning. And why would they?

Who is she to yell at them?

How does she know they are going to hell? Is she God?

No, she isn’t any form of higher power. She is just a religious activist who clearly borders on the extreme.

When I arrived home that afternoon I quickly did a Google search for “activism” to see if what she was doing was normal.

Google defines activism as “the policy of action of using vigorous campaigning to bring about political or social change.”

None of the words in that definition justifies telling people that they are going to hell.

How are you going to force me to repent when I’m too busy yelling at you for your misguided ways to actually listen to your message?

I don’t see how that is activism.

There are several different types of activism and they vary from different extremes.

I’m a fan of classic activism myself. Classic activism is all about seeing a problem and trying to come up with a solution to deter a negative behavior.

So instead of yelling, try having a normal conversation.

People are way more inclined to listen to you when they think that you are being rational.

It’s okay to be passionate about what you believe in. But there is a way and process. I feel like some of these people are not following it.

However, I’m not aiming this just at the religious groups who come to our school. Irrational “activism“ can be seen all over the news.

There are those who vandalize meat packaging plants because they believe that the animals should be free.

Although I can’t see how breaking into private property and destroying valuable pieces of equipment will get your point across.

It doesn’t have to get that extreme.

The silent yet deadly approach works just well.

Quite frankly, I’m more afraid of the quiet argument than one with lots of yelling.

I tend to hear that ominous movie music that plays right before someone’s throat is slit.

But back to the topic at hand.

If you want people to listen to what you have to say, and I mean really listen, then try to appeal to them at a human level.