You may choose to fight against a cause for one or more of the following reasons:

• You want to change or improve an existing situation, policy, issue, or decision, in order to make the world a better place in which to live.
• You want an institution or situation to move or work in a different way.
• You are fighting against the modus vivendi, the method of operation, or the situation that has been in existence for some time, even though it satisfies some people.
• You, or a grassroots movement initiated by you, will have to face the institution in an uphill battle.
• You may face the following risks as a result of your decision to fight against a cause:
  • You have no guarantee that you will be successful in your venture
  • You may losing a struggle that may extend over a significant part of your productive life
  • You may become a persona non grata with the opposing institution
  • You may make enemies in the process
  • You may cause the situation to become worse
  • You will place yourself in opposition to people who believe that the existing situation should remain
  • You may make mistakes in your fight
  • You may be the wrong person to carry out the fight, but since others see that you are doing it, the right person may not step in.
  • As a result of your fight, the people running the institution may develop stronger ways to assure that there will be no recurrence of this situation.

However, when you fight against a force, then other issues must be considered. Since the other side will also exert energy, skills, knowledge, and ability, you will have to invest more effort than the opposing side in order to win. In effect, the other side determines how much effort you need to exert.

Furthermore, you are starting your fight from a stopped position. Your opponent, on the other hand, may already have a certain amount of force in motion. That inertia offers the opponent an additional benefit.

Important issues

However, you must be convinced that your issue is sufficiently important to warrant your efforts. You may feel guilty for not getting involved - or people may make you feel guilty. You may feel that you stand a good chance of winning, and that your winning will mean that you will have offered a great deal to society.

Although this may justify your fighting against an establishment, you should remember that the stakes are high. If you lose, then you will have lost a great deal. You will never be able to recoup the time that you have invested on that lost cause.