Rocking the boat is never an easy task but you can accomplish meaningful things and have some fun along the way. Playing ball with the rich and powerful of course has its rewards. You're in the golden rolodex. You get invited to all the right parties. People nod at you when you enter a room. Your name gives you entrée to inner circles. In politics the president or the secretary of state may even smile at you and call you by your given name. But all of that adds up to what exactly? Not much. That kind of fame is fleeting. Better to shake things up and fight for human rights and justice. Even if you don't succeed every time you can look in the mirror and feel good about yourself.

Jodie Evans is a veteran activist with 30 years experience in organizing for social change. She co-founded Code Pink with the well-known human rights activist Medea Benjamin. They've also edited the recent book Stop The Next War Now: Effective Responses to Violence and Terrorism.