A Life Connected

In the current difficult times of which we’re all a part, “So what” is a very popular attitude.  For those of you who teach, do activist outreach, speak in front of groups, or even just try to talk with anyone these days about the important work at hand trying to make the world a better place, I thought you might appreciate this insightful acknowledgement and explanation of those blank stares and skepticism.

It is a short excerpt from an excellent book by Cynthia Kaufman, Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change.

Kaufman writes, “One of the attitudes toward life that’s most popular on television as I’m writing this is cynicism.  Connecting with real people involves emotional vulnerability, and knowing about the world takes work. To protect oneself from either of those challenges, it’s attractive to adopt a worldview that says all human concepts are corrupt and that the outside world isn’t worth knowing about; that the world is corrupt and unchangeable, so informing oneself about it won’t do any good; that anyone who cares about anything is a sucker; and that people involved in social movements are a bunch of hypocrites and won’t accomplish anything anyway.  Therefore, the best strategy is to be aloof, to make fun of people who try to take the world and their existence in it seriously, and to find pleasure and humor in distancing oneself from everything.  While in many ways this cynicism appears to be a safe strategy, it rarely compensates for the loss of personal integrity and the social isolation that come with it” (252).

After reading Ideas for Action, I’ve added it to my own very small collection of what I found to be important books.  I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a firm understanding of social justice issues as well as hundreds of helpful resources for further learning, strategizing, and envisioning the future of social action.

Kaufman offers an excellent introduction and summary of social movements from a sociological perspective.  While the book is over 300 pages, the subsections are quick and understandable.  She begins by making us aware that we each carry a distorted view of the world based on our cultural norms, ideologies, upbringings, etc.  Her use of surprising historical facts (like the rise of racism only after the conquering of the Americas as a product of capitalism in its infancy) and social facts (like one in every four homeless people have a job) are an effective reminder that we don’t know everything, that we need to keep questioning, and that there is always more to the story.

Kaufman’s theme is that the more we’ve learned from history and the better we understand the context and shared interests of all social movements, the better we will be at designing and carrying out social change.

Kaufman, Cynthia C. 2003. Ideas for Action: Relevant Theory for Radical Change. Cambridge, MA: South End Press.

Thanks for tuning in… and thank you for all that you do!

All one,
:) m

I recently read a chapter in Ira Chernus’ American Nonviolence in which he discusses the contributions of author Henry David Thoreau to the Nonviolence movement. I was surprised to learn that ironically, while people tend to count Thoreau among the heroes of Nonviolence, he “never actually embraced the principle of Nonviolence” (54). He supported violent revolutionary acts such as John Brown’s assault on Harper’s Ferry.

Neither did Thoreau have confidence in the efforts of social justice activists. Thoreau saw social justice activists, at least those working to change policy and institutions, as wasting their time – he thought it was more important to change “individual souls” rather than social institutions: he wrote, “There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root” (52).

While I disagree with Thoreau’s confidence in violent activism, I agree with him that the success of the current revolution lies in the hearts of the people. He urged reformers to look within themselves and change themselves rather than trying to change others. I would expand his argument to include that we should still try to educate people in order to spread awareness (otherwise social change will wither on the vine) – but reminding people of their own values and showing them how to live their lives aligned with those values is hardly “changing” people; it’s waking them (I think Thoreau would agree – as I’ll explain below).

Thoreau did recognize that individuals were the building blocks of society and of societal institutions and that “one [person] expressing [their] own opinion amounted to the re-origination of many of the institutions of society” (53). What he finds to be of utmost interest and importance is waking each individual to follow their own conscience — even when this means breaking unjust laws.

His philosophy of commitment to conscience led to his own short stay (one night) in jail for refusing to pay taxes which supported the unjust U.S. war against Mexico and a government (the U.S.) that supported slavery. This experience led to his writing the infamous “Civil Disobedience” which in turn influenced Mohandas Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., Cesar Chavez, and countless Nonviolence activists. This contribution to Nonviolence theory is why Thoreau is still exalted as a Nonviolence theorist.

Thoreau’s way of thinking moves beyond the thinking of Thomas Hobbes, who believed that any government was better than no government. Hobbes believed that because people were innately selfish and brutish, we must transfer our right to self-rule (and even violence) to the state. Hobbes believed the government is a necessary evil. To Hobbes, there is no such thing as an unjust law because right and wrong is determined by the law.

Thoreau on the other hand, sees justice as our primary loyalty, not laws. He foresaw a day when this adherence to conscience by masses of individuals would lead to the obsolescence of the state — what Thoreau called a “glorious State.” Rather than looking to the state for guidance and punishment, each would look to themselves and their own good conscience for what is morally right. Through personal awakening, personal responsibility, and a shared commitment to our interconnected world, the state would wither and become unnecessary.

We will be held responsible for the future we build. And future generations will celebrate or suffer because of us.  It’s up to each of us to live our conscience no matter how difficult that may be. As Thoreau put it, “Live your beliefs and you can turn the world around.”

All one,

:) m

Chernus, Ira. 2004. “Henry David Thoreau.” 45-55 in American Nonviolence: The History of an Idea. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books.

Bobby Kennedy once said, “There is a Chinese curse which says, ‘May [you] live in interesting times.’ Like it or not, we live in interesting times…” It was 1966.

It was a turbulent time in the world. People were taking to the streets. Social movements were rising up and fighting for justice. Bobby Kennedy was a living example of how someone indoctrinated in a culture of “might makes right” could change their whole world view. After the murder of his brother, this man of power, privilege, and (some would say) arrogance turned his focus to serving those in need – the poor, the oppressed. His personal growth brought him to a point where he was willing to put his own life at risk to do what he thought was right. His transformation fascinates me. And I wonder how we can spark the transformation in others.

This month, June 2010, marks the 42nd anniversary of the assassination of Bobby Kennedy. Only two months earlier in April 1968, another Nonviolence teacher and leader, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed. What might have been had they lived? What might have been if the efforts they were leading were more focused on the movement and less upon the perceived leaders? What if movements didn’t die with their leaders? What if each of us realized that each of us is a leader?

A student activist recently asked me with hopelessness in his voice, “Is it really worth it? Is it too late? Can we really make a difference?” The question isn’t whether or not one person can make a difference – you ARE making a difference. The question is what kind of difference do you want to make? Just because we haven’t turned things around doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep trying. If we don’t try, we’re just as guilty as those doing harm. Being a member of the world community obligates us to try our best with the hope that whoever comes next might do better than we have.

I might as well have quoted the rest of what Bobby Kennedy said immediately after his remark about the curse of “interesting times” under which we live, “They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of any time in the history of [humankind]. And everyone here will ultimately be judged — will ultimately judge [themselves] — on the effort [they have] contributed to building a new world society and the extent to which [their] ideals and goals have shaped that effort.”

Keep trying.

All one,

:) m

“Be the change you wish to see in the world.”

Gandhi said it and corporations and politicians co-opted it and sucked the life out of it.  But make it real and you’ll change the world.

You’re part of a NEW social movement built on compassion and personal responsibility.  Social change comes from the people UP, not from the top down.  The state of the world isn’t something being done TO us; it is being done BY us.

Each of our choices in the past built the world we live in today.  And each of our choices from this moment forward will build the world we live in tomorrow.  We will build a world reflective of our values when our everyday choices are aligned with those values.

So, c’mon!  Join the land of the living.  Be part of the solution simply by living your life completely and connectedly.

This is from our A Life Connected brochure:

How To Live A Life Connected.

You were born with values that connect you to humanity and to the world in which you live — values of justice, kindness, and compassion. Reconnect to who you truly are. Put your compassion into action and make our world a better place.

1. Connect with yourself. Become re-aware of your moral values.

2. Connect with others. Become aware of how your everyday choices impact other people, the planet, and animals.

3. Connect your choices to your values. If your choices are truly aligned with your values, stay on that path and find even more connections. If your choices are unaligned, make new, better, and more connected choices.

Thank you for all that you do!

All one,

:) m

Martin Luther King, Jr. believed (paraphrased here) that if we don’t have something in our lives worth dying for, life is not worth living. That’s a pretty powerful statement… and in the world of social justice activism, you’ll often come across someone who says they’re willing to give their lives for a cause.

But we’re not asking you all to give your lives.  We’re asking you to LIVE your lives.  It is so much more powerful to LIVE FOR something.  This is the power of Proactive Nonviolence and the call of NonviolenceUnited.org – to do your part to proactively build a better world.

Integrity. This is one of the “tools” you’ll need to succeed with Nonviolence.  Integrity means following your heart and doing the right thing regardless of social pressures, of who’s around you, of what you’ve been told, and regardless of what you may have been doing your entire life.  It’s connecting with a core value inside you — justice driven by compassion — and living with integrity in your everyday choices in what you think, what you say, and what you do.  It’s being who you really are wherever you are.

Each of our choices in the past helped build the world we live in today.  And each of our choices, from this moment forward, will help build the world of tomorrow.  There is a way to build a better world – a world driven by the innate goodness of people and their shared values of justice, kindness, and compassion for other people, for the planet, and for animals.

Live your values, change the world.  It’s that simple.

I often talk with social justice activists who feel overwhelmed. They try to feel excited at the possibilities, but find themselves crumbling to a halt, depressed, restless and at times feeling hopeless.

Some of us feel on edge, overly anxious and quick to anger. Our eating habits might be irregular — eating too little or too much. We can’t sleep or we can’t stop sleeping. What’s going on?

We may be suffering from a form of Post Traumatic Stress Reaction also known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Many social justice activists have seen things a person should never have to see. We may experience first hand or through videos and extensive reading the images of war, famine, violent attacks, death and atrocities to people, to the planet and to helpless animals.

These images become burned in our minds and can haunt us in our nightmares and in daytime flashbacks.

Some sufferers of PTSD overcome their symptoms/reactions within months of experiencing the trauma. But what about those of us who by the very nature of our work continue to put ourselves in the middle of the horror? What will happen to us when we continue to see and deal with these horrors day in and day out for years?

These very real and lucid memories can be emotionally crippling and result in a host of reactions in our attempt to manage the pain. We can be blind-sided by depression, anxiety, anger, sleeplessness, nightmares, memory loss, restlessness, jumpiness, fear and amplified emotions. And some of us may try to cope in unhealthy ways.

One of the more disturbing and harmful coping mechanisms can be a form of avoidance. The intrusive thoughts and resulting depression, anxiety and/or anger become so distressing that we try to avoid contact with everything and everyone who might trigger the ill feeling. We may withdraw from our activist friends, we may get less involved, we may threaten and destroy relationships all in an unconscious and sometimes conscious attempt to end the pain.

What can we do?

• First, recognize the symptoms in yourself and in your friends and fellow social justice activists. Be supportive of yourself and of each other.
• Know that your reactions are not at all abnormal. Caring people have open hearts and open minds — those open hearts and open minds can be easily hurt. The very definition of compassion means “to suffer with.”
• Seek the help of a counselor, a healthcare professional, a spiritual advisor, a mentor, a family member, a close friend and/or a support group of your fellow activists.
• Take time to look at the sky, to meditate, to breathe, to laugh, to find the joy in life.
• Turn off your television and tune out the violence. Much of the media is designed to keep the public hyper-aroused, anxious and consuming. Tune out the violence and make room for Nonviolence.
• “Shut off” with your friends. You may have friends that deal with the same tough issues. When you’re together recognize that together you already “get it.” You don’t have to convince each other of anything. Help each other find the positive, look for the good, get creative and build on the joy of having a friend who understands.
• Read a good book. Listen to music. Take a walk.

And, maybe most importantly, recognize that you have awakened. You are doing your best to no longer be a part of the cycle of pain. You are part of what is right in this world. Join with others in that joyful awakening and invite others to join us not in painful awareness, but in joyful activism — knowing that from this day forward we are going to make the world a better place for all.

Consider visiting the PTSD link at Activist-Trauma.net.

All one,
:) matt

As an activist for social justice, in the middle of informing someone you’ve probably run into some folks who suddenly stop you, plug their ears, and quip, “I don’t want to know.”  I understand the “pain of knowing,” but why are some people more outraged by the sharing of the facts than of the facts themselves – shouldn’t they be outraged that injustices are happening at all?

I don’t have an answer – I’m wondering what you think…

Is there a broken or incomplete feedback loop that goes something like this, “Oh, that’s painful information >> it’s hurting me >> if I don’t hear/see it, then I won’t be in pain.”  But the painful act didn’t stop, just the awareness stopped.  What seems to be missing is ACTION.  Maybe the feedback loop could be more complete, “Oh, that’s painful information >> it’s hurting me >> because it is hurting others >> how can I stop the pain of others so that I can stop my pain?”

This would be the development of “us” – recognizing that we are all ONE, that we are interconnected, that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere (Martin Luther King, Jr.).

How do we get people to develop beyond the “me-me-me” to the “us”?

Thank you for your input!

:) matt