Now I know there isn’t any more time to mess around. Now, more than ever, I will have to walk my talk.
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| Poster from WWII |
How do we create change?
I think it is evident, given our 2016 presidential election;
people are hungry for change and are willing to pursue any means possible to
shake our current power systems to the very core. Yes we need change; but, I am
concerned because if the changes are too drastic and create too much
instability and chaos within the system, the result could be catastrophic collapse—and
that isn’t good for anyone, people or planet. I would rather not see the world
burn. I don’t want to see more water polluted, more people harmed, more forests
clear-cut, and more oil spilled. Yes, I am angry and, yes, I am ready to fight;
but, not in the way you may think. I will not scream violent rhetoric or even
act aggressively against the powers that be. Our actions need to be surgical
and precise; finding points of leverage which will facilitate change throughout
the system. In this way we can resist and we will quietly gain ground and then
we will thrive.
We have made some progress and gained new rights, but the
grasp on this progress and on these rights is tenuous at best. It should be
clear just how easily we could lose all of this hard-won ground.
For all of our
efforts, the forests are still being clear-cut, greenhouse gasses are still
accumulating at an alarming rate, and so many species are going extinct. The
wealth gap is ever increasing and people are still going hungry and droughts are
a wreaking havoc. People are in danger because of their race, religion, and/or
sexual orientation. All of our efforts just haven’t been enough and rather than
create change, we are instead banging up against profound apathy; burning out
in the process. Our protests, actions, and alarm calls have gotten the ball
rolling, but they have only worked on the surface. We have not created true, systemic
change. Too many people still believe we don’t have to fundamentally change the
way we live and relate to the world, that we can still have our proverbial cake
and eat it too… It’s time for us to go deeper with our actions if we want to
create real and lasting change.
The change we need must begin beneath the surface and out of
reach of the dominant system in ways it won’t recognize as a threat. On the
surface it can look like nothing is happening. People will conclude that our
prayers and meditations ‘do nothing’ and they won’t stop us. Look at those
silly people doing those silly things! Meanwhile, under their noses, the most
profound work is happening. This is what is meant by the crazy wisdom of Chogyam
Trungpa Rinpoche. On the surface our actions seem crazy, but below the surface
there is deep wisdom, an alchemy transforming one system into another and changing
one world into something completely new.
Now I know there isn’t any more time to mess around. Now,
more than ever, I will have to walk my talk. Against racism? Then I’d better be
and act against racism. Want to protect mother earth? Then I had better be for
the earth and act to protect mother earth. For every person and cause we must
fight to protect, I must back it up with my action. No more just thinking
positive thoughts; but also saying positive words and doing positive actions. I
think more than ever we need to find new ways to be the change we want to see
in the world. If I transform myself (if you transform yourself), then I transform
the world (you transform the world). Where does the courage to resist come
from? All change begins inside of us. We can slam our heads against the wall
trying to force outer change or we can transform ourselves. We are part of this
system—if we change, so does the entire system, deeply.
According to The World
Café, revolutions begin with conversations. Let’s start some conversations
and figure out together everyday solutions and ways to support each other.
Recognize that what you do in yoga class on the mat and the meditations you do
on your cushion (or other practices) can reverberate throughout your life and
out into the world. If we want peace in the world we must demonstrate peace within.
If I want to see the world I want created, I need to represent that world. I
need to be that world. Can we find concrete ways to demonstrate our
relationship with and love for the earth? Can we begin meditating in public
spaces as a form of demonstration of the world we wish to create? Can we create
art in poems and prose to change hearts and minds? Can we examine our everyday
lives and find spaces where we can create the world we wish to see? Can we be
the world we wish to create? One thing is certain; we will need a shared vision
for inspiration.
Let’s get the conversations started… I’ll meet you for
coffee or tea.
References:
Briskin, Alan et.
al. (2009). The Power of Collective
Wisdom and the Trap of Collective Folly. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler
Publishers, Inc.
Brown, Juanita
and David Isaacs. (2005). The World Café:
Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter. San Francisco:
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
Macy, Joanna and
Chris Johnstone. (2012). Active Hope: How
to Face the Mess We’re In Without Going Crazy. Novato, California: New
World Library.
Macy, Joanna and
Molly Brown. (2014). Coming Back to Life.
New Society Publishers.
Senge, Peter et.
al. (2010). The Necessary Revolution:
Working Together to Create a Sustainable World. New York: Broadway Books.
Trungpa, Chogyam.
(1991). Crazy Wisdom. Boston: Shambhala.
Wheatley,
Margaret J. (2002). Turning to One
Another: Simple Conversations to Restore Hope to the Future. San Francisco:
Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc.
