My Resistance: Making My Ordinary Life a Force for Change

The student asked the Master, “What did you do before your enlightenment?” The Master answered, “I chopped wood and carried water.” The student then asked, “And what do you do now that you are enlightened?” “I chop wood and I carry water.” The master replied.

-Zen Proverb

Women's March, Las Vegas

The DAPL and the Keystone XL are back on by executive order! We saw this coming. The protest has never stopped and the people at Standing Rock are still encamped in the bitter cold; risking so much and truly sacrificing for all of us. I am safe at home in a comfortable bed going about my life while they are out there fighting, putting their bodies on the line, for my future and the future of our water, land, air, and the rights of people over profit. This protest is so much larger than one pipeline and one river. This protest is so much larger than the indigenous or one large multinational corporation. This is a fight for how we relate to the earth and each other. The Water Protectors have my deepest respect, my deepest gratitude, and my support. I am so grateful for their stand.

We need these large, public actions of protest. We need the local demonstrations of solidarity and support for the water protectors here in Las Vegas, in Seattle, and elsewhere. We need peaceful protest, we need to stand up and loudly say no, and we need to peacefully and respectfully get in the faces of the powers that be so we won’t be ignored. These actions are so important and they do help drive change. This movement has been building for quite some time. 

But… then we go to the gas station and fill up our gas tanks…

I am in no way saying that because we use gas we shouldn’t protest. We should. But we also need to confront these facts because the oil and coal industries love to throw this in our faces. This is not an easy place to be and it is my situation too; so there is no judgement here. Just the sad, difficult, and glaring reality that I raise my fist in protest with one hand and pump gas into my car with the other. I am so aware that every time I fill up my gas tank I am voting for the destruction of the amazon and the construction of the DAPL.

All of our big actions won’t mean very much without all of our small everyday actions behind it.

The Achuar told the founders of the Pachamama Alliance, an organization dedicated to fighting oil interests and protecting the Amazon, the threat to their land and water won’t go away until the modern world no longer has a thirst for oil. This was the beginning of the Pachamama Alliance and their Awakening the Dreamer Symposium which I was able to attend twice during my time at Naropa University. We can go and stop the hemorrhaging of open wounds in the Amazon, Africa, and North Dakota, which is very important; but, then we must remember to fight the infection at its source too. If we don’t, then there will only be more and more wounds as the infection grows and we will end up only treating the symptoms while ignoring the disease. We win battles, but we undermine our efforts to win the war.

If this is clear to you then I’m sure you are feeling angry and frustrated, perhaps at me. What do I expect you to do then? Give everything up and live on the street?

No. I don’t. Not you and not me either.

What I am talking about, this protesting the pipeline while needing to fuel our cars, in Living Systems Theory is known as system dependence. We are dependent upon the system for our survival. This is why it is easier to spend a few hours (easier-not easy) on a bold, large action than it is to back these large actions with smaller, everyday actions. We exist in a system/world which makes it as difficult as possible to live without oil or plastic or in some way supporting current systems of power and control because this system depends on our compliance and dependence for its existence.

This is where things get really interesting! We aren’t as dependent on the system as we think… Remember, I said the current system makes it difficult to change; but not impossible. The secret is small steady changes. Sudden drastic changes, like giving everything up, can result in catastrophe and being expunged from the system, which helps no one but "the powers that be." You see, while we are still a part of the system we have power. A power to change which usually goes unnoticed. Our dependence on the system isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What if there was a way to use our need for oil against the system and drive the creation of a new world/system? The Water Protectors are about to be met with more force and violence than before. Our large protests are easy to organize against and stomp out; but it is much harder to keep people from using less gas and making other small changes every day. Once we are able to change our lives and be examples for others to follow the entire system will change too. The hard part is figuring out what to do and how to get started.

A friend of mine whom I deeply respect shared a piece with me on his thoughts for being spiritual in the ordinary everyday of life. His suggestions for being more spiritual right now were small things rooted in an embodiment of spirituality and service in our whole lives and not just on the meditation cushion or yoga mat. His suggestions reminded me of a realization I had during class at Naropa. “You know this enlightened and sustainable society we are trying to create? Well, it starts with cleaning out the community microwave when you’re finished!” I said this because the community microwaves on campus were so dirty they were unusable and it surprised me that such a supposedly mindful and compassionate student body would leave such ugly messes behind. Our spirituality and idealism must be grounded in the mundane. It is all well and good to pray for all beings to be happy, but it must be backed up by action. Clean up your mess so the rest of the community can not only use the microwave, but enjoy using it too.

This kind of activism is not easy and it is not glamorous, and most people won’t notice the great things you are doing. It is quiet and mundane and it requires devotion, commitment, and dedication every day to being the change we wish to see. It means we need to be creative and sometimes uncomfortable. This ability to choose and change and create the lives we wish to live is where our greatest power is individually and as a community.

So here are my commitments to the Resistance. This list is only a beginning and will grow. What does your resistance look like?

      Meditation: meditation allows us to break through the noise and habitual reactions so we may see the deeper reality of a situation. Instead of being hooked into a reaction we are able to step back and see other alternatives and ways to respond that wouldn’t have been noticed before.

2 

   Yoga practice: like meditation, yoga practice can change our relationship with ourselves and the world. Lessons from the mat reverberate out into our lives. Yoga is also an essential part of self-care. We cannot change the world if we cannot manage our health or our stress.

3 

   Financial stability: I commit to living within my means to the best of my ability (this is not easy by design… instead of increasing wages, we were just given credit).

4 

   Leadership: I commit to sharing my knowledge, experience, and expertise with the community. I will embody and demonstrate leadership and encourage this in others.  

5 

   Writing/ Speaking Out: As I've been saying, now it is so important to offer resistance and walk our walk. It is so important to share our perspectives and ideas to create a more just and sustainable world. I will continue to write and share my voice, even if it’s scary.

6 

   Commitment to being inconvenienced: Our economy is based upon convenience of pre-packaged, processed, and disposability. We are so used to instant gratification and being comfortable. I will commit to continuing to create a lifestyle in harmony with the sustainable world I’m envisioning. This means sometimes I will have to be uncomfortable (at first) and think outside the box (paradigm). I commit to larger actions as well! I will call and write my representatives. I marched in the Women’s March and I will continue to march. I will not hide behind my privilege either.

   

   

   You should also read (related blog posts):

   Saving the World Kung Fu Part One   

   Saving the World Kung Fu Part Two

   Who We Need To Be

Who We Need to Be

Now I know there isn’t any more time to mess around. Now, more than ever, I will have to walk my talk.

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.