Breathing New Life Into The Revolution (that is not being televised)

Just as, when I was coming of age, the Yippies were beaten down at the Democratic National Convention in 1968, groups continue to protest and rally, as a call for sanity, the sanctity of life on this planet and to oppose and protest all manner of insanity being perpetrated upon them and upon our shared environment by their governments and corporate interests. For the most part things have not changed, we just hear less and less about it from fewer and fewer news sources. The oligarchs continue to put up sham candidates who fill abstract "positions" in governments that are rife with corruption, inertia and complacency. Corporate interests are based on expediency and the ecological catastrophes that get left behind are the costs by those borne by the native people. As we are seeing in my own country, not one single progressive idea has been put forward by the House of Representatives, but they have found the time to hold over four hundred votes against what they now call Obamacare. (Never mind that it was modeled on something called Romneycare before that.) The same tactics that have been used unsuccessfully for decades are still being used and lead to the same parries and thrusts. The parries are that the protesters are dirty hippies, ne'er do wells, hooligans or anarchists. Worse yet, they have frequently been branded the disaffected youth of the wealthy, or middle class. Whatever generalization is most useful for getting the ranks and files of Wal-mart shoppers to hate them. The sooner peaceful protesters can be labeled an "angry mob",  the sooner the public will forget that we want peace, justice and sanity to prevail and the powerful elites can include us in the ranks of law breaking criminals, round us up as leftists, propagandists or traitors. Once we have been demeaned or charged with civil crimes for speaking out in the only format available, the stigma of "criminal" has legs. In the digital world, these deeds may outlive us. The millions out in the streets, the activists who poured concrete in between the "anti-homeless" spikes, those who take the fight to road building projects wherever they are proposed, depavers, organic gardeners, human rights workers, teachers, etc. are all participating in ways we cannot fathom. The combined efforts of millions pushing the boundaries of what we can talk about, what we know to be real and how we see our place in the world is unleashing a torrent of public opinion greater than any fire hose, or can of teargas.

We will not be moved.

We must start by educating ourselves. I cannot count the number of times that I have heard people say, "I'm too old, or tired, to get involved." hinting that activism is a task for young people. I say, with the fucking that the elderly are taking, they damned well better get involved! It is sickening to live in a culture that demeans the elders and scoffs at them when they speak truth. When we learn things about the world around us, we quickly see that a tiny difference multiplied by millions of times has immense power. Think what changes would occur if the oligarchs were made to look into the eyes of those whom they have crushed to get to the top of the economic ladder. Imagine the politicians having to run the gauntlet of Grandmothers calling for them to be ashamed for their inaction on crucial issues and being admonished for wasting the time they do have on frivolity and self aggrandizement. Once we have become educated, we need to share our knowledge with our children and our neighbors. It has taken over ten years, but I have convinced three neighbors to start gardens in the twelve years that I have lived at my place. Each one teach one is the best policy to have when committing your life to meaningful change.

We can make a million new things happen and we can pick and choose those things we want to become part of the new reality. What confronts us now is the opportunity to unleash even more powerful tools than were used decades ago, we just need to be open and creative about how we conduct ourselves. Beware agents provocateur. Those in power are getting more and more desperate, do not be taken in by those who advocate violence of any kind. You cannot be on the side of evolution to a higher state of consciousness and deeper level of humanity and advocate violence. The two are mutually exclusive. We all need to practice becoming a stand for our own word. Do not commit to things that you do not intend to carry out. Taking only the responsibility that you feel comfortable making good on is an important first step to fueling the revolution. No one wants to burn out when their task is so vital. I certainly don't want anyone getting sick or hurt because of their commitment to our species and our future.

We must always remember that although we are just one facet of a larger humanity, we are an important one. What flows through us is the same energy and possibility as flows through every other creature on the planet. Our life force is sacred. Our life force is to be respected. Our birthright is clean air, water, food and soil. We also deserve the ability to live our lives unmolested. Desire for a better world is the only fee for being included in the revolution. How we each conduct ourselves will determine how far we can move toward humanity and how quickly it will occur. Ask the tough questions, get to the bottom of whatever issue is your passion and the chips will fall where they will. Truth needs no propping up or defense. It is only a matter of time before the lie machine cannot fabricate lies fast enough to cover their collective asses.