We are not concerned that this movement is not being taken seriously by the champagne-sippers on the balcony. This is just an example of the difference between one understanding of power and another. Any sci-fi fan knows: the evil emperor always thinks he has the upper hand, when in fact he is ignoring the most essential factor of the conflict (or could never have second-guessed that the harmless-looking, primitive Ewoks would throw themselves behind the rebel forces in the final reel.) Those who understand war know that a battle against a native people fighting fearlessly and confidently for their turf is nearly unwinnable (though with enough firepower those people can be suppressed for centuries – but they will in fact rise again. For instance, there is a theory that despite the military defeat and genocide of the indigenous Americans, the eventual embracing of Native cultural values and beliefs by mainstream America will be essential to the very survival of our species; hence, the cultural “victory” will ultimately go to the Indians, not the cowboys. We will all be assimilated.)
The power of the People’s Movement is in our imagination, compassion, humor, and concern for the future – all traits lacking in the forces that would try to hold us back. It’s these deficiencies in the “powers that be” that got us into the mess we are in to begin with. Forces of oppression and coercion have always used a certain strategic cleverness, but it is not at all the same thing as the intelligence of compassion and imagination that we have at our disposal. The fear-based paradigm can't comprehend, much less value, this type of intelligence - it's essentially invisible. Hence, we have "the upper hand." The Ewoks are on our side. As is Love.
Yes, we have lost battles. More may be lost. We are a little punch-drunk from generations of struggle. But there is another factor on our side – we are living in increasingly unstable times. As gracefully explained by Immanuel Wallerstein, Senior Research Scholar at Yale, the dominant paradigm of capitalism is collapsing – it is on its way out, whether we can wrap our minds around the fact or not ( http://www.commondreams.org/video/2011/10/04 ). Capitalism has been the dominant system for 500 years, has run its course as all systems do, and has been in its death throes since around 1968. We can distract ourselves with critiques of, or attachments to, the old system, or we can get on to the truly important and rewarding work of creating what will come next. Whether we agree with Wallerstein or not on the specifics, the instability of our time in human history is no matter of conjecture – we are experiencing it on all levels.
Fortunately, instability is the home turf of imagination and creativity. It’s where genius thrives. In particle physics, it is the wave form that holds all possibility, before it makes the shift to particle form. Times of trouble are when we tap into our deepest wells of compassion. The stress of the unknown is manageable with humor. And with a serious commitment to our responsibility to future generations, and flexibility in the aliveness of the Now through humor, imagination, and compassion, our steps forward will be productive, and synchronicitous, and beneficial to life on this planet. Wallenstein says that in times of stability, it takes great effort to effect the smallest change, as exemplified by the general failure of the violent revolutions of the last few centuries to bring sweeping social justice for their instigators. But in times of instability, small actions can create great change. It’s simple chemistry.
When one truly believes in something, one will not be very concerned with danger to life and limb, or concepts of failure. In my own experience, jumping out there into the real experience of standing up for what I believe in has been the most alive feeling I’ve ever known. It is an experiential type of knowing that cannot be second-guessed – you have to just go do it. This is what’s behind the smiles on the faces of some of the protesters as they are hauled away by police. This knowingness is spiritual power, and it has been demonstrated by prophets, saints, spiritual teachers and social movements all through human history. It’s also called faith, and it is the basic ingredient in miracles. And it’s what is happening in Liberty Plaza, and what happened in Cairo, Libya, and Madison, and it is spreading all over the world in one form or another. We are truly the ones we have been waiting for.
