I was in my undergrad Art and Social Action class, a few months after Hurricane Katrina, when the full horror of the event and the full impotence of the response process was finally sinking in. I was listening to one of my co-professors, a bright Brooklyn social activist of old, and she said that real social progress always comes from changing the culture, the way people look at the world and what they fundamentally expect of the society they live in. She argued that Art was one of the most profound and primal ways to communicate effectively to the culture, thus laying the groundwork for bottom-up changes in the political structure/process. Uncle Tom's Cabin and Atlas Shrugged have both changed the society we live in in ways that are both beautiful and a little scary. The relatively charmed relationship between Hollywood and the military is a modern day example of how this principle is utilized.

Fast forward half a decade and I see new hope in the political process springing up, being tempered or downright extinguished in some, and the same political process chugging forward, albeit with a more frothy head of incipient class warfare brewing in there. It is a problem that Americans are horribly misinformed about the extent of the wealth distribution imbalance we are collectively bearing. It is a problem that the political process has been subjugated to the interests of the highest bidders in the highest moneyed percentile who are so readily benefiting from this state we are in. This problem is further compounded by the erosion of more bottom-up mass membership organizations like Labor and the United Way, in that no check exists against this perversion of the democratic political process.

So I see two prongs here: Firstly, It seems that sponsoring local organizations and focusing locally will be very important in the future. It will take time to restore the ardent forest of mass membership that once existed to transmit the needs and values of the American people upward. The internet provides a great tool for connection and communication that did not exist in those days though, and perhaps nature abhors a vacuum badly enough here that it will self-assemble somewhat effortlessly once the ball gets rolling. Aiming for a local effect allows us to speak from our hearts, of course, to our people in our neighborhoods. Art is also about speaking to the heart, which is the greatest bullshit detector ever made. When you communicate to the very best and brightest in people, you will find a deep resonance in there that returns your call. And through the wonders of mass communication, Art can now can speak to a very large number of people. The same mass-communication apparatus we now enjoy, when combined with mass-membership organizations, makes it possible for them to connect and network in a way their predecessors never could. Coordinating strategies, sharing news and videos of speakers and cultural/artistic performances are some possibilities that come to mind. Artistic and local growth may seem like a longer-term solution to present political worries, to be sure. It seems like a more organic approach is how I think of it, though. If you nurture it and allow it to grow, it could grow quite big by itself in time. It's all about having your heart in the right place...


In creating, the only hard thing is to begin: a grass blade's no easier to make than an oak."
-James Russell Lowell

Do you remember what it felt like being inspired as a child? I remember shortly after coming to this country listening to Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey and other big-hearted people who inspired a deep love of the environment and life itself in me. The eloquence and passion with which they communicated their view of the world, their cause and their purpose stirred something deep within me that continues to change and grow my life in unexpected ways today.

When I look at Barack Obama, I see that same potential for inspiration and passion writ large. The very idea of a President Obama is profoundly inspirational from just a symbolic viewpoint. He represents simultaneously the dreams of America the great melting pot and America the country where you can indeed realize your true potential if you work at it. Hope in the future combined with the willingness to roll up your sleeves and pitch in; the message doesn't get any simpler nor more inspirational than that, to me. And then there's his gift of speech. The man electrifies the crowd like a lightning rod, combining themes of change and progress with a deep love of family and connectedness in community which I admire so much in American black culture. He calls on the best aspirations of Americans in plain, strong terms, and we are reminded of what true democracy can really be.

I will be proud and a little envious of the children who grow up during the Obama administration. They will know without a doubt that in America, anything is possible. They will know what it means to have the fire of passion lit under them, passion for a cause greater than their own small lives. And they will know that when it was all on the line, America stood up against those who would squander their futures and their planet. When it came down to it, this country pulled through for them.

We are living through some major history right now. The series of events unfolding before us since 9-11 is about as big as they come. The fall of the Roman Empire, the ministry of Jesus, World War II, all of these times must have been challenging and just plain crazy to live through. Likewise, our days under the Bush Administration are filled with uncertainty and much fear. Fear for our country, our fellow human beings here and abroad, and sadly, for all life on this planet.

It’s not just the United States that's changed dramatically in the past few years though; While our leaders have been off playing the empire building game in Iraq (and failing horribly at it) the world has gone and changed on us. China has been growing at phenomenal rates, and will outshine the US both economically and militarily in the next decade or so. Russia is also slowly getting on its feet, and India has become another powerhouse in the world economies. If the EU finally figures out how to work together, that is another major player on the stage. All of these countries need massive resources, such as oil, metals, wood, silicon and other vital materials, to keep their economies growing. The world is about to get a whole lot flatter, meaning that the American standard of living is taking a major downturn soon. Not to even mention the environmental impact of all this massive growth! Clearly, the world is becoming something else right before our eyes.

Now, all of this change can seem very daunting to someone who cares about the world, and the people in it. There’s so much that needs to be fixed, so many things that we could be doing. It can be paralyzing to even think about things sometimes. Where do we even start when madmen hold the reins of power, and normal people seem unwilling to listen to reason and compassion?

We start by taking a deep breath. Life has existed on this planet for billions of years before us, and will continue to thrive long after we are gone. We might be able to upset the balance temporarily, but nature will eventually restore it without a doubt. Things may not turn out the way we want or expect them to but invariably, they will turn out as well as they can. The sun will still shine tomorrow, no matter how dark things look tonight.

Likewise, even though we have thieves and madmen in charge right now, they have had to lie and cheat their way into power. That means that for the most part, people are goodhearted and compassionate, and actually care about things like freedom and equality. And despite anyone’s best efforts, you can only keep a lie going for so long. Reality has a way of showing up liars for exactly what they are. We are seeing that right now in Iraq, in our inner cities, in New Orleans, on the icecaps (or lack thereof) of our planet’s poles. Like the song says, you can’t fool all the people all the time. Eventually, it becomes too hard to ignore reality.

I don’t know if you believe in God or not, but I think most everyone can believe in fate. You have been put on this earth at this time for a reason. If you don’t believe this, maybe you should start acting like you do. It can’t hurt things, and it might conceivably help you live a life with some meaning (and gratitude). Each of us has a role to play here, so we might as well start acting like it.

This still doesn’t answer my original question though: How do we act in such an uncertain world, where there are so many problems to tackle and so little time and influence for each of us? Simply put, we have to act without caring about the outcome. That means that we understand that whatever we do, things will never turn out exactly the way we want them to. If intent and outcome were the same thing, then the war in Iraq would really have been the cakewalk the Bushies expected it to be. We would have the flowers and the cheap gas they were expecting, and American forces would be already invading Iran right now.

No, in order to act in this world, we have to stop grabbing at outcomes. We have to stop clinging to what we want the world to be like, and dance with it as it really is. This doesn’t mean that we resign ourselves to anything! We can still act upon this world. Indeed, action is the only moral option in the face of injustice. However, we can still act without being dependant upon a certain outcome for our happiness. Things will never turn out the way we imagine them being in the future. We have to accept that or face a life of one disappointment after another. In Buddhism, this is called a state of nonattachment. You identify your values, set your intentions based on them, and act upon the world with a mind not attached to outcome. This way, whatever happens, you can be content in knowing that did your very best and stayed true to your core. You are not dependant on external events to make you happy so much as whether or not your actions reflect your values. You are not responsible for saving the world, only for doing what you can. You have to have a certain amount of trust that things WILL turn out alright in the end to be this way, of course. If you believe in God, that's where He comes in. If you don't, then you can still be comforted by the thought that life is resilient. Despite living in a world that doesn't care much about us or our wishes one way or another, we have made it this far. If the past is any indication, then Life has what it takes to continue living, no matter what the world throws at us.

Let me say one more time that you do not have to resign yourself to anything to live in a state of nonattachment. Change will come to our country and the world no matter what we do. The Neocons cannot control people through fear and lies forever, just as people cannot keep polluting the planet forever. Reality will catch up with them. And when it does, more and more people will see that we have to change the way we run our media, our government, our very way of life, or perish altogether. But until that day comes, we do what we can. We clean up the streams and rivers in our backyards. We educate ourselves and other people in our lives. We help elect people who share our values and compassion for others. We live our lives. And I mean that we LIVE our lives!

We enjoy the little things that bring us joy. The warm sun on our bare skin, the taste of a really good meal, the pleasure of good company, all of these are things we can enjoy even in the darkest hours. The universe could have been made so that such things didn’t bring us pleasure. There is no reason why a flower HAS to be beautiful, or sex MUST feel as good as it does. Miraculously though, it is and it does! Try and remember that when things are rough, and you’ll do just fine. And when you catch yourself enjoying life, say a quick thank you. Thank the universe for being the way it is, and yourself for being the way you are, which is good enough on both accounts.

For me, love is at the center of Liberal philosophy. Love for our fellow human beings, our fellow life, and this planet that we find ourselves on. And as good as some of us are at showing it for others (even to the point of loving our ENEMIES) we can still be so inflexible when it comes to loving ourselves. I think this might be an issue with a lot of activists I know too. They care very deeply about the world and want to right the wrongs and help the suffering. And on the flipside, they care so little about themselves, and do the work sometimes to convince themselves that they're a good person, rather than from the conviction that they are a good person. At least, that's what I did in my old life.

And I know that any work that's done from a place of self-doubt and self-loathing can easily lead to pettiness and disillusionment. There was an article being discussed in GD last week about how Conservatives are happier than Liberals, and I believe it. Conservatives live in a world of easy decisions, a one size fits all place where the church or the political leaders or some other authority makes all the choices and a minimum of thinking/soul-searching is required by the rank and file. It's a place of pre-processed, easily digestable spirituality. I get the image of McDonalds food thinking about it just now, and its an apt one. It's junk food for your mind; it fills you up easily and goes down delicious, but it has no real value. In the end, it won't lead you to a lasting happiness.

Liberalism, on the other hand, is hard work! We have no choice but to break off from the safety of the patriarchical religions/institutions, the security of having "all the answers." We know that nobody else can give us the answers. Nobody can tell us how to live our lives, cast our votes or think about things big and small. The best they can do is to show us the path; we're the ones who must walk it. And many of us on this side of the aisle have to walk through much darkness, loneliness and confusion before we can find God/Inner Peace again. It can be done though, and those who seek will find it. We can begin by being good to ourselves.


So here's the important part: Today, at least, I want everyone on DU to be kind to themselves, to treat themselves like they treat the rest of the world. Be gentle and loving and forgiving to yourself. Practice gratitude for your gifts and who you are, and just enjoy being alive. You are doing a good job, and everything is fine. Events are playing out as they must, and big changes are coming for our country and the world. It's a paradox that I constantly deal with, the need to surrender things up to God and the need to take control of my own destiny. It's hard to do either without having all the answers. Eventually though, you learn that you are expected to do only the best you can, and the rest WILL work itself out. The human race will survive, and the sun will still shine tomorrow. Despair only drains our energy, so rejoice in who you are and how things are working out now, be it politically, personally, or whatever.

It is a tremendous opportunity we've been given to be born at this time. To take full advantage of it though, we must be strong in ourselves. We must feed the fire of our soul so that we can act from our full potential, not limited by guilt and anger and feelings of inadequacy. This is not our true nature. We are each boundless, beautiful beings devoted to the greater good of all. This "all" includes ourselves! So treat yourselves well today, my friends, and know that you are worthy of every ounce of love and gratitude you show.

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oxbow