June 18, 2004

• In an earlier post, I asked what the right approach to dealing with a world that is becoming increasingly distasteful might be. I proposed four options:

  Politics

  Running for office, gaining political power, changing the system from within.

  Running away

  Find someplace relatively less distasteful, hide/bunker down there, and get on with my life.

  Grassroots Revolution

  Join an existing or found a new group that uses “socially acceptable” methods to challenge the status quo and force change upon it.

  The Grassy Knoll

  Get a monkey wrench and start breaking as much as I can, hoping to force the system, as it exists, to collapse/be destroyed

  I already examined political office and covered why I believe that it is simply non-viable. Furthermore, since that time, I’ve begun to decide that representative democracy as it exists in our country is simply an untenable system which can not help but result in the breakdowns we see today.

  To put those who have expressed concern at ease, the grassy knoll approach is pretty easy for me to reject for two reasons. First, one can’t use methods they oppose to gain what they want and expect to have those methods disappear once they’ve won (for instance, if you make a habit out of assassinating those you don’t like, you can’t expect to say “ok, we’re done with assassinations now” and have them stop.) Second, when the power at your disposal is infinitesimal in comparison to the power you oppose, and you use methods that are violent, illegal, and “antisocial”, you can expect to find yourself dead or permanently locked up very quickly.

  This leaves hiding/running/ignoring, or fighting the system using socially acceptable means.

  Hiding/running/ignoring has some very positive aspects to it. Mainly, you get to live a nice life and enjoy it without feeling constantly in conflict or under threat. The downsides:

  • Many of the problems our world faces aren’t the type to stop at borders – pollution, global warming, warfare, civil unrest, etc., may eventually intrude on you, wherever you are.
  • Your kids have to live in this world after you’ve left it – what options are you leaving them with?

  The one (very strong) upside is that it may be possible to form a “model community” – to be such a positive example that others wish to start emulating you. If you can prove that better options exist, it may give others the confidence to follow in the same footsteps. This limits the types of hiding/running/ignoring that you can do, but does allow you to live a nice life and potentially do some good at the same time.

  Fighting the system using socially acceptable means… From what I’ve seen, this is a damn depressing path. Mainly because you keep losing. An additional problem is that most groups who are fighting the fight seem to lack clear vision of what they wish to build. They know what they don’t like, but if they destroy that without building what they do want, things don’t end well. In many cases, I’ve seen seeds of tyranny sprouting in groups that voice anarchist and grassroots ideals. Methods of violence and coercion used by groups that are fighting for peace and freedom. Similar issues, but not so extreme, as face the grassy knoll method. As Gandhi put it, “We must be the change we wish to see in the world” You simply can not use approaches you oppose to get what you want without corrupting what you are building. Some doors, once opened, don’t close so easily. The grass roots fighters often seem to try and force the masses to change while claiming that power should be in the hands of the masses.

  So where does that leave me if I want to do something?

  Well, no matter how I want to go about it, it seems that the first thing I truly need to do is identify where I want to end up. What kind of world do I want to live in? Until that question is answered, my exertions are as likely to be destructive as constructive.

  Then, I would need to start living my life as if I existed in that world and go about trying to make a small scale version of that world exist around me.

  While I worked on that, I would need to also try and exhort that ideal world. To convince others that they may want to take part. It would also be a good idea to listen to their opinions and ideas about the vision so that it may be shaped and improved.

  Sounds like a damn lot of work, doesn’t it? The sort of thing that someone would need to devote their life to. Where someone might lose themselves in the effort to make it happen if they aren’t careful.

  It also sounds like the sort of thing that someone already has to have done somewhere, doesn’t it? Of course, what has been done isn’t the sort of life everybody wants. There are always going to be some things that every individual wants a bit different.

  That’s the first thing to discover – has anyone come up with a vision or philosophy that permits enough variance so that the world created allows both the hedonist and the monk to co-exist without trodding on each other? A world where I can have my whiskey and punk music without treading on your tranquility?

  Or, to get more challenging, can one have a world where one group can pursue a vision of pure breeding and eugenics while another group embraces diversity? I can see a world where the Ku Klux Clan and the Nation of Islam coexist (white separatists and black separatists), but how about a world where the Clan, NoI, and multi-ethnic itinerant hippies all exist?

  Why should we tolerate groups like the Clan or NoI? I guess you don’t have to in your perfect world, but for me, it goes back to Gandhi’s “Be the change we wish to see” – I don’t want people forcing me to believe or feel certain ways, therefore, I can’t force others to do so. I may find the Clan’s views abhorrent. I believe I should be free to shun them or try and convince them to change. I do not believe I should be able to force them to disband or embrace diversity.

  Great. So the first things I’ve identified is the need to allow the freedom to hate and the freedom to shun. Sounds like a great world so far, doesn’t it? As long as we’re on the warm fuzzy stuff, I may as well toss in the freedom to make stupid choices and the freedom to commit suicide.

  So, how’s that sound to everyone? Feel inspired to join me yet?

  *sigh*

  I’m sure it will get better – avoiding hypocrisy isn’t always comfortable or easy. The biggest question facing me at this particular moment is – is it always possible?

  • 3:15 pm
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