What would it look like?
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We don't know for sure when activism began, but we can guess. Most likely it pre-dated the American form of democracy, though most activists I know think of themselves as patriots, and rightly so. The freedom we enjoy in our nation state, its leadership inspired largely by the constitution of ancient Rome, depends on an ongoing battle between aristocracy and commoners, according to Niccolò Machiavelli, author of The Discourses. Paraphrased, he explains: “The demands of free citizens are almost never harmful to liberty, for they result from oppression or fear of being oppressed.”
Machiavelli seems acquainted with the old joke that starts: “There are two kinds of people in this world...” and an activist's job is to add the “punch”line.
landowners vs. serfs
landlords vs. tenants
banks vs. mortgage holders
corporations vs. government regulators
employers vs. minimum wage earners
union bosses vs. private sector employers
taxpayers vs. the IRS
police vs. protesters
haves vs. have nots
The list goes on. The fights are important, because our free society depends on whether the 1% is compelled to listen to, and meet the needs of, the 99%.
But put down that sign for a moment and try to visualize what you want things to look like when the fight is over. FDR quoted The Holy Bible in his 1st Inaugeral Address of 1933 (which could be one reason why my daughter wasn't allowed to recite his speech at her public school), saying “when there is no vision the people perish.”
Whatever you may think of The Bible, people voting Democrat or of FDR personally, I'd like to suggest the following 2-step daily regimen to my fellow activists: Picture what perfection looks like to you, THEN leave your house. It's harder than it sounds; you cannot be a cynic and do this exercise, so cleanse yourself of doubt and fear.
What would the world look like if you get what you want? Would teenagers stop bullying elderly bus monitors and bringing weapons to school? Would city police officers and security guards find a healthy outlet for their suppressed rage? Would big corporations pay their fair share in taxes? Here are the words of one of our nation's greatest leaders, who faced challenges 80 years ago similar to those we face today.
The measure of the restoration lies in the extent to which we apply social values more noble than mere monetary profit. Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort. The joy and moral stimulation of work no longer must be forgotten in the mad chase of evanescent profits.... Recognition of the falsity of material wealth as the standard of success goes hand in hand with the abandonment of the false belief that public office and high political position are to be valued only by the standards of pride of place and personal profit; and there must be an end to a conduct in banking and in business which too often has given to a sacred trust the likeness of callous and selfish wrongdoing. Small wonder that confidence languishes, for it thrives only on honesty, on honor, on the sacredness of obligations, on faithful protection, on unselfish performance; without them it cannot live. Restoration calls, however, not for changes in ethics alone. This Nation asks for action, and action now.
FDR echoes the sentiments of Machiavelli, who says:
[I]t is impossible to tell which of the two dispositions we find in men is more harmful in a republic, that which seeks to maintain an established position or that which has none but seeks to acquire it.
It's essential to protest the injustice we see in this world (in politics and elsewhere), so hooray for activism! But prepare yourself to get what you want. This is Social Imaging: having the courage to live in your ideal world, and acting in such a way that you recognize those minor shifts in consciousness that should be letting you know your plans are working out. Encourage the people you are trying to persuade and be gentle with them while you work to get them to see things your way. Change might hurt at the beginning, but let's work to make it a rewarding experience for everyone. (Don't forget, FDR was a four-term President.)
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