THE REVOLUTION IS KNOCKING -- PT. 2

Violence isn't the answer to the very large societal problems we are faced with.

I've written this numerous times lately in response to various posts I've read in Internet forums. I think the people who really want a violent shot at revolution are a small minority, but there's no doubting that there's a lot of anger out there.

To me, violence is morally wrong and strategically flawed.

Violence should only be an option in truly defensive situations. Aggression always carries a high price and rarely leads to a peaceful "new order." It tends to take on a life of its own -- at least somewhat beyond the control of the participants -- and to lead either to centralized power or a vacuum for chaos to slip into rather than a space for logic, reason and compassion to fill.

Many people who advocate violent means -- and they may believe passionately it is the best way to peace and equality -- don't really understand violence, in much the same way that many reckless drivers have not spent much time in trauma wards seeing the broken bodies and head injuries that result from car accidents.

The people advocating violent revolution also tend to want change NOW because they are fed up (understandably) and feel that nothing is changing. I would contend that a great deal is changing and that a new social order must be built in increments, cooperatively and thoughtfully. Yes, the clock is ticking on the environment, the starving millions and nuclear doomsday. This means more people must be persuaded to join the charge for social change and we all must work harder. It does NOT mean that violent revolution will magically install a new status quo that will solve these things. It won't.

Furthermore, coordinating a revolution of force is not simply achieved and I don't believe that it could even be seriously initiated in the U.S. You don't just send out an email blast and get millions of armed people in the street, well marshaled, trained, supplied and so forth. It's not going to happen. You might get semi-minor uprisings but that will just be an excuse for the Establishment to bring out the iron fist and then spin it all in the media. It MAY gain some sympathy with the masses, but it's an extreme wager for a doubtful return. Put simply, there are better ways to achieve any of the positive outcomes that may (or may not) result from violent measures.

Violence begets violence. War begets war. To resort to mass violence would be to mimic those we most despise and wish to depose. We would become like them. We would be history repeating itself. And we would be perpetuating a pattern that will inevitably result in more violent upheavals down the track.

There is no perfect solution, no quick fix, and we will never have a perfect society. But with hard work, determination, and the better angels of our nature driving us on, we CAN achieve a vastly changed world that will work for the majority, not the minority.

From there we can work together to continue making improvements.

Take care,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at THE REVOLUTION IS KNOCKING -- PT. 1.

THE REVOLUTION IS KNOCKING -- PT. 1

In my lifetime, I've never seen anything like this.

In fact, as far as I can tell, the present level of radicalization of the masses, in the U.S. and possibly globally, is unprecedented. The knowledge, the awareness, the networking, the activism, the motivation -- all the indexes that indicate radical societal change are going up.

This is key stuff and what "House on Fire" is all about. So I want to devote two or three posts to it. My observations of what's going on at present, what it means, where it might lead, how it will affect us and what WE can do to affect it.

What's the Evidence?

Let's start with the U.S. Even as recently as a decade ago, you didn't hear the "average person" questioning America's major institutions -- and certainly not with the sophisticated level of knowledge that they're exhibiting now.

People are aware of the Wall Street robber barons; the illegality of the U.S. invasions in Iraq and Afghanistan and elsewhere; the fact that we don't have a real democracy; the notion that things really do just go round and round in the same sick way regardless of who gets elected; the knowledge that corporations call the shots; the fact that those corporations can pollute the hell out of the air, water and land and not pay a serious price -- and will probably be granted more licenses to rip and tear for fossil fuels; a stark awareness that not only nuclear weapons but nuclear energy is unsafe and unnecessary. The list goes on.

People are discussing these things. I see it all the time now on Facebook, message boards, Twitter, in the alternative media and, on occasion, the mass media: you name it. The dialogue is thrilling to witness -- and very often it's really smart dialogue.

Activism-based groups have hit the mainstream. While I'm not here to go into deep detail about their individual merits or flaws, movements like Zeitgeist, Anonymous, the Venus Project and resource-based economy groups herald a whole new era. I feel that we have Wikileaks -- in tandem with a pitiful global economy -- to thank for this surge of widespread activism.

Then there are the uprisings around the globe: against oppressive regimes, protesting governments whose policies feed unemployment, and demanding peace and justice and decent-paying jobs. The Middle East alone is awash with protests.

And, of course, cyberspace. The New Frontier. The Establishment just can't keep the lid on it. TV was the one-way propaganda gold mine they relied on. But this Internet thing? What's a WASP to do?

"But how's it going to turn out?"

The question on everyone's lips. But to focus on the question itself is to miss the real point. I believe the real point is that people are actually ASKING this question. When has this ever happened before in modern, Western history vis-a-vis mass societal change? This is a landmark -- it almost feels like a miracle.

But not really: This has been simmering for some time. Of course, you could shorthand an answer and say: "Well, things are so rotten for so many people, we need radical change of some kind so at least the ship has left the dock. We have a shot of making things better." Predicting exactly how it will play out is like trying to predict anything about the future -- and it isn't what's important anyway. We just have to keep working, talking, protesting and shaping the thing as we move forward.

I'm not saying that there isn't quite a way to go; I'm just saying that we've traveled farther than ever before. And now, all things are possible.

Much more to write but I don't want to make these posts too long. Check back and I'll have more for you in a day or two -- and I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Take care,
Adrian

IF YOU FOUND THIS BLOG POST INTERESTING you might like to take a look at AMERICA IS IN DECAY.