Monday, February 28, 2005
Inside-Out Organizing
One of the most important quotes in my life right now is one that I mentioned in my last entry. It's a quote from the Charge of the Goddess:
"If that which you seek, you find not in yourself, you will never find it without. For behold! I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire." -- Charge of the Goddess, Spiral Dance, p. 90
This insight has played a very powerful role in my personal life in recent weeks and months. However, I also believe that a "mundane" or "secular" version of the same sentiment is precisely what's needed right now in our efforts to create a new society. In other words, I believe that if we want to change the world for the better, we need to start within and move slowly but surely outwards.
The majority of people that I know who have any degree of "progressive" or "revolutionary" consciousness whatsoever suffer from what I call BTSD -- Bush Traumatic Stress Disorder. They just LOVE to talk about a man who they despise more than any other man in the world. That man's name is George W. Bush.
I hear it at work; I hear it on the streets; I hear it on the phone; I hear it on the radio; I hear it on two dozen email lists and a hundred personal mailings. Apparently, the man who is responsible for all suffering in the world is George W. Bush, and the fate of the planet rests in his hands.
"Bush did this; Bush did that; Bush might do this; Bush might do that; Bush is the biggest monster who has ever walked the face of the Earth."
People suffering from BTSD recite the man's name and his crimes over and over again, in what I can only describe as some sort of bitter, fearful, and enraged equivalent of saying their Hail Maries.
"Hail Dubya, Full of Malice, the Neo-Cons are with thee. Cursed art thou among fascists, and cursed is the fruit of thy rule, the Bush Administration. Unholy Dubya, Father of Doom, we pray for you sinner now, and at the hour of our death at Guantanamo or Iraq. Amen."
Don't get me wrong, here. I also get very angry at Bush and his nefarious "Bush Administration." I too shout nasty things at the computer sometimes when I read about the latest crimes of the Bush regime. I too see him as the father of a new American fascism. I too believe that it will take some powerful opposition to prevent him from destroying the United States and half of the planet.
But whatever happened to the constructive program? Whatever happened to reconstructive vision? Whatever happened to the idea that it is we, the people, who have the power, even when fascists and tyrants claim otherwise? Whatever happened to our feelings of hope and inspiration?
Whatever happened to the people who say no to fascism -- and YES to a whole lot more?
As far as I'm concerned, defaming Bush isn't the primary task of a revolutionary. Bush does a good enough job of defaming himself, thank you very much. What, then, is the primary task of a revolutionary?
For more information on this, I encourage you to read Revolution of One. In the meantime, I'm reminded of a community organizing term that Hugh Muldoon introduced to me several years ago. This term is "Inside-Out Organizing."
It's a simple enough principle. When you're trying to accomplish something in your community or society, where should you turn to for help? The first people to turn to are the ones who already support the project or would be glad to do so. Once you've got the support of this "inner circle," you can build on that foundation to reach out to others who are less likely to support your goal. Finally, once you've done a great deal of community building, you can reach out to the "outer circle" of opponents of the goal and work with them to find a common solution. Hence, the term "Inside-Out Organizing."
In most cases, this style of organizing is infinitely more effective than the "Us versus Them" mentality. That mentality draws us out of our center of power. It pushes all of our energy outward at our perceived opponents, leaving precious little for sustaining ourselves, much less creating something new. Therefore, it tends to burn us out and leave us vulnerable for counterattack. Our perceived opponents can then turn our energy against us, saying that we're simply unbalanced and negative people who should be ridiculed and dismissed.
So, Inside-Out Organizing is the way to go. But where do we start?
Personally, I'm starting with something that for the time being, I'm calling Project X. Several friends have invited me to work on this community-oriented project, and I'll be devoting more time to it with each passing day. However, I'm holding off on any further public details until we've made it to a certain stage in our process.
In the meantime... where do we start with Inside-Out Organizing?
My book, Revolution of One, is all about Inside-Out Organizing.
Your own special place in the Revolution of One starts with you -- your health, your sanity, your daily practices, your friendships, your studies, your living situation, and your social ties in the community. As you revolutionize your own consciousness, you will be empowered to contribute more fully to creating and sustaining beneficial community projects. You will become a light of joy and enthusiasm in your community, and you'll stumble across more and more people who share your passion for positive transformation. Finally, your community and others like it will lead your region in the creation of a new society of free cooperation, ecology, and beyond.
Do you see now why I'm so intent on banishing the word "Bush" from my life? Yes, it's important to bear witness to such heinous crimes, and to take direct action to oppose the rising tides of fascism. But unless we hold a profound positive vision of a better world at the heart of our every action, we've already lost what we're looking for.
So, even as you hear more and more news of the misdeeds of Bush, I urge you to work independently or with your fellow community members to create events, projects, organizations, and more that bring positive transformation into your life, your community, your region, and your society. In this way, we can create a better world together.
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"If that which you seek, you find not in yourself, you will never find it without. For behold! I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which is attained at the end of desire." -- Charge of the Goddess, Spiral Dance, p. 90
This insight has played a very powerful role in my personal life in recent weeks and months. However, I also believe that a "mundane" or "secular" version of the same sentiment is precisely what's needed right now in our efforts to create a new society. In other words, I believe that if we want to change the world for the better, we need to start within and move slowly but surely outwards.
The majority of people that I know who have any degree of "progressive" or "revolutionary" consciousness whatsoever suffer from what I call BTSD -- Bush Traumatic Stress Disorder. They just LOVE to talk about a man who they despise more than any other man in the world. That man's name is George W. Bush.
I hear it at work; I hear it on the streets; I hear it on the phone; I hear it on the radio; I hear it on two dozen email lists and a hundred personal mailings. Apparently, the man who is responsible for all suffering in the world is George W. Bush, and the fate of the planet rests in his hands.
"Bush did this; Bush did that; Bush might do this; Bush might do that; Bush is the biggest monster who has ever walked the face of the Earth."
People suffering from BTSD recite the man's name and his crimes over and over again, in what I can only describe as some sort of bitter, fearful, and enraged equivalent of saying their Hail Maries.
"Hail Dubya, Full of Malice, the Neo-Cons are with thee. Cursed art thou among fascists, and cursed is the fruit of thy rule, the Bush Administration. Unholy Dubya, Father of Doom, we pray for you sinner now, and at the hour of our death at Guantanamo or Iraq. Amen."
Don't get me wrong, here. I also get very angry at Bush and his nefarious "Bush Administration." I too shout nasty things at the computer sometimes when I read about the latest crimes of the Bush regime. I too see him as the father of a new American fascism. I too believe that it will take some powerful opposition to prevent him from destroying the United States and half of the planet.
But whatever happened to the constructive program? Whatever happened to reconstructive vision? Whatever happened to the idea that it is we, the people, who have the power, even when fascists and tyrants claim otherwise? Whatever happened to our feelings of hope and inspiration?
Whatever happened to the people who say no to fascism -- and YES to a whole lot more?
As far as I'm concerned, defaming Bush isn't the primary task of a revolutionary. Bush does a good enough job of defaming himself, thank you very much. What, then, is the primary task of a revolutionary?
For more information on this, I encourage you to read Revolution of One. In the meantime, I'm reminded of a community organizing term that Hugh Muldoon introduced to me several years ago. This term is "Inside-Out Organizing."
It's a simple enough principle. When you're trying to accomplish something in your community or society, where should you turn to for help? The first people to turn to are the ones who already support the project or would be glad to do so. Once you've got the support of this "inner circle," you can build on that foundation to reach out to others who are less likely to support your goal. Finally, once you've done a great deal of community building, you can reach out to the "outer circle" of opponents of the goal and work with them to find a common solution. Hence, the term "Inside-Out Organizing."
In most cases, this style of organizing is infinitely more effective than the "Us versus Them" mentality. That mentality draws us out of our center of power. It pushes all of our energy outward at our perceived opponents, leaving precious little for sustaining ourselves, much less creating something new. Therefore, it tends to burn us out and leave us vulnerable for counterattack. Our perceived opponents can then turn our energy against us, saying that we're simply unbalanced and negative people who should be ridiculed and dismissed.
So, Inside-Out Organizing is the way to go. But where do we start?
Personally, I'm starting with something that for the time being, I'm calling Project X. Several friends have invited me to work on this community-oriented project, and I'll be devoting more time to it with each passing day. However, I'm holding off on any further public details until we've made it to a certain stage in our process.
In the meantime... where do we start with Inside-Out Organizing?
My book, Revolution of One, is all about Inside-Out Organizing.
Your own special place in the Revolution of One starts with you -- your health, your sanity, your daily practices, your friendships, your studies, your living situation, and your social ties in the community. As you revolutionize your own consciousness, you will be empowered to contribute more fully to creating and sustaining beneficial community projects. You will become a light of joy and enthusiasm in your community, and you'll stumble across more and more people who share your passion for positive transformation. Finally, your community and others like it will lead your region in the creation of a new society of free cooperation, ecology, and beyond.
Do you see now why I'm so intent on banishing the word "Bush" from my life? Yes, it's important to bear witness to such heinous crimes, and to take direct action to oppose the rising tides of fascism. But unless we hold a profound positive vision of a better world at the heart of our every action, we've already lost what we're looking for.
So, even as you hear more and more news of the misdeeds of Bush, I urge you to work independently or with your fellow community members to create events, projects, organizations, and more that bring positive transformation into your life, your community, your region, and your society. In this way, we can create a better world together.
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