The Voice of the Revolution

So, as I’m almost back to work full time, you might be wondering, “How goes the Revolution?”

Let me share a couple of reflections I have had over the past year.

First is the realization that every thought, every inspiration, every idea I have ever had has been born of my interactions with all of you; with the world of influence all around me. Nothing I have been saying is original; rather my thoughts and words are pulled from the collective consciousness, made up of every image and sound that has ever been present in my sphere of existence. Nothing is mine, I am only a vessel; a voice given a small amount of time to try to be heard.

I try to say things in a way that connects people to the vision of a world that is possible if we choose to believe in it. A world that is healthy and whole, connected through compassionate action, respectful of all beings in nature, and honouring of the miracles of life of which we are a part.

Belief is everything. Will you believe in the dedication and commitment of the millions who are striving daily to make the world a better place, working to save our planet and its myriad precious species? Or will you believe in the doom and gloom picture of endless wars and terror and depravity and selfishness peddled by the few with everything to lose? Which force do you truly believe is stronger?

Every moment we have gives us the chance to alter the destiny of this planet. Every small decision has an effect. Every single action or inaction has a consequence.

Every word we speak is filled with power we can scarcely comprehend. It is the words we share that will write not only our history, but also determine the script of our future. Each of us are more powerful than we can imagine.

My proposed Grassroots Revolution is the same as Bernie Sanders’ Our Revolution in the United States, the same as the Extinction Rebellion and the student protests sweeping across the world. It is the same struggle as the countless grassroots efforts being made by millions of individuals and organizations to bring positive change to the world. I do not lay claim to the revolutionary struggle to overcome tyrannical rule, I hope only to join in and make a stand. I want to give others a way that they too can become involved in the resistance, a way that they can feel that there is hope and see a way forward.

Our most important lesson is that we must not allow ourselves to be divided; not by any force. We are all together living on this unique planet. Progressive movements so often fail to succeed when people dig in to entrenched positions that exacerbate the “us vs. them” dynamic. We are easily defeated when ego and one’s belief in our own “rightness” split us apart from the other humans also working to make things better. Whether we divide by ethnic origin, by political party, by ideological difference, by perceived level of activism; everything that divides us, conquers us.

Imagine the greatness that could be achieved by working together and helping each other advance toward shared goals and hopeful vision. Remember what it feels like when someone helps you do something that seems impossible on your own; that sense of shared commitment, of mutual effort, of synergistic effect. Now imagine if we all decided to help each other create a more safe, healthy, just, and compassionate world. How much power there could be if we all pulled together.

The other side of committing to Revolution is admitting the uncomfortable truth about how well we live in modern western society, and how that relates to the costs that this relatively opulent lifestyle has upon the rest of the world. Do you want to live in a world where the colonializing forces live in luxury while the majority of humans suffer in subjugation to fulfill the elite’s every desire?

Is the true cost of the western lifestyle of voracious consumption even remotely reconcilable, or are we in need of a severe disruption to our ways of life in order for balance to be restored on this planet; for justice to prevail? Can we innovate ways to raise the standard of living for all humans on the planet while living within the means of nature? I do not know the answers to these questions.

Certainly human creativity is powerful, and scientists are working tirelessly around the world to help bring solutions to the masses. But until we see the end of the greed that allows wealth to rise steadily toward the top, no amount of innovation will be able to help right the cruel injustices of modern life.

One discussion that came from a recent public forum on the proposal for a Green New Deal was surrounding the fact that all the round-tables in the world are pointless if we continue to allow the global politic, and hence all of our lives, to be controlled by an invisible group of gangsters.

These criminals disguised as businessmen control the affairs of the planet using many tools as weapons; directing both sides of two-party politics while marketing this false and narrow choice as democracy; controlling the major banking institutions with their debt-grip on nearly every individual, business, and level of government in the world; fueling and exacerbating ethnic and international discord in order to justify endless wars and funnel taxpayer money into hidden coffers disguised as military budgets; terrorizing the masses through media intended to keep people diverted from the truth - insisting on individualization over community; consumption over compassion, fear and grief over hope and action.

And yet, there is one tool we have now that is much more powerful than the ruling elite, and which may be the only thing that can defeat them. It is our collective voice, and more specifically, the distance and speed at which that voice can carry in this marvelous technological age.

All of the solutions we need are known and can be shared through this voice; all of the schemes of the gangsters can be revealed through this voice; and the people are able to organize and stand in solidarity now more easily than at any other time known in human history because of this voice.

We must be brave and choose to use this voice, continuing to shine light on the injustices that plague us, as well as onto the solutions which will mend our ways. Bringing truth to the light, focusing on the hopeful things, the right things, the truly important things. Using this voice is what we can do to usher in the world we hope and pray will come to pass.

So, all I can do is continue on, using my voice and writing the words that might spark the Revolution in the hearts and minds of those who hear it. And you can do this too. If you don’t know the words to say, I ask you to simply share the words of those whose voices call to you. Amplify the messages you wish to have conveyed.

Speak your truth, spread your light, talk about the better world that is possible with those you know and love. Every voice that is added raises the volume and builds the collective force that is necessary to topple unjust systems and birth the new paradigm.

The message of the Revolution must be carried by the voices of millions, just like you, who believe in building a better world.

Your voice is powerful beyond measure; I urge you to use your power wisely.