STAND FIRM AND KEEP THE FAITH!
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I often hear people express despair over the fate of the earth. How
we feel about the future often boils down to a question of perspective.
Some folks see the enormous demonstrations against war with Iraq as
evidence of a change in consciousness. Others focus on the fact that
the American government seems able to totally ignore public opinion
and get away with it. As the cliche puts it, "is the glass half
full or half empty?"
Instead of giving into either despair or Polly-Anna optimism, I'd
like people to latch onto something else: steadfastness. Building
a greener, more just and compassionate world is a long term commitment.
It won't be done by giving up when the first set-back comes along.
Nor will a better world come to pass only by marching on the streets
when some particularly heinous event takes place. Real change for
the better comes about by long term commitment, significant sacrifice
and a willingness by large numbers of people to stretch their minds
beyond the narrow confines of "conventional wisdom".
All of the rights and freedoms we take for granted have come about
because armies of individuals just like you and me were willing to
work for years creating those freedoms---and moreover worked just
as hard to maintain them in the face of attempts to co-opt and destroy
them.
Consider the case of the American battle with racism. Abolitionists
created societies to support escaped slaves, founded newspapers, waged
legal battles and eventually formed their own political party (the
Republicans), elected a president (Abraham Lincoln) and fought a bloody
war. After their "success", they found most of their gains
evaporate through the creation of the Klu Klux Klan, Jim Crow laws
and lynchings. This led to a second round of work that included founding
the Negro College system, creating mutual help organizations like
the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People, and
organizing street actions like the interstate Freedom Rides, forced
integration of lunch counters and municipal bus boycotts. A third
wave of organizing began with the struggle to end Apartheid and continues
with the battle to preserve affirmative action, end the racist "war
on drugs", and restore the voting rights of millions of black
men who've had them removed because of criminal convictions.
All through these hundreds of years of struggle there has been enormous
sacrifice as leaders like Martin Luther King and Malcom X were assassinated.
(Don't forget that thousands of unsung local "proto-activists"
were also lynched for the "crime" of being "uppitty".)
Countless others have spent time in jail for their beliefs. Even more
have devoted years and years of unsung, unpaid work doing all the
mundane tasks that are involved in keeping a movement going. (She
also sacrifices for the cause who licks envelopes, keep the books,
folds chairs and hands out leaflets! How many of these folks would
rather have spent their time with their children, furthering their
own personal careers or simply relaxing after a hard day's work?)
Make no mistake, the green movement is going to require just as much
work and just as hard a struggle as the fight for racial equality.
(Indeed, the latter is part of the former!) In just the same way we
need a long-term commitment to education, protest, institution building,
struggle and sacrifice if we are going to ensure a green, just and
compassionate world for future generations.
Don't despair and don't look for success just around the corner---roll
up your sleeves and get to work!
Issue
1, Volume 1