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!