I keep going back to MLK.
Near the end of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, where the movement used a year-long bus boycott to bring the issue of bus segregation to the US supreme court (and won), King spoke the following words:
It is true that as we struggle for freedom in America we will have to boycott at times. But we must remember as we boycott that a boycott is not an end within itself; it is merely a means to awaken a sense of shame within the oppressor and challenge his false sense of superiority. But the end is reconciliation; the end is redemption; the end is the creation of the beloved community. It is this type of spirit and this type of love that can transform opposers into friends. It is this type of understanding that will transform the deep gloom of the old age into the exuberant gladness of the new age. It is this love which will bring about miracles in the hearts of men.
The beloved community requires
A qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.
It’s not just about good vibes and potlucks. It’s about economic justice and spiritual growth.
In the last month, many worried people have asked me some good questions:
- “What can I do?”
- “Am I safe?”
- “Should I just ignore what’s going on and focus on living my life?”
- “What does effective political resistance look like?”
- “Why is there a global trend towards authoritarian dictatorship?”
Regardless of the contents of the Trump administration’s policies (some of which I agree with and can relate to!), the How of their approach should be deeply troubling. It indicates — as in many parts of the world — a move from a Rights-based approach to decision making (democracy) to a Power-based approach (dictatorship).
As I spoke about last fall, majority-rule voting is a woefully incompetent substitute for dialogue and agreement. That’s because you can force people to your bidding if you have 51% of the vote.
As members of Ten Thousand Heroes, our goal is to lead us in the other direction, from Rights-based decision making to Interests-based decision-making. We have to build on democratic tools to evolve a system that can utilize the information contained by every voice to better serve the whole.
That’s my boring organizational language.
MLK calls it “the type of love that can transform opposers into friends”.
But it’s the same thing: We have to (somehow!!!) see the chaos and suffering all around us as information.
We have to understand that the chaos is happening for a reason.
Not an “Every little thing will be alright” reason, but a “There is a chain of historical causality that led to this moment” reason.
The chaos, cruelty, and vengeance swirling around us is the direct result of decades of unheeded interests and unmet needs by a large segment of American society. These interests and needs have led to an explosive amount of emotion and passion.
Trump has been an absolute genius at transforming that emotion into power.
But without emotion and resentment, populism has no power.
(Same story in Tunisia (Kais Saied)and El Salvador (Nayib Bukele), btw)
I wish I had definitive answers to all the good questions people ask. I don’t. But I do know the first step is to see the chaos as beloved. If we don’t include the information contained in the chaos, we have no hope of transcending it.
As King says, we need understanding to transform gloom into gladness.
There is no beloved community without beloved chaos.
Ankur Shah Delight: Community and Conflict 