This is the last in my “The Next Gandhi” series, taken from a long essay I wrote several years ago about our political and other woes. I have made adjustments due to changing circumstances and new information.
Everywhere you turn these days, people are pounding the drums of Doomsday. Experts of one kind or another point to evidence that our society is on the verge of collapse. Economic troubles, crumbling infrastructure, vanishing resources, climate change, drug-resistant supergerms – the list of bogeymen is long, and many of these worst-case scenarios are all too plausible. Our society is far more fragile than we realize, and a lot of people are denial. We think everything is going to be OK, we believe the gold-plated B.S. that the Panglosses and Pollyannas churn out, we let ourselves get distracted by celebrity gossip and ball games on TV. We close our eyes and pretend that the elephant in the room is not there. We tune out bad news and accuse the Cassandras of being fear-mongers who are trying to instigate stampedes.
Some, however, say that these are not the signs of collapse, but of a coming drastic change. And what is this drastic change? Perhaps it is a major shift in our thinking, in how we feed and clothe and house and medicate ourselves. A major shift in how we view economics. Time and again I hear and read we need to move beyond the idea that an economy must rely on growth for prosperity.
Many things that people have suggested on TV shows, blogs and the like appear to be sound solutions to the multi-headed crisis facing us. Localizing production, insourcing, living with less, moving to a post-capitalistic economy – these are drastic and painful changes to make in our lifestyle, but necessary if we are to survive as a society. We do need to prepare for the worst, prepare for the thou-knowest-what hitting the fan. We cannot go on whistling in the dark and pretending that some deus ex machina will descend from the heavens and magically make everything hunky-dory again. We need to be more reliant on ourselves and our neighbors, and get more involved in government at all levels. A good government is important to help solve our problems, but we must not rely on legislature for everything. Remember the fiasco after Hurricane Katrina flooded New Orleans?
On the other hand, though, we shouldn’t be too pessimistic and think that the totality of our society is going to go kablooey so that we will go all the way back to a pre-industrial lifestyle. We need to realize that, in times of crisis, people do a lot more cooperation and looking after each other than trying to save their own a**es. Also, human ingenuity has almost no bounds, and nothing brings it out like adversity.
Human beings are naturally good. We evolved that way. Civilization would not have been possible if we were not ethical and moral by nature. On top of that, we are tough as all get out. The Great Depression was the crucible that created the Greatest Generation – the men who fought and won World War II, the legion of Rosie the Riveters who gave birth to the Women’s Libbers. Tough times never last, but tough people do.
Now is a great time to get a major movement for positive change started. Americans are seriously p***ed off about a lot of things. CEOs are drawing salaries that seem downright obscene while the working class struggles to put meals on the table and keep up with rent and bills. Getting the minimum wage increased requires effort that makes moving heaven and earth seem like child’s play. Right-wing bugnuts howl about a “stolen” election. Republicans in Congress block any and all efforts to make voting easier because they care about their party – and thwarting President Biden – more than they do about this country and its citizens. Big Businesses pull the strings of government in order to squelch efforts to reduce humanity’s contribution to climate change.
Wherever you turn, you see injustice. George Zimmerman acquitted after slaying Trevon Martin. A spoiled rich brat gets not even a slap on the wrist after killing four innocents while driving drunk. Poor, weak people receive bloated sentences and are bled white with outrageous fines and fees while the wealthy and powerful get away with everything. Bankers not being punished for robbing people of their savings and homes, money being the only thing that matters in our “justice” system – one need not even cherry-pick to get a basket full of examples.
Several people I have talked with agree that, right now, the USA is a powder keg. Hell – it is a boxcar full of nitroglycerin. The right person or the right incident can give it the right shock, and KABOOMBA! In some ways it is like Russia during the last days of the Czars, when the rulers and nobles were lolling in their mansions, oblivious to the suffering and rage of the peasants and workers. Our situation is, in a major way, worse, because the Russian people had already been living in horrid poverty for generations; but many people in the U.S. who are now struggling once knew a decent standard of living. Also, we are far better informed thanks to the Internet. Finally, don’t forget the good ol’ American spirit of independence and self-reliance, as well as our right to keep and bear arms. It all adds up to an extremely volatile situation, one that could easily explode, possibly thanks to an unanticipated stimulus, one of the sort one doesn’t associate with setting off revolutions. We experienced a straw-that-broke-the-camel’s-back moment with the tragic and inexcusable death of George Floyd – suddenly, the Black Lives Matter flared into action, and people by the thousands took to the streets. Those protests were mostly peaceful; unfortunately, some loose cannons and agent provocateurs caused trouble.
All this anti-Congress, anti-Wall Street, anti-establishment, anti-politics-as-usual sentiment carries a great deal of energy; but it must be properly gathered and harnessed before it dissipates. The Big Bad Guys are relying on matters simmering down, on people having short memories and even shorter attention spans, of the Occupy types getting bored or distracted. They hope that we will continue to complain but just mill around rather than organize and get active. Remember, the only thing necessary for Evil to triumph is for the forces of Good to do nothing. When good people get off their rear ends and start really doing things, evil is toast.
Our numbers will be few at first, but that is true of any great movement. The Indian independence movement and the Civil Rights movement both started small and weak, but because the leaders were dedicated and determined, they grew and accumulated support. Like the proverbial snowball that gets larger as it rolls downhill, we can make this new movement grow in power and clout if we can maintain the momentum.
Most importantly, we need the right people with the right vision running the show. The wrong leader, the wrong group will get us out of the frying pan but lead us into the fire. Look at the Russian Revolution and the rise of Communism, or Germany between the World Wars and see what happens when the wrong folks lead the charge. We can change this country for better, we can drag it out of the current downward spiral towards a police state where a handful of people control nearly all of the wealth. We can restore freedom and justice to the USA, and prevent unspeakable tragedy.
So, where can we turn for support? EVERYWHERE!!! America – indeed, the whole world – is lousy with groups of people, already fairly well organized and funded, who are ready to rally for the sweeping changes we need to bring about. Even if all they can do is march in protest while holding a banner, or sign a bunch of petitions, hordes of people are just waiting for that Great Organizer to stand up and start speaking. All thanks to the Internet, a ready-made army of 99%ers, progressives, ecological activists, privacy advocates, human rights defenders and so on awaits the next Gandhi.
COP26 Day 12 | It’s finally crunch time
