Why Some of Us Seek a New Strategy

Why Some of Us Seek a New Strategy

by Wade Hudson

In recent decades Americans have become increasingly ego-centered, task-oriented, impersonal, materialistic, fearful, angry, dogmatic, and undemocratic. Unsurprisingly, progressive organizations and progressive-minded individuals, embedded in the dominant culture as we are, often reflect those same characteristics. Fortunately, efforts are underway to undo that conditioning.

We become ego-centered when we care more about building our own organization than we do about the larger society. We fail to temporarily set aside our own issues in order to support the timely activism of other organizations.

We become excessively task-oriented when we concentrate on product and ignore process. We sometimes use noble ends to justify dehumanizing means. How we operate becomes secondary. Winning is everything. We fail to be present in the here and now.

We become impersonal when we reduce others to tools. These days more people have fewer close friends with whom they can discuss personal problems.

We become materialistic when we neglect the inner world of feelings and spirit.

We become fearful when we dwell on future risks and try to mobilize others by feeding their anxieties. The politics of fear leads to burnout.

We become stuck in anger when we scapegoat enemies and relentlessly try to defeat them, thereby reinforcing divisions and evading our own responsibility.

We become dogmatic when we refuse to compromise and live in an abstract world of ideas. In our lack of realism, we are escapist.

We become undemocratic when we assume that the most pressing task is to mobilize others to do what we want them to do.

For many people, these methods work fine. They care about one issue, want to help in the limited time they have available, and don’t mind being a cog in a political machine. Then they return to other priorities in their lives.

On the other hand, some of us seek ways that are more meaningful and productive. Even within tight time constraints and low budgets, we aim to grow caring, activist communities that infuse person-to-person and small-group relationships with contagious joy and compassionate attention to one another’s needs.

Eventually, nationally prominent representatives may provide us with more visibility. But personal outreach to friends and family members will likely remain the most important way to build our movement.

While working steadily to impact public policy, including (most importantly) national policy, we nurture loving communities of individuals who really listen to each other, enjoy each other’s company, and support each other in conscious efforts to become better human beings and more effective activists.

We make a clear commitment to ongoing self-development, which often involves reversing negative social conditioning. We admit mistakes and try not to repeat them.

Building our own organization is not the be-all and end-all. We cooperate with others in alliances and coalitions as much as possible. 

We work hard but still take time to smell the roses, commune with Mother Nature, and enjoy a wide range of human experience. We relax, set realistic goals, and accept our limits.

We pay attention to the humanity of our fellow activists, treat each other with respect and affection, practice compassionate listening and nonviolent communication, and strive to know and understand each other more fully.

We acknowledge our feelings and discuss them freely. Though we have different ways of discussing our spirituality, we recognize that the material world is filled with mystery that cannot be measured. The self is boundless.

We face our fears without allowing them to control us, so we can proceed to do what is before us while leaving the future to the future.

We acknowledge our anger, express it constructively if we need to, and let it go, so we can focus proactively on positive solutions.

We realize that all words are approximations that merely point to reality. By avoiding ideological rigidity, we face life honestly and concentrate on changing what we can change.

Through these efforts, we empower each other and hopefully become the models of compassion that a nation needs in order to be a true democracy dedicated to the common good of all humanity.