Still Looking for Holistic Community (v.2)

By Wade Lee Hudson

NOTE: On August 30, I made substantial changes to the first version of this piece, mostly by adding more about the positive aspects of the conference.

Ever the optimist, I signed up for “The Future of Nonviolence: A Bay Area Report-back on James Lawson Institute” hoping to find an opportunity to plug into a holistic project that integrates the personal, the social, and the political.

Participants in The Future of Nonviolence report-back

The basic concept is simple. I seek an organization whose members clearly, explicitly:
1) aim for winnable improvements in public policy;
2) nurture the growth of a caring, nonviolent community, and;
3) support one another in their personal development.

The Facebook invitation stated:

Join us for a report-back on an 8-day meeting [in Nashville, TN] considering the past, present and future prospects of nonviolent strategic activism and its implications for the survival, restoration and evolution of the human family. A diverse group of Bay Area activists and organizers answered the call to attend a historical gathering to teach and learn on this important issue and will share the results and implications of this important meeting for their work going forward, 

The Rev. Dr. James Lawson, who had the opportunity to study Gandhian nonviolence in India for 3 years starting back in 1950, is arguably the single most important educator/trainer in the tradition of "nonviolent resistance" in the history of in the United States. His influence was critical in providing training in nonviolent theory and strategy in the early and ongoing development of the Dr. Martin Luther King's Southern Christian Leadership Conference and in the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, the two main organizations that provided leadership to the civil rights movement and guided most of its historical campaigns. 

In collaboration with the International Center for Nonviolent Conflict, Rev. Lawson appealed for a gathering of 21st Century activists and organizers from all over the country to examine the history and future of "Nonviolent Civil Resistance." This "nonviolence think-tank" is an unprecedented historical gathering--to take stock of the legacy accomplishments and accumulated wisdom of the nonviolence tradition, from Gandhi, King, the Occupy "Movement," and many other sources and expressions, leading up to today.

On the Facebook page for this event, Victor Lee Lewis also reported that the following quote was shared at the start of the closing circle in Nashville:

We seek friends, lovers, communities, who can see us, hold us, bear us. Frank Lloyd Wright said, “We create our buildings and then they create us.” Likewise, we construct our circle of friends and our communities and then they construct us--precisely by how they see us into being. Community is more powerful than willpower... For the real self to emerge, we urgently need a social network of appropriate self-objects who love, support, challenge, and sustain us. Such communities help us to accept and embrace all sides of our human nature. They do not continue to call up and reinforce our delusion of superiority (or inferiority). Rather, they help us to name it, and thereby expose it... A caring community can help us create a safe domain in which personal experiences can be expressed, expanded, and enriched. And in this safety we can have a brand-new experience of authentic, deeply personal experience. (An excerpt from "Yoga and the Quest for the True Self" by Stephen Cope)

This inspiring passage, which eloquently affirms personal development, prompted me to hope that this spirit had guided the Nashville conference and would guide future local efforts. 

Victor, Kazu, Celeste (Ruckus Society), and Tye (99Rise) reported that the gathering was inspiring and informative. The presenters offered extensive, valuable information on the history of nonviolent civil resistance as well as tools such as how to conduct power analysis and deal with violence-prone elements. Participants were able to download valuable PowerPoint presentations. The conference enabled academics and activists to interact and learn from each other to strengthen theory and deepen methods to move away from a hyper focus on tactics and clarify the value of strategy, unity, planning and discipline.  Many presentations were interactive and experiential. Case studies presented models that can be adapted locally. The periods of informal interaction were particularly rich. Overall, the participants were inspired by the conference. Considerable interest was expressed in working with the James Lawson Institute to convene local or regional events of a similar nature. The day after the local Report-back, Kazu posted the following on Facebook, with a photo of participants and a hashtag for an active Twitter feed that emerged from the conference: "#JLI2013!!! Watch out America."

But the tightly scheduled conference prompted at least some of the participants to conclude that the event was too top-down and one-way, with too many PowerPoint and video presentations. “They talked about the movement in a non-movement building way,” as Celeste expressed it. And most of the presenters and facilitators were White academics. When participants raised these issues toward the end of the conference, conference organizers seemed to be “blindsided” and failed to respond in a constructive manner. Considerable judgmental finger-pointing resulted.

This common phenomenon illustrates the need for activists to learn better how to treat each other with deep respect. Exactly what it means to be respectful differs in various cultures and sub-cultures. We need to avoid trying to impose narrow notions in this regard. And we may not need to pry into others’ inner experience. But a cohesive community does need agreed-on norms concerning key behavior, it seems to me.

And though I don’t believe that one approach would ever work for everyone, members of the kind of holistic community I seek would clearly commit to ongoing self-improvement (as defined by each individual) -- within the framework of some basic, general principles, such as compassion, nonviolence, and reconciliation.

Reportedly, the Nashville conference did not fully address underlying principles, such as the distinction between “philosophical nonviolence” which affirms nonviolence as a way of life and “strategic nonviolence” which focuses only on tactics. During a break, Kazu raised the issue with Rev. Lawson, who replied that he sees no such distinction. Kazu told us that he disagrees and believes, for example, that a commitment to “reconciliation” rather than “victory” is essential.

I agree with Kazu. If reconciliation is our goal, that decision impacts how we operate in many ways. We become less arrogant, strive to listen well, and are open to compromise, for example.

Unfortunately, it seems to me, to a considerable degree, such was not the case in Nashville (though the conference had many strong aspects). The focus was on strategy concerning how to impact the outer world, with little attention to how to nurture the inner change affirmed in Cope’s quote that was used in the closely circle. Whether a holistic approach emerges locally remains to be seen.

Ironically, the local report-back replicated the largely one-way dynamic at the Nashville conference, which prompted considerable laughter when everyone realized we had run out of time for enough dialogue before we had to adjourn. There was some last minute mention of a possible dinner conversation, but no decision was made.

Myself, I’m particularly interested in a dinner and open-ended conversation that would simply involve participants “speaking from the heart” as co-equals, with no specific agenda and no facilitator (or a rotating facilitator). Such dialogues, I believe, can be rich and deeply supportive.

Regardless, as I wrote on May 2, 2012 in “My Bottom Line”:

More than anything, I seek a joyous, compassionate community of progressive political activists who promote peaceful social transformation, focus on winnable objectives, and support one another in their personal growth, while accepting the time limitations that are common in the modern world. That is my bottom line. 

After decades of activism, I’ve concluded that progressive activists, myself included, need to overcome counterproductive habits that turn off potential recruits and create disabling conflicts within organizations. These habits include arrogance, one-upmanship, withholding feelings, impatience, and not really listening to others. 

I can no longer give my heart and soul to a project that does not encourage and support its members to nurture open-ended self-development, as defined by each individual (in contrast to specific skills training). Having been unable to find such a project, I’ll primarily continue to research, read, write, and dialog on these matters, try to advance the development of such efforts, and keep my eyes open for a holistic project that I can join.

In the meantime, preferring to avoid alienated relationships, I pursue truth, justice, and beauty relatively alone, with a few, disparate close friends with whom I experience reciprocal, mutually supportive relationships. I do so with a positive frame of mind, grounded in a course of action that feels right for me, grateful that by happenstance I fell into economic security and have good health.

Regardless, the Universe will take care of Herself. So as Kathy Kelly’s Iraqi friend said, “Don’t forget to love the Universe.”

Reader’s Comments, a Note, and Some Photos

NOTE

For the month of December, I’ve reserved a one-bedroom apartment 300 meters from the beach at Las Terrenas on the incredible north coast of the Dominican Republic on the Samana Peninsula, which was Franklin Roosevelt’s favorite destination on his yacht. The living room has a sofa bed and the kitchen is fully furnished, with wifi. You are invited to visit. For more info on the apartment, click here.  For more info on Las Terrenas, click here.

Martha Redbone at the 2013 Vancouver Folk Music Festival

Reader’s Comments

Re: Obama and Wall Street: Is There Hope?

This is a terrific article that brings the reader up-to-date on this critical national debate. The first part of the article asks the challenging question about where President Obama and Treasury Secretary Lew stand on the issue of pushing forward with banking reform during the remaining years of this Presidency. I found the comparisons to France’s Mitterand as well as Clinton very useful in gaining a historical perspective of the forces at play. But certainly the most compelling part of this article is the analysis of Wall Street’s political power and how banks and bond merchants manipulate access to capital for their own ends. You won’t find a better case than in this article for how to harness alternative sources of capital to serve the public good. The discussion about how some local banks such as Bank of North Dakota have gone in an alternative direction provides a glimmer of hope that we can reduce our dependency on Wall Street and establish a more diversified financial system.

--Michael Stein

+++

excellent piece Wade ...con paz

--Anonymous

+++

Of course not, what a silly question.

--Anonymous

++++++++++

Re: Alaska Reflections

On the Alaska Marine Highway ferry

Wade, this is for me the most resonant of any of your writings I've read. I can't stop to comment more on it now, but thank you for the post.

--Valerie W.

+++

 "If we knew in advance

what it would look like

it would not be

transformation.

It would be

a product.

We can only

go with the flow

if we want to be

creative."

Beautiful, insightful, spot on.

--Steven Shults

+++

enjoyed this entry very much

--Roger Marsden:

+++

Glad you enjoyed the trip. Perhaps Gandhi is right about starting from the inside out, the first challenge being to be the change we want to see in the world.

--Mike Larsen

+++

I enjoyed reading about your experiences and insights, and taking in your perspective on things. Great trip sounds like, lots of going with the flow.

--Anonymous

+++

Good one...really appreciated reading this.

--Anonymous

++++++++++

Re: Vancouver Reflections

The scholar's study at the Classical Chinese Garden, Vancouver

It's worth noting that Vancouver has been having an influx of capital from Asia for a few decades, creating a real estate bubble and generally helping the economy.

--Seb Paquet

+++

I haven't been to Vancouver, though I've been wanting to go for some time. I had similar experiences in Victoria many years ago, as well as some similar feelings while in Seattle and Portland (i.e., more white, more granola).

I also agree on SF.

Peace,

Dan

PS Also, I'm told that British Columbia has a carbon tax, resulting is less

pollution and more economic growth.

+++

Where I lived on the Canadian border, we didn't wear lipstick, etc., everyday either. Only for special occasions and now everyone is into casual, so, cosmetics are less everyday even in this era.

On 51% language. they may have been referring to language differences that don't necessarily reflect racial differences. French for instance is a national language in CAN

--Anonymous

++++++++++

Re: Zimmerman, Celebrities, Heroes, and Villains

Are most of us disempowered by a celebrity culture? I don't know. I can't speak to an amorphous "most." Maybe I'm too unreflective, but I don't think about heroes much. I just plod along doing what I can, when I can as I see needs at hand. I feel pulled to a lot of issues and events, but just have to deal with the limits to my time and energy.

--Anonymous

Obama and Wall Street: Is There Hope?

Obama and Wall Street: Is There Hope?

by Wade Lee Hudson

The federal government is beginning to clamp down a bit on big banks and President Obama’s new Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has recently declared:

It's unacceptable to be in a place where too-big-to-fail has not been ended. If we get to the end of this year and we cannot, with an honest, straight face, say that we have ended too-big-to-fail, we are going to have to look at other options.

But how far will President Obama go? His weak response thus far is not encouraging.

Understanding why Obama has been so timid is important. The answer is not that he’s a puppet, deeply aligned with Wall Street, or has been afraid of Wall Street's political power. The problem is deeper than that. Meaningful reform requires understanding Wall Street’s power. Only then can we counter its threats.

If Wall Street is unhappy, it can cripple the economy by loaning less money at affordable rates. Obama knows that, and no President wants the economy to tank while in office.

When Francois Mitterand was elected President of France in 1981 with majority support in the legislature, he implemented a number of progressive economic reforms. In particular, he increased the wealth tax and nationalized a number of banks (France already had two nationalized banks). One response from elites was “capital flight.” Many wealthy people simply moved their money to other countries. The French economy worsened and in less that two years Mitterand had almost completely reversed his 1981 reforms.

In the United States, in the early 1990s, President Clinton attempted to boost the economy out of a recession by increasing the federal deficit. Fearing greater inflation, many Wall Street bondholders sold their bonds because those bonds would be less valuable if inflation increased more than expected. This sell-off prompted higher interest rates on new bonds, which threatened the economy.

In response, Clinton decided to shift toward seeking a balanced budget. This dynamic prompted Clinton adviser James Carville to comment, “I used to think if there was reincarnation, I wanted to come back as the president or the pope or a .400 baseball hitter. But now I want to come back as the bond market. You can intimidate everybody.”

In 1984, according to Wikipedia, the term “bond vigilante” emerged to describe “a bond market investor who protests monetary or fiscal policies they consider inflationary by selling bonds, thus increasing yields.”

The 2008 financial crisis prompted a “credit crunch.” The big banks were reluctant to loan money to each other because they were afraid loans would not be repaid if more banks collapsed. This tightening made it more difficult for banks to make loans to consumers and businesses.

In May 2009, though interest rates on 30-year fixed mortgages were only slightly above 5 percent and inflation was tame, in an article titled, “Bond Vigilantes Confront Obama as Housing Falters,” Bloomberg.com reported:

They’re back.

For the first time since another Democrat occupied the White House, investors from Beijing to Zurich are challenging a president’s attempts to revive the economy with record deficit spending. Fifteen years after forcing Bill Clinton to abandon his own stimulus plans, the so-called bond vigilantes are punishing Barack Obama for quadrupling the budget shortfall to $1.85 trillion.

Like Clinton, Obama responded by emphasizing reduced federal spending, though the best way to reduce the deficit is to boost revenue with economic growth.

These instances indicate how Wall Street can “protest,” “challenge,” and “punish” Administrations that adopt policies that threaten to diminish its paper-economy profits.

This threat led Obama to focus on “restoring confidence” on Wall Street. He wanted to enable Wall Street to make enough money so it would loan money to Main Street. Against the advice of many close advisers, he decided not to confront Wall Street and the Tea Party filled the void.

Now Wall Street is raking in enormous profits. JPMorgan, for example, with $4 trillion in assets, reported $21.3 billion in net income in 2012, a third straight year of record profit. With that largesse, there’s no excuse for not pursuing meaningful reforms. And Obama no longer has to worry about getting re-elected. So perhaps more progress is on the horizon.

Still Wall Street claims that any significant reform will limit the credit that is available to consumers. So the question remains: Is trickle-down economics our only option? Must we always allow Wall Street greed to go unchecked? Is there some other way to counter the threats posed by Wall Street?

The bottom line is access to capital. When Wall Street jacks up rates or squeezes credit, it’s much harder to borrow money. Whether they do so for purely economic reasons, or as a political tactic, or some combination of the two is irrelevant. Whatever the case, we need to counter Wall Street’s suppression of the real economy so it can no longer hold the economy hostage.

Since October 2008, the Fed has been paying interest to banks who deposit with the Fed “excess reserves” -- money over and above what they are required to deposit. So banks have increased those reserves to almost $2 trillion rather than loaning that money to consumers and businesses.

In July 2012, Bruce Bartlett, a Republican economist, pointed out that the Fed could charge the banks interest on those reserves rather than giving them interest, as have Sweden and Denmark, which would probably encourage lending. If it did not, as Alan Blinder, a Democratic economist, stated, at least it would generate $8 billion in annual revenue for the federal government.

In light of this situation, in his excellent review of the financialization of our economy, “The “Bankization of America,” Richard Eskow argued for the Federal Reserve to “demand that banks perform their central economic function – responsible lending to consumers and job-creating businesses....” And Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders have echoed this position with their “Four Questions for Fed Chair Candidates,”

in which they ask:

What would you do to divert the $2 trillion in excess reserves that financial institutions have parked at the Fed into more productive purposes, such as helping small- and medium-sized businesses create jobs?

Even stronger measures could develop alternative sources of capital. As did John Fullerton, we need to question “why we give banks, responsible or not, the sole authority to create money for the economy” -- which they do by lending more than they receive in deposits. We need not rely only on banks to inject money into the economy.

Various proposals for alternative sources of money have been presented. Reformers have not coalesced around any clear consensus about the best course. The matter needs more research and deliberation. This lay author certainly has more to learn. But some of the more promising options include the following.

As Pulitzer-Prize winner reporter Jesse Eisinger wrote in “The Problem With the Fed’s Easy Money Policies,” the Fed could could bypass private banks and stimulate the economy by buying  municipal bonds directly from state and local governments to support infrastructure improvements. “If quantitative easing is necessary,” he concluded, “it should support investment, not speculation.”

Along the same line, in “Getting More Bang for the Fed’s Buck,” Stanford professors Joseph A. Grundfest, Mark A. Lemley, and George G. Triantis argued that the Federal Reserve Act should be amended to allow the Fed to buy municipal bonds with a maturity of more than six months.

Every Fed dollar spent in the muni market would absorb a larger percentage of outstanding debt and is likely to have a greater effect on reducing the bonds’ interest rates than the same expenditure in the mortgage market.... Lowering the borrowing costs for states, cities and counties should not only forestall tax increases (which dampen individual spending), but also make it easier for local governments to pay for police officers, firefighters, teachers and infrastructure improvements.

From the New Deal, we know the federal government can directly provide significant debt relief to small borrowers, including both farmers and homeowners. If the government can bail out Wall Street, why can’t it bail out Main Street? Robert Kuttner insists:

If the federal government got serious about this concept, it has plenty of resources through its feeble HAMP program to acquire distressed mortgages, reduce the principal to fair market value, and give the homeowner all of the break.

In addition, Kuttner argues that local governments can use their power of eminent domain to provide homeowners with basic assets:

There was money in the 2009 Recovery Act for local governments and non-profits to acquire abandoned and foreclosed homes.... A Homeowners Loan Corporation using eminent domain could be a full service solution. It could pull distressed mortgages out of securitized pools, provide principal reductions on both performing mortgages and ones where homeowners are behind on their payments. And it could purchase foreclosed homes at deep discount and convey them to nonprofit groups to be returned to the supply of affordable housing.... Even without legislation for a new HOLC, the government could use existing entities to perform this role.

In “The Debt We Shouldn’t Pay,” an incisive review of Debt: The First 5,000 Years by David Graeber, Kuttner concludes:

The original Federal National Mortgage Association (FNMA), nicknamed Fannie Mae, was a public entity. It used government borrowing to purchase mortgages and replenish the working capital of lenders. Public FNMA had no scandals, and when it was working effectively, from its founding in 1938 to its privatization in 1969, the US rate of home ownership rose from about 40 percent to over 64 percent. The trouble began when Wall Street invented complex, exotic, and easily corrupted mortgage bonds, and private Fannie began purchasing high-risk mortgages in order to protect its market share. The remedy is to restore Fannie to a public institution with high lending standards, not to kill it.

Public banks, owned by taxpayers, are another option. According to the wikipedia, the very successful Bank of North Dakota

has taken a role more akin to a central bank, and has many functions, such as check clearing, that might be expected from a branch office of the Federal Reserve. The bank does have an account with the Federal Reserve Bank, but deposits are not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, instead being guaranteed by the general fund of the state of North Dakota itself and the taxpayers of the state.

The Public Banking Institute reports:

The Bank of North Dakota makes low interest loans to students, existing small businesses and start-ups. It partners with private banks to provide a secondary market for mortgages and supports local governments by buying municipal bonds.

With measures such as these, we could reduce our dependency on Wall Street, establish a more diversified financial system, and develop new ways to provide loans to creditworthy consumers and businesses.

With adequate consumer demand, the economy would do well and Wall Street should be happy enough -- without being pampered by the federal government. And if their greed remains out of control and they become unhappy, then, if we don’t rely only on private banks to make loans, that could be their problem, not ours.

NOTE: Thanks to Bob Planthold for his assistance with this essay.

Music, Photos, and Videos

I just listened to my Spotify playlist of performers I heard at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival (which is really a world music festival), and I love it.

If you want to listen to (most of) my playlist, click here and follow the steps indicated to get Spotify on your desktop if you don’t already have it.

I said “most of” because apparently you will be unable to listen to four of the songs that are on my hard drive but not in the Spotify library. But you could buy them from Itunes like I did!

I believe for $4.99 you can get a free one month Spotify trial to avoid the commercials. Or you can get the totally Free version and endure occasional commercials.

My playlist includes 34 songs and lasts somewhat more than two hours.

I’ve posted photos of the artists included on the playlist (and other photos of the festival) on Flickr. The photos are in the same order as the order of the songs on the playlist.

To see the photos, click here.

If you hover your cursor over a photo, the names of the artists appear. If you click on a photo, it will fill most of your screen and the names still appear. From there, you can go through the photos one at a time manually, or you can click on the three-dot icon at the bottom right and click “View slideshow” for the photos to be displayed full-screen automatically.

I’ve also posted 115 photos of other parts of my trip. To view them, click here. 

Lastly, I’ve also posted 11 minutes of unedited videos, two of which are very rough because I left the camera on for several seconds unknowlingly.

To view them, click here. You can also automatically view the videos as a “slideshow.”

To review my commentary on my travels, you can read VancouverReflections and Alaska Reflections.

Alaska Reflections

Summary: Mesmerized on the ferry to Alaska, I see whales, dolphins, and salmon, re-encounter America in Juneau, have an epiphany, conclude I was wrong about “transformation” for 45 years, get stuck for seven hours at Greyhound, and get rescued by Brandon, with whom I have a rewarding conversation driving to Seattle.

On my birthday, I board the ferry to Juneau, a 58-hour ride. The impressive Alaska Marine Highway boat, the Columbia, holds about 1,000 passengers and includes three viewing lounges, cafe, restaurant, and a large theater with recliners where walk-on passengers like myself can sleep at night.

Passing through the San Juan Islands before sunset, I'm mesmerized by the beauty. For the next two days, I spend most of the day staring at the landscape of the nearby islands and coastline. It's like watching flowers bloom. The view changes ever so slowly as the ferry plows through the water. Why does Mother Nature never make a mistake? Why is everything in nature beautiful?

My break from being productive persists. I only take a break from my empty-minded meditation to take photos and share some of them with my Facebook friends when we near a cellphone tower.

The peace and quiet of Vancouver carries over to the ferry. Passengers in the lounges and restaurants speak only loud enough to be heard. Myself, I seldom talk to anyone, lost in my trance.

Once I learn I can remove seats to make a comfortable bed on the floor, I sleep well, which helps my mood. The first day was a bit difficult due to poor sleep in a recliner. Seeing whales and dolphins elevates my mood as well.

After three or four stops in small towns along the way, we arrive in Juneau. Several thousand cruise ship passengers descend to shop in tourist traps, including countless jewelry stores, a legacy of Juneau's gold mining history, and I get a taste of the America to which I will return. What is most striking about these tourists is how frequently I hear anger, frustration, irritation, and curtness, which I had seldom experienced for ten days.

On one occasion, I'm sitting down drinking a smoothie and a man nearby initiates a pleasant conversation about my drink and the Alaska Marine Highway. Then his wife walks up and without even a glance at me tells him, "Are you going to continue socializing or are we going to go do something?" He meekly explains that he had been bored in the store where she had been shopping. After 30 seconds, I walk away and wave goodbye to him. She never looks at me.

I take a tram that it is owned and operated by the local Tlingett tribe to the top of the mountain. The tribal information officer tells me that when the tribe demanded their land, they were forced to incorporate by a 1972 law, rather than live on a reservation. They will lose their land if they don't pay their property tax, but their many businesses have thrived, and they’ve preserved their culture.

After watching a film on their tribal history, I ask her about their history of warfare with other tribes. Though she's not sure, she agrees that the occasional wars probably only began after populations grew and competition for resources increased.

I also check out their sanctuary for injured eagles and listen to an excellent local string band.

The next day I go to the Mendenhall Glacier and watch a salmon run, but don’t see bear fishing for salmon as is common. The walk through the forest is peaceful. When I encounter a shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 30s and read an interpretive sign praising the New Deal, I wonder why the devil we don't have a CCC now.

Before leaving Juneau, I visit Sarah Palin's former home, the Governor's mansion, reflect on the irony that half of Juneau's residents are government employees, and wonder if she tried to privatize the Alaska Marine Highway, which is state-owned.

Heading back toward San Fran on the Kennicott, a much smaller boat with no recliners, I luck out and get a roomette for thirty dollars a night. And the cafeteria is adequate.

I shift toward being more productive. First, I finish Bob Dylan in America by Sean Wilentz, a historian I hold in very high regard. The book is a tour de force, exploring the cultural roots and influences of Dylan's work. I can hardly put it down to eat or sleep. Three points stand out:

1. Dylan is extremely well read, both in history and literature. He has said he could remember how to play a song after hearing it once. But apparently he has an incredible memory with regard to the written word as well, judging by how he has borrowed from poets and writers far and wide.
2. Decades ago, Dylan warned about the advent of tech-driven manufactured virtual reality. With the growth of reality television, infotainment, and other such constructions, his warning seems even more relevant today.
3. The development of "democratic Christianity" during the Second Great Awakening prior to the Civil War produced a new style of singing in churches that was more passionate than the gentility of the dominant Northern churches. This Sacred Harp music greatly influenced Dylan, (as did the raw power of folk, blues, and country music). The contrast between these styles of religious music reminded me of my impression that Vancouver is rather bland. 

After finishing the book, I begin to reflect on my future. There's probably no better place to meditate than sitting alone on the back of a ferry on the Inland Passage.

After thirty minutes or so on the second night, I set aside the long list of possible projects that had been running through my head all day. Instead, I decide to simply establish a loose structure for my life when I return and mostly follow whatever passions emerge to the fore, while continuing to take care of myself so I can help improve the world.

My last night on the ferry, after rereading two articles in the New York Review of Books, “Pure, Purifying, and Evil” by William Pfaff and “Getting Isaiah Berlin Wrong” by Aileen Kelly, an epiphany hits me like a lightning bolt:

For 45 years I’ve been wrong to push for holistic “transformation.” 

Doing so is counter-productive, because it is arrogant. Then I write the following:

Sitting on the back deck
of the ferry
alone
dark skies above
patchy clouds
only a few stars
the lights of some unknown
small city
in the distance
the wake of the boat rushing by in white foam
I reflect on two articles
in the New York Review of BooksI just reread
and conclude that
for 45 years
I have been wrong
on a key point.
To push for “transformation”
personal or social
is foolhardy and dangerous.
To foster collapse,
forcible revolution,
or total conversion
rarely leads to lasting, positive growth.
This method is a future-oriented abstraction
an ideology.
A wiser course
is to face what is in front of us
here and now,
improve it as best we can
bit by bit
moment by moment,
and see where the process takes us,
respecting that most people are coping as best they can
with love in their hearts,
knowing that none of us knows for sure
how our neighbors should live.
Someday we may look around
and see we're in a “transformed” world
with transformed individuals --
that we have experienced
an evolutionary revolution.
Or we may conclude
we are merely much improved.
Or we may conclude
it does not matter what term we use.
Regardless, no blueprint applies.
If we knew in advance
what it would look like
it would not be
transformation.
It would be
a product.
We can only
go with the flow
if we want to be
creative.

The next morning I disembark and a comedy of errors with Greyhound leaves me stranded at the bus station. Brandon rescues me by driving up from Seattle.

On the return trip we discuss my new thoughts extensively, including the definition of transform -- to change the structure, character, and/or appearance. We consider how it might be possible to have transformation in the back of one’s mind as a possibility, rather than a primary goal. To try to force transformation may be like trying so hard to go to sleep, one stays awake. When someone says, “I want to help transform you,” many people understandably resist.

Brandon resonates strongly with my new direction. He particularly relates to the formulation, which I picked up from some source that I don’t recall, that if one knows in advance what it will look like, it is not transformation. Brandon returns to the last phrase of “Pure, Purifying, and Evil” which I had quoted – “…humans do not change” -- and said he agreed. So I ask him what alternative language might be better. He says, “People don’t change, they grow.” I love it, and give him a high five. There are exceptions of course, but as a general statement, it rings a bell.

I’m not sure about this line of thought and will give it more consideration. But at the moment, I’m now inclined to disagree with the “Be the Change Interview”  that I posted during Occupy San Francisco and change the title of my manifesto from “Transform America” to “Democratize America.”