Coercion - flight or flight, takes our freedom
the oppressor screams, the one recourse - submit or be submerged!
Care-filled creativity, in my heart the spirit kindles
third way thrown open before my eyes.
Why wait for liberation when in Christ's cross I am free -
here, now
-------
Why should I not want to follow Christ,
my joy
what could I possess that would not diminish it?
-------
Vivid memory becomes a dream,
where once walked I
a dream also
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
How are you voting on FRIDAY?
We vote every day, though we often do not realise it. Whenever we buy food or watch a film, we are supporting the people who made and sold it. Whenever I talk to people about the effects of their lifestyle and mention changing it, I always get the same responses: 'it won't make any difference' or 'one action won't change anything'. Yet, if I mention not voting, people get really cross: 'why aren't you taking responsibility?', and 'people fought and died for this right!'. I'd like to suggest that this attitude is a little hypocritical, and outline a few other means of achieving social change that, if we care about changing the world we live in, we should also participate in (although of course, this is by no means an exhaustive list!).
First, there's the boycott. Boycotting a shop, company, or even a country is arguably more effective at changing them than the way you vote, as you don't need a majority. For instance, if a company looks set to loose even 10% of its customers because they are unhappy with the way it is acting, that company will likely sort out its ethics pretty quickly! For instance the Stop the Traffik campaign, supported by people refusing to buy chocolate produced unfairly, has convinced big companies (including nestlé and cadbury), to start making some of their products Fair Trade. Just not buying stuff can make a difference!
Next, there's non-violent direct action. Although politicians may make beautiful promises, your vote means nothing if you don't hold them to account after polling day. There's a lot of people who are cynical about the more extreme forms of this, or even who consider it not worth protesting at all. However, consider this: 50% of the people reading this only have the vote at all because of people who were willing to demonstrate, to chain themselves to things, or even jump in front of horses! Non-violent action not only shows the state that people feel strongly about what they are demonstrating for, but raises consciousness among the people who see and hear it (prompting them to consider whether they themselves should be taking action). It's also a massive encouragement to the other members of a movement to see their brothers and sisters taking a stand against injustice! Come to think of it, some of the things we most value about our western democracies (such as votes for women, no racial discrimination), came about not because of political debates or 'X's on polling cards, but because people took to the streets!
Finally, there's the old idea of 'being the change we want to see in the world'. This can be really satisfying because, even if you don't effect the world as a whole, the few individuals you do help may have their lives changed considerably. A society is just the sum of it's parts - and we are the parts. Therefore, when our leaders are not working for justice, or are not doing it quickly enough, it's time for us to step in. This can be as simple as being loving in everything we do (after all, our problems come from hate - from un-love - in the first place). However, it can be much bigger than this. For instance, there are groups in the US that agree to support each other's health bills, and hence short-circuit expensive insurance companies, and beat the state to providing health care. One of the most beautiful examples though, comes from the 1930s and Gandhi's resistance of the british empire in India, where Indians were not allowed to make salt - Gandhi and his followers simply marched to the sea, and did precisely what the law forbade [1]. "It was illegal for Indians to make their own salt yet they were taxed heavily on the salt they brought from the state. The result was more hardship for the poorest to the benefit of the wealthy [...] Perhaps Gandhi was advised by friends on how to tackle this injustice. 'Go to Delhi and dump a sack of rice outside Lord Irwin's house', 'Find a way to put salt into his water supply', 'send bags of salt to London with a petition for tax relief'. But Gandhi did none of these things nor in any way petitioned the government or even protested the injustice. He could see that in this case the power for change lay in the hands of the people through making their own salt, thus rendering the state law impotent [...] Power isn't scared of megaphones and placards; he's scared we may turn our backs on him altogether."
During the last few weeks, I've spent many hours talking, reading and thinking about the current election. However, if I fail have even that dedication afterwards in seeking justice, am I any less apathetic than those who are insulted for not voting at all? Perhaps it is apt to finish with a quote (also paraphrased from Keith Hebden) "Fascists and racists gain power not because of what we do on election day, but because of what we fail to do on every other day". Whatever you do on election day, please remember: politics is so much more than a tick in a box.
[1] This is a (rough) quote from an article by Keith Hebden in the (free) magazine 'A pinch of salt', that looks at Christianity and Anarchism
First, there's the boycott. Boycotting a shop, company, or even a country is arguably more effective at changing them than the way you vote, as you don't need a majority. For instance, if a company looks set to loose even 10% of its customers because they are unhappy with the way it is acting, that company will likely sort out its ethics pretty quickly! For instance the Stop the Traffik campaign, supported by people refusing to buy chocolate produced unfairly, has convinced big companies (including nestlé and cadbury), to start making some of their products Fair Trade. Just not buying stuff can make a difference!
Next, there's non-violent direct action. Although politicians may make beautiful promises, your vote means nothing if you don't hold them to account after polling day. There's a lot of people who are cynical about the more extreme forms of this, or even who consider it not worth protesting at all. However, consider this: 50% of the people reading this only have the vote at all because of people who were willing to demonstrate, to chain themselves to things, or even jump in front of horses! Non-violent action not only shows the state that people feel strongly about what they are demonstrating for, but raises consciousness among the people who see and hear it (prompting them to consider whether they themselves should be taking action). It's also a massive encouragement to the other members of a movement to see their brothers and sisters taking a stand against injustice! Come to think of it, some of the things we most value about our western democracies (such as votes for women, no racial discrimination), came about not because of political debates or 'X's on polling cards, but because people took to the streets!
Finally, there's the old idea of 'being the change we want to see in the world'. This can be really satisfying because, even if you don't effect the world as a whole, the few individuals you do help may have their lives changed considerably. A society is just the sum of it's parts - and we are the parts. Therefore, when our leaders are not working for justice, or are not doing it quickly enough, it's time for us to step in. This can be as simple as being loving in everything we do (after all, our problems come from hate - from un-love - in the first place). However, it can be much bigger than this. For instance, there are groups in the US that agree to support each other's health bills, and hence short-circuit expensive insurance companies, and beat the state to providing health care. One of the most beautiful examples though, comes from the 1930s and Gandhi's resistance of the british empire in India, where Indians were not allowed to make salt - Gandhi and his followers simply marched to the sea, and did precisely what the law forbade [1]. "It was illegal for Indians to make their own salt yet they were taxed heavily on the salt they brought from the state. The result was more hardship for the poorest to the benefit of the wealthy [...] Perhaps Gandhi was advised by friends on how to tackle this injustice. 'Go to Delhi and dump a sack of rice outside Lord Irwin's house', 'Find a way to put salt into his water supply', 'send bags of salt to London with a petition for tax relief'. But Gandhi did none of these things nor in any way petitioned the government or even protested the injustice. He could see that in this case the power for change lay in the hands of the people through making their own salt, thus rendering the state law impotent [...] Power isn't scared of megaphones and placards; he's scared we may turn our backs on him altogether."
During the last few weeks, I've spent many hours talking, reading and thinking about the current election. However, if I fail have even that dedication afterwards in seeking justice, am I any less apathetic than those who are insulted for not voting at all? Perhaps it is apt to finish with a quote (also paraphrased from Keith Hebden) "Fascists and racists gain power not because of what we do on election day, but because of what we fail to do on every other day". Whatever you do on election day, please remember: politics is so much more than a tick in a box.
[1] This is a (rough) quote from an article by Keith Hebden in the (free) magazine 'A pinch of salt', that looks at Christianity and Anarchism
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