Monday, 14 April 2014

[Content Warning - discrimination, harm, wrongdoing] activism

When I was a small kid, knee high to a grasshopper, I became very disillusioned with Christianity for a number of reasons, one of which the presence of people who were called, at that time, ‘Sunday Christians’ – people who talked of love on Sunday, and stabbed you in the back on Monday, people who I now include in the term ‘neochristian’ (as opposed to people who are genuine about Christ’s message of love, who I term Christian). I’ve gone through similar experiences in other religions - for instance, people who don’t use Buddhism to make themselves better people (see here and here).
To me, spirituality is something that must be lived – and, if it includes love, or compassion, or wisdom, or growth, then in my view it must include attempts to help people and/or the world.
Those people include oneself, of course, but, just as charity is said to start at home, it doesn’t finish there, either.
There are a few other aspects of this concept.
Firstly, there is a balance between helping the world to be a better place, and improving oneself to be the sort of person who is good “no matter what”. Much of what I came across in spiritual movements (particularly New Age stuff) was based solely on working on oneself, and saw the world as a place for one to be tested: the concept that the testing could also be of what one could do to help people – particularly people not seen or known – seems to be utterly alien to those groups (and yet it is so innate to spirituality to me). That is quite true, and I’ve written about it: being able to develop, or to accomplish things in spite of circumstances, can potentially be good – but not when it becomes an excuse to leave those circumstances as they are for the next person.
In my opinion, acknowledging that there is a balance between improving the self, and improving reality, is a vital first step in being able to do something about deciding where the balance should be …
It is also vital to acknowledge that the balance point will vary, depending on circumstances, and the people involved … including their varying levels of spiritual evolution. This is as important as being prepared to acknowledge that evidence may show that our efforts to be of help may not be as good as we thought, and thus we need to adapt (particularly if circumstances change).
That is called wisdom, that objective summing of evidence and adaptation …
In terms of the pagan world, there are people who do much as the other religions do (fund raisers, letter writing, signing petitions and street marches), but where we can add so much, where our skill lies, is in the performance of magick (with full respect for free will!). We can summon energies to inspire, create energies to prevent conflict, and talk to the Goddesses and Gods that others don’t.
And that is exactly what I consider we should do, as pagans, in addition to anything else.
If this appeals to you, a starting point might be joining us in our Sunday evening meditation, or using the Hope, Peace, Love and Prosperity Spell, or committing to peace (here and here).


As of the time this definition was written, I’ve touched on this idea in the following posts:
Post No. 532 - Phagic attack
Reading
Warning! Warning! Warning! Major vent / rant ahead :)
Things are busy
A Frustration
A too-hot Sunday's miscellany
Weed control, and other weeds
An old set of notes for a post: daring to judge and daring to do
Fear
A few Friday thoughts: bullies, boot camps, genes and whistleblowers
Convenience vs. responsibility
Rapping (not the music)



PS - see also: 
  • “From the Lemkin Institute on genocide prevention / investigation [Note: Content Warning - mention of and links to documents concerning genocide. Reader discretion is advised]”   https://politicalmusingsofkayleen.blogspot.com/   This provides links to a genocide prevention toolkit prepared by the Lemkin Institute   
  • “Witches Unite for Palestine Mutual Aid: Raffle, History and Activism Fatigue”   https://youtu.be/2ckXM8QqLaw   This is, as usual, excellent, and has some outstanding advice starting at around 12:20:   “… what I'm bringing to you with the second phase … is literally take things at your pace. Do what you can, recognise the energy that you have, and do not castigate yourself for the things that - oh I can do more   …   I understand how easy it is from the, kind of almost echo chamber that we got in, being activists, because … you’re privileged to live in the Western World, you need to do more and I get that, but   …   you need to take care of yourself   …   [which] means that you retire and make your energy and bring it up enough so that you can do something again, because, again, when we are in a choir if you take a moment and you can take a breather, other people are holding the note for you; if you push and push and push yourself to burn out, then you go lock yourself in your room, you don't want to know anything else and at that point the choir has just lost a voice”    
  • “Strategy of Protest and Revolution 1: Basic Elements”   https://youtu.be/YeK1VAZrjso   I haven’t watched the subsequent episodes, which are based on historical examples, but there are some interesting points on social movements - including internal fighting, the benefits of organisation in reducing costs to participants types of organisation & context, types of grand strategy, worthiness, etc. Note that violence has now been clearly demonstrated to NOT be effective.     
and some useful better language guides that were circulated during the West Asia war that commenced in October, 2023: 
  • “American Jewish Committee's Translate Hate glossary empowers you to identify, expose, and report antisemitism. Click on the terms below to learn more about how antisemitic tropes, words, and symbols hide in plain sight - from the internet to pop culture.”   https://www.ajc.org/translatehateglossary   
Books to consider: 
  • "Magic for the Resistance: Rituals and Spells for Change" by Michael M. Hughes (Amazon)
A YouTube channel to follow:
Additional posts of mine: 



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