The Co-Intelligence Institute website has an article about activism that looks beyond the adversarial, and views it from a more holistic angle. The idea of wholeness, integrated in the life of the community of persons involved, and in the larger community in which it operates-this seems more sustainable. It also has the benefit of allowing for flexibility in the response to various stimuli: there is a place for assertive passion, but also a place for integrative processes and systems that reduce the dissonance of groups who may start from a place of enmity. It can be small, as small as that cup of coffee, and large, as large as an effort to bring about major social change. It can be about respect, or about joy, or even mourning.
It seems to me that this approach may also better survive the inevitable ruptures that break down the process sometimes-because it's a life approach rather than a specific project that is limited in time and space. In this way it perhaps does resemble a spiritual path. But it does not require adherence to any particular sect or belief system.
I suppose it does require a sense of obligation to our fellow travelers, or to the community at large. To whom much is given, of him (or her) much will be required. We come into this world with no choice about our parentage, our socio-economic or political position, or the genetic pool that determines our inherent intelligence and capacity. Therefore what we have is a gift, and with it comes an obligation.
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