If you don’t like what you’ve got,
why don’t you change it ?
If your world is all screwed up,
re-arrange it. – Trooper
I live in Vancouver BC, a pretty place, as far as cities go, but the truth is, not much happens here. Sure, a lot of us watched the events unfolding in Egypt, and when the people got what they wanted, we went back to our usual programs. Hell, did we even have to touch the remote ? I couldn’t help but notice how quickly the major news outlets here switched from Cairo to reminding us that it was exactly one year ago when Vancouver hosted the Winter Olympics. Suddenly, all that mattered was that we re-live the glory of the games. Well give me a fucking break. The 2010 Olympics – no, the Olympics period, don’t even register on the scale of things truly significant, especially not when oppressed people are coming together and demanding change, re-claiming individual rights and freedoms, working together in the spirit of true democracy. I guess the media here figured it was all too heavy for us. So it did what big media does: it serves up a “healthy” distraction. And come to think of it, that’s just what big business does, and big politics too. They all just keep serving up more of the same old shit. Do you find the same thing happening where you live ? “Enough already,” I say. The status quo is not good enough…
… not when our governments continue to pour untold billions into the military, into needless wars and aggression,
… not when 40 million Americans are relying on food stamps,
… not when hungry kids go to overcrowded schools where they’re pumped full of information from antiquated curriculums,
… not when thousands and thousands of homeless people live on the streets of every major city,
… not when our kids are routinely medicated with powerful anti- depressants and behavioral modification drugs,
… not when our environment is being destroyed by fossil fuel extraction, monoculture farming, and urban sprawl.
The status quo is not good enough. What will it take for us, that’s you and me, our families and friends, our neighbors and co-workers… what will it take for us to stand up and say “enough” ? The people we elect will not do it for us, but we seem to forget this. One person or one party cannot bring about change, but a whole lot of people coming together can. We saw it in Cairo. We saw or heard about people linking arms, working with and caring for each other. Christians and Muslims standing side by side, even protecting one another when things got ugly. What are we afraid of, losing our way of life ? Please see above… our way of life will change, whether we like it or not.
Will it be chaotic if we all take to the streets, following in the footsteps of the brave people in Egypt, in Tunisia, and in many other parts of the world ? Of course it will be, but we can’t let that scare us into continuing with our complacent ways. Chaos is a necessary ingredient for change; it always leads to organization, until things needs to change again, which they always will. What if we were to welcome a little chaos in our lives ? We’ve given up a hell of a lot of power, to governments and corporations, to the media, and I think we know it. It’s pretty hard to be at peace, with yourself, or anyone else, when you feel you have no say, no control, no power. What about re-claiming what is rightfully yours ? That is, peace and power and freedom.
What does freedom look like to you ? Take the time to answer this, and then talk to others about what it means to be free. Stronger communities can begin with one conversation, one question, one tweet…
What is the real impact of the way you live ? Consider those around you, your community and environment, and those in other parts of the world.
What does democracy mean to you ? It is not what we have that determines our freedom, it is what we do. What actions will you take to bring about social change, environmental stewardship, freedom for all…?
Read Howard Zinn’s A Power Governments Cannot Suppress. That’s what we saw in Cairo. That’s what needs to show up on the streets of our cities, if we want real change, real democracy, real power for the people. Sometimes, to get a little peace (and more), you need to raise a little hell…
Peace and power my friends,
Patrick
