John Jensen to me, vlhamilton1, ascenddance
Hi Kate, Suzanne, and Lois--
It was good to talk with you a bit today, Kate. I'm not optimistic about the self-blinding direction the US overall seems to be pursuing in so many sectors of society. The Santa Barbara problems seem to have a lot of company.
Lois, I'm attaching a copy of my book, Finding Your Inner Lenin, that Kate and Suzanne already have. As I mentioned to Kate, I'm working in Yuma now till early September, and so could arrange a weekend round-trip to SB if it were warranted.
What would be warranted?
Let me explain my take on why changes seem so hard. In my book, I quote from Lenin: "If there had been a thousand headstrong people who knew what they wanted, we could not have taken power." We can tease some insights out of that sentence. It speaks to me about certain continua of development that do not occur by chance but only by conscious development. People need to see things in the same light, but also they need to be able to elaborate basic ideas into an ever more refined, on-target way of acting. The point of agreement about ideas (that in turn coalesce into a belief system) is that it should enable you to be better and better at doing something aligned with the beliefs. This is where simply a Progressive coalition (parallel to the Tea Party, etc.) meets a roadblock. What tends to happen is that a call goes out for all those who already agree about something. They come, they act, but they do not grow beyond their initial numbers because they don't understand the process of transmitting and growing. One of the markers of a healthy group is its capacity to replicate itself at a distance. So the Lenin quote essentially pictures the end-point of a process of growth--people who not only believe the same things but are so clear about them that they have a common frame of reference for acting--and acting then with personal sacrifice and commitment to their common belief.
The necessity of this growth process for a group that hopes to influence regional, state, or national policy is utterly basic. You start with just so many who agree up front and then you can't find any more. You face the fact that you don't have the numbers sufficient to determine overall policy directions. What then? Do you give up, or do you undertake a plan for increasing your numbers by actually changing people's thinking?
What people usually do is collect a small cohort of people who make great sacrifices just to get a toehold big enough to gather some money from contributors to broadcast some appeal to the larger society. This has happened over and over without success, so once realizing that this method doesn't work, you look at the alternative. You actually have to decide to have faith in people, that you're going to try to build people--help them increase their confidence, leadership, and knowledge, and then send them out to act in society while "having their back," while being there to support and sustain their efforts in common. So the effort of growth involves looking around at your own people and asking "What is the next step of personal development for every one of these folks?" and then undertaking those steps while simultaneously keeping them active in addressing the local, state, and national needs that call out for intervention.
This is what my book is about--the means of collecting the commitment and energy of people so that they can be more effective. A big factor in the beginning of an effort is that people can foresee a track of development, a means of taking steps one after another, that will get them somewhere. And this is what I believe is in my book. If a clutch of people committed to learning what's in it, I believe it would supply them the clues they need in order to have a powerful effect on their surroundings.
For the life of me, I can't think of anything else to do that has even a prayer of succeeding intentionally. Lots of things could happen by accident, and perhaps we "pray" for a deus ex machina to descend and set things right. But in regard to intentional behavior, I can't think of anything else likely to work.
Let me know what you think. Call me any evening at 928-726-2800 ext 220.
Best, John
AlterNet.com
ReplyDeleteDear friends (Boomers and otherwise),
Help us revive the Boomer-conscience!
Here is a big question for you: Will Baby Boomers—some of the 77 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964—become a powerful force by reconnecting to the ideals of our youth? Could Boomers, desperate for moral and political vision, join forces in our society and say: "We are going to be a positive force for change as we age"?
Of course, if you are reading this, you are probably already engaged, making positive contributions to change. But it will require banding together to leverage our power. Wouldn't it be inspiring if Boomers came full circle? If we used the strength of our enormous numbers, and our idealism? If we embraced the economic, environmental and social justice issues that will unite generations and help to create the better world that we so desperately need?
It Is Possible. It Is Necessary.
As a Boomer, I think it is possible. And given the direction in which our country is headed, it is a necessity!
We can see it as a generational responsibility for Boomers to play a strong, positive role in society, for our younger friends, colleagues and families, for our children and grandchildren, for everyone. It is vital that we develop a broader awareness, that we celebrate our roots and our history.
In fact, I think it is so important that we aspire to positive Boomer-consciousness that we at AlterNet are planning to establish a special Boomer Web site of thinkers, writers and participants—like you—to explore the exciting potential of a more liberated Baby Boomer generation, to jumpstart some creative Boomer thinking and discussions.
No one is really doing this. We can be ahead of the curve. But we need to do it together. I need you to participate, and I need your help. More about that in a moment.
An Antidote to Generational Conflict
It is easy to get the feeling that in some circles, like corporate media pundits, there is a conspiracy to blame Baby Boomers for economic fears about the future. Boomers are being scapegoated for being greedy and wanting more than our fair share at the expense of future generations.Thanks for hearing me out,
Don Hazen
Executive Editor