I read Marjorie Kelly’s Owning Our Future some years ago, and it provided a lot of practical inspiration for starting Cosmos Co-op. Her new books take a more militant turn against the “bias” and “absurdity” baked into the capitalist system, where the accumulation of wealth is regarded as more important than life.
But she takes it further:
“Not only do we need to call out the bias and absurdity of the current system… but we need to take ourselves seriously as the next system.” [my paraphrase]
This reminds me to stay focused on the reality we want to create, not just try to be successful in the current reality; though it takes knowing how the system works to transform it.
She also talks a bit about the importance of language in this movement—which brought to mind @Lisa’s book. (Maybe tap her for a review?) Finding the right way to say things motivates awareness and action; whereas euphemism (as Orwell warned) perpetuates the status quo.
Or, recalling George Lakoff’s work: when you invoke a cognitive framework—e.g., talk about how sustainability is good for profits—you end up reinforcing that framework, i.e., the notion that profit is what really matters.
I also appreciated her quoting Robin Wall Kimmerer: “We are called to a movement made of equal parts outrage and love.”
Thanks to @SocioDaddio for letting me know about her new book, which I purchased. I’m glad I could catch the recording.
I can appreciate the wisdom in that Rumi quote, Michael. But there was something I heard in Marjorie Kelly’s voice that felt vital, reminding me that if we were really feeling what’s going on in the world—the slaughter of civilians, the murder of children, the destruction of ecosystems, the ruin of livelihoods, etc.—we would not be so passive; our feelings would have more fire in them; we would be moved to action.
Now, in all honesty, I have burned through a lot of my outrage and these days I’m more likely to feel disappointed, sad, and chagrined every time I hear of a new mass killing and think of how all those gun manufactures and weapons dealers are “making a killing” on the business of it all. What’s going to get us to a culture and civilization where it is simply no longer permissible to profit off other people’s misery?
We’ve been working on these issues of justice for hundreds, even thousands, of years. It seems to me sometimes it’s the fire of outrage that wakes people up to make a change, depose tyrants, change the law, create new societies. We can’t just sit back and wait for transformation. We need to participate. And that sense of outrage, combined and tempered WITH love, feels like potent fuel for the process.
Very Well said Marco,
My use of Rumi is very in tune with your come from in the "Try not to RESIST THE CHANGES that come your way!!! Which may include a Outrage like a Storm,Earthquake,
or
Breaking the Fucking Knot in the World today is …Seems to me a Task of How do we want
to Relate the Pain of Change & the Pain of Trying Not to Change. In my humble experience
Changes & Pain seems to Be what we need to Turn Toward and
Ride the Wave with Love & Outrage like U point to.
