In search of a political revolution

By Diane Silver

I've spent decades working in politics as a political reporter in mainstream media, a blogger in the ungoverned wilds of the blogosphere, a staff member for both a candidate campaign and an issue campaign, and a gay rights activist.

I've come to believe that politics and activism are noble pursuits. They are, after all, the means by which citizens of a democracy move government and society forward. My goal has always been to do what's right, to help people, to make a difference.

For years, though, I've felt a bit lost. Oh, I keep doing the work, but I have this gnawing sense, call it an itch in the stomach, that there is something inherently wrong with the way we're doing things today.

This itch is turning into a knot in the gut and a fear that the way we do politics is creating as many problems as bad laws and corrupt and power hungry politicians.

This fear is not about any political party, activist organization or particular cause. It's about the attitudes held and the activities pursued by people of all political persuasions.

I've mulled this over for quite a while without coming up with many ideas about what a different way of doing politics and activism would look like. Luckily, I don't have to keep mulling this problem alone.

The idea that we need to do something different -- in essence, give birth to a new kind of political revolution -- is gaining steam.

Several new books tackle the issue from a Buddhist perspective. Mindful Politics was published in 2006. The Engaged Spiritual Life: A Buddhist Approach to Transforming Ourselves and the World came out the same year. Buddhist teacher Pema Chodron took on the issue in Practicing Peace in Times of War.

These are by no means the only books on the subject. They are just the ones I know about, and I welcome people's recommendations. I haven't had a chance to read all of those books, so I'll postpone commenting on them for the moment.

Today, though, I was thrilled to stumble upon a new column called "Spiritual Activism" by Carla Goldstein, director of The Women’s Institute at Omega. A longtime participant in politics and activism, Goldstein sets out her basic argument for a new kind of political revolution in her first column. I think she's dead on target with her assessment.

Goldstein writes (and the emphasis is mine):

As a young boomer I learned about activism from the civil rights movement, the women’s movement, and the anti-war movement—all groups that had to fight for power and rights. I carried that model into my own life as a lawyer and professional advocate, learning to trace a social problem to its source, which always had at its center a villain—a political party, a corporation, an ideology. To me, activism meant organizing with others to fight the villains to fix the problem, the operative word being “fight.”
...
(R)elationships are central to everything and really matter. Process matters. While an adversarial approach can often be effective in the short-term, in the long-term, we are perpetuating that which we are fighting against. When we are purely adversarial, the very mechanism we use to bring about more peace, compassion and justice, ends up creating the byproduct of fear, insecurity and anger. While the fighting model served an important historic purpose and may still be necessary in some circumstances, we need a new transformational framework that evolves beyond the ancient cycle of anger and war.

Goldstein proposes a list of "emerging principles" to guide this new model of activism. It's almost impossible to understand these principles without reading her longer explanations, but just to get the discussion going, here's her list.

1. Awareness, Compassion and Love
2. Interdependence
3. Empowerment
4. The Means Matter
5. Mindfulness and Presence
6. Paradox and Mystery
7. Seeking Balance
8. Open to Suffering
9. Beyond Proximate Cause
10. Living Our Values

I have one small quibble with Goldstein's approach.

I consider myself a spiritual and religious person, but I wince at Goldstein's use of the term "spiritual." Not only may the term push away potential allies, but it may also be inaccurate. Neither spirituality nor religion are the only paths to this new paradigm for activism. To call this "spiritual activism" is to imply that compassion and emotional maturity come only from one place.

Aside from that minor disagreement, I am thrilled to see Goldstein's entry into this important discussion.

It is long past time for Americans, in particular, to grow up. I fear that if we do not find a new maturity in our public life, then we will not be able to heal our nation.

Without that kind of healing, it may well be impossible to ever safeguard ourselves against terrorists and other dangers to our security, to protect our environment and meet the challenge of global warming, and to bring equality, fairness and economic opportunity to all our citizens.

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PHOTO: The sun rises over Lake Ontario to symbolize a new day and a new approach to life in the public square.