As we approach Martin Luther King Day, the words of this great man continue to speak to the generations in a timeless way.
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. --Letter from Birmingham Jail
Here we are more than 50 years later and this truth remains at the root of many contemporary movements including Occupy, Idle No More, One Billion Rising, Unify, as well as various other environmental and social justice movements. That sense of solidarity with people everywhere, along with the principles of non-violence (thanks to inspiration borrowed from Gandhi) have become a template for much needed social change and evolution. Since ideas are like seeds, that are shared, planted and harvested year after year, Dr. King's dream has blossomed sweeter and more colorful with each turn of the wheel. His invitation to stand up and take action is possibly even more important now than it was while he was alive. In the spirit of Martin Luther King, a worldwide wave of action is brewing and a Global Spring is on the horizon.
Last January I wrote an article called Idle No More, Hints of a Global Super Movement that focused on multiple different movements that are born of common issues faced by people everywhere. The article was republished on Common Dreams and then to my surprise, went viral. I was merely reflecting the various inspired ideas that my community had shared with me and my solidarity with First Nations People in their struggles against exploitation. Apparently it struck a chord with many who are thinking and feeling along these same lines.
Ian MacKenzie furthered the meme with his popular Ted Talk, How to Occupy The Noosphere. He states:
I'm not talking about a revolution, this is metamorphosis... In the emerging paradigm we recognize that we are all interdependent. Everyone of us reflects the fractal-nature of the whole. You do not have to save the world alone. Treat every action as significant and tap into the acausal process of change. This is the realm of synchronicity, where the events of your life align according to a mysterious intelligence.
The ability to look at our current problems with an open heart and an open mind is becoming more popular over these last few years. Diverse voices in all arenas of public discourse are sprouting up in intelligent, creative and compassionate ways.
David Simon, author of The Wire and Treme, recently wrote a brilliant article. Understanding that the act of pointing out flaws in capitalism isn't necessarily a demand for socialism, Simon takes a balanced look at our current situation:
The idea that the market will solve such things as environmental concerns, as our racial divides, as our class distinctions, our problems with educating and incorporating one generation of workers into the economy after the other when that economy is changing; the idea that the market is going to heed all of the human concerns and still maximise profit is juvenile. It's a juvenile notion and it's still being argued in my country passionately and we're going down the tubes. And it terrifies me because I'm astonished at how comfortable we are in absolving ourselves of what is basically a moral choice. Are we all in this together or are we all not?
Edward Snowden, led by his conscience, risked a high paying job in Hawaii along with his freedom to share revelations with the American people about their own government spying on them. This act exposed gross abuses of power and led to an international inquiry. This is one person who decided that they could not sit idly and allow corruption to obstruct justice or the freedoms guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution.
Every single person stands at a unique vantage point to bring about the changes that are needed. Corruption is allowed to flourish when good people ignore their own conscience. There are threads that connect us all in the same web. Even if it isn't our shared ideas or perspectives on politics, or the economy, we share the same water, air and planet.
When we consider possible radiation from Fukushima raining on our children, or washing up on our beaches we realize how insignificant the borders between nations are. When we learn about the disaster in West Virginia or the radioactive plume leaking into groundwater in South Carolina, perhaps we can relate a little better to the destruction of watersheds in third-world countries at the hands of multinational corporations.
This is where political ideology has real world consequences, this is where injustice anywhere becomes injustice everywhere.
It is terrifying to consider what these corporations have done in smaller countries when we see the ways they get away with such injustices here in America. Consider BP and then consider that we have entrusted the nuclear industry with an odorless, invisible, tasteless radioactive pollutant without any real public oversight. What might they do when faced with a choice between paying millions of dollars in fines and risking a public relations nightmare, or quietly dumping it in the ocean when nobody is looking?
We live in a potent time, we live in a volatile time we live in a time of great change. We get to decide what that change looks like if we have the courage to stand up and respond for the sake of public health and justice for all.
There's a reason that people from all walks of life are starting to feel a sense of solidarity and urgency to act now, to stand up and do what is right. There's a need for organizations like Unify, who are working to stimulate the global immune system through synchronized meditations and gatherings. We can be sure that they have some tricks up their sleeve in the coming months as we build towards another globally synchronized meditation at equinox to honor World Water Day.
These idea-seeds continue to sprout and grow. Each emanation building on the other, creating a wave of excitement, possibility, and hope for the coming spring. Worldwide Wave of Action is spearheading a powerful networking platform for people to participate however they choose. They are calling it a "crowdsourced worldwide wave of action" and you don't want to miss this historic swell of social evolution. On Twitter, look for #www.
Is it the 99% for the 100%? Occupy to Unify? Is Anonymous Unanimous? Or is it just another Martin Luther King Day with boring speeches and false sentimentalism from politicians? You decide...
Take a stroll by Culture Collective to see more articles along these lines and be sure to share this through your social networks or leave a comment below. Martin Luther King left us a legacy of inspiration and wisdom to build on and the best way we can honor his legacy is to get involved and become the change we wish to see in the world. It will be peaceful, it will be creative, but most of all it will be beautiful! The seeds have been planted and everyone knows:
"You can crush the flowers but you can not stop the spring."