‘There is no political solution to our troubled evolution.’
~ from the first stanza of ‘Spirits in the Material World’ by The Police, 1981
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I’m just going to say it: there is no political solution. Looking at our world and our national and state governments from an objective, rational standpoint, it’s very obvious to me that there are no effective political solutions to our ever-growing list of social and ecological problems.
Like most people, I tend to get caught up and eventually trapped in all the drama and angst surrounding our endless parade of social and economic ills.
It’s SO easy to get caught up in the heated social and political passions of the moment that it’s also quite easy to forget — or even deny — that the basic underlying issue always comes down to human consciousness (or the lack thereof).
Consciousness is … everything
What do I mean by that? I mean that everything we think, say, and do flows directly from our ‘level’ of consciousness (I don’t really like the expression ‘levels of consciousness,’ but I haven’t found/created a better way to say it yet).
Think about it: if many, many more people saw and felt our planet’s ecological plight as a crucial issue, for instance, then many more societies and nations would be actively working hard — instead of hardly working — to do something about it.
Similarly, if many more people saw gender and racial equality as a ‘given’ that should always be honored and actively supported, then our societies wouldn’t still be stuck in — or even busily promoting — unfair, racist, or misogynist policies and laws.
Hard as it is to accept, I think it’s *true* that in terms of human affairs everything comes down to consciousness. It’s so very simple, really — yet when considering this truth we all tend to mentally thrash about and squirm uncomfortably … and usually refuse to fully admit this, even to ourselves.
Social regression and accelerating collapse
Why is that? Here’s one reason: We’ve been heavily conditioned to believe that thinking this way is ‘elitist’ or somehow indicates ‘false superiority,’ vanity, or some such nonsense. (Note: It IS an indication of ‘false superiority’ when applied indiscriminately on a racial basis as White supremacists usually do.)
In reality, though, we all need a good dose of clear and realistic thinking — these days especially.
After witnessing all the crazy, conspiratorial crap that’s passed for ‘politics’ in the U.S. over the past eight years, it’s getting ever clearer that, in terms of consciousness, our society is regressing and collapsing fast into a far less inclusive level of awareness and social caring.
What we call “Trumpism” is nothing but regression (or escape) into a ‘lower,’ more repressive level of consciousness and the accompanying ‘lower’ level of social and political response-ability (literally response ability).
Another way to put this is: Trumpism is a celebration of the fear-filled egoic mindset, and it promotes an angry, fear-filled, egotistical, and racist approach to life in society.
We’re smack in the middle of a vast and vicious ‘pendulum swing’
And all this, in turn, is an intense counter-reaction to the expanding equality and openness that were both growing in the U.S. over the past 50 years due to the feminist and civil rights movements.
Right now, we’re smack in the middle of a vast and vicious ‘pendulum swing’ here in the U.S. — with the pendulum swinging hard and fast toward increased racism, sexism, and discrimination against groups such as the LGBTQ+ community.
These intense ‘pendulum swings’ seem to be a permanent feature of our social and political lives — and this too ultimately boils down to … you guessed it, consciousness.
Love-in-action may briefly triumph, but then inevitably the pendulum swings back hard in the other direction — toward hate and fear.
It’s for that very reason that most enlightened beings or spiritual leaders throughout history — Jesus, Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., Joseph Smith (founder of Mormonism), and many others — have been mercilessly attacked and/or murdered. Those who are embedded in ‘lower’ (more repressive) consciousness often hate and fear those who embody a ‘higher’ (more open and inclusive) consciousness — and often work together/conspire to get rid of them.
The ultimate challenge for ‘progressives’
I’m not sure it’s even possible to understand exactly why there are so many ‘levels’ of human consciousness, ranging from utterly self-centered, cruel, and abusive to the most loving, far-seeing, and all-embracing. And I’m not sure we even need to know why this is the case.
We just need to know, and acknowledge, that this IS the case. We need to know and acknowledge that these ‘levels’ exist, have always existed, and apparently will always exist.
Then the question becomes: what do we do about this? Clearly, we can’t change this overall human pattern — since it’s always been with us, and isn’t going anywhere anytime soon (if ever).
I think the ultimate challenge for ‘progressives’ is to admit this to ourselves — and yet still focus on change and transformation and ‘fighting the good fight.’
Why, though? Why do it? Why keep fighting … and struggling … and beating our heads against the wall?
That’s a deep and truly crucial question for progressives to answer. My personal answer is this: deep down inside, social activism is just who we are — and we can no more stop caring and working towards justice and equality than we can stop breathing.
This activism can take many, many forms, of course. In general, though, I’d say that any activism that expects widespread, rapid, and lasting positive results is a set-up for failure and major emotional distress — because, as I’ve pointed out, often our efforts come to naught or are soon overturned.
I’ll say it again: sadly, there is no political solution. Even seeming successes and positive solutions often backfire, disappear, or spark fierce resistance and backlash. Yet apparently… we must keep trying and working at it because it’s who we are.
Finding a healthy, realistic approach to activism
Ultimately, I think a positive, healthy approach to activism requires acceptance of humanity’s current (seemingly permanent) ‘human nature,’ and a deep inner understanding of the incredible slowness of human evolution.
If we can accept these things — hard as it is to really do that — then I think it’s possible to continue working for social justice and human evolution without expecting much (if anything) in the way of rapid change.
IF we can keep our wits about us, and hold onto this awareness, perhaps it can free us up to be gentler, kinder — including to ourselves — and also … more effective. It can certainly help us avoid the dreaded ‘activist burnout’ and maintain our sanity and emotional well-being in the face of frequent loss or disappointment.
There is no long-term political solution — but we can still work to help heighten peoples’ awareness, encourage conscious growth, and help pass laws (hopefully) that will contain or restrain some of the worst, most selfish, most harmful human beings.
That much we can and should do; it’s not a solution — but it certainly helps.
In other words, we can keep working to limit the worst recurring damage and the most dangerous human beings, and push for positive change — while also acknowledging and factually accepting the dominant, recurring regime of (un)consciousness we’re always dealing with.
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P.S. Take a moment to check your thoughts and reactions to this essay. See what I mean about how tough this is to fully accept?!
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This post was previously published on medium.com.
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From The Good Men Project on Medium
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Photo credit: Brett Jordan on Unsplash
