« “I had a dream.” Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of the United StatesTargeting Whistleblowers: Truth Telling Endangered »

When will direct action blossom?

June 15th, 2010

Mickey Z.

Anais Nin sez: "There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

I think of her words when I consider this question: How much more are we willing to tolerate before we take direct action? For those of you scoring at home, here is just a small taste of what we’re already enduring without any serious fuss:

§ Poisoning of our air, water, and food (including breast milk)

§ Global warming, climate change, disappearing honeybees, destruction of the rain forest, topsoil depletion, ocean acidification, overfishing, etc.

§ One-third of Americans are uninsured or underinsured in terms of health care

§ More than half of the world’s top 100 economies are not nations; they're corporations

§ Presidential lies, electoral fraud, limited debates, etc.

§ The largest prison population on the planet

§ Corporate control http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/ways-corporation.html of public land, public airwaves, and public pensions

§ Overt infringement of our civil liberties

§ Bloated defense budget, unilateral military interventions, war crimes committed in our name, legalization of torture, blah, blah, blah...

Before you know it, the US government will start spying on American citizens and detaining prisoners without charges while allowing corporations to ravage the earth in pursuit of profit, wiping out entire eco-systems in the process—oops, sorry…they’re already doing all that with limited resistance.

Frederick Douglass sez: "Find out just what the people will submit to and you have found out the exact amount of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them; and these will continue until they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress."

Every 24 hours, 13 million tons of toxic chemicals are released across the globe; 200,000 acres of rainforest are destroyed; more than 100 plant or animal species go extinct http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/countries-endangered-species.html ; and 45,000 human beings (mostly children) die of starvation.

So, let's repeat my earlier question. One more time, with feeling: How much more are we willing to tolerate before we take direct action?

Which brings me back to Anais Nin's poem. What is our pain threshold? When does inaction become more agonizing than the fear we all harbor about stepping up and challenging this destructive culture http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/green-muckrakers-action.html ? When will we decide that we are less afraid of the police than of living on a planet without trees, without drinkable water, without arable land?

Participating in sustained direct action http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/green-glossary-direct-action.html is not a popular choice. It could put us at odds with our friends, family, and community. It could jeopardize our careers. It could even lead to direct conflict with law enforcement officers. Scary stuff, for sure. But, as a thought experiment, ask yourself this: What frightens you more, being judged by your neighbors for getting ticketed for disorderly conduct or comprehending that 80% of the world's forests and 90% of the large fish in the ocean are already gone?

There are good reasons to be afraid. There are better reasons to be bold.

Could we be afraid of learning that much of what we've been taught is no longer relevant? Are we afraid to open our hearts and minds and start caring like we've never cared before? Maybe, just maybe, we're afraid of ourselves and of what were capable of accomplishing. Maybe Marianne Williamson http://www.marianne.com is correct when she suggests: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

It's time to blossom, comrades. Even with all the fear, pain, dread, and uncertainty we may (or may not) experience while blossoming, remaining tight in the bud is no longer an option…for us or for the planet. Just leap and the net may appear.

-###-

Mickey Z. is probably the only person on the planet to have appeared in both a karate flick with Billy "Tae Bo" Blanks and a political book with Howard Zinn. He is the author of 9 books—most recently Self Defense for Radicals http://www.pmpress.org/content/article.php?story=MickeyZ and his second novel, Dear Vito http://www.amazon.com/Dear-Vito-Mickey-Z/dp/0984096140?&camp=212361&creative=383845&linkCode=wss&tag=pressaction-20 —and can be found on the Web at http://www.mickeyz.net.

No feedback yet

Voices

Voices

  • Paul Craig Roberts Jobs Offshoring and Work Visas Are Means of Enriching Corporate Executives with “Performance bonuses” for Replacing American Labor with Lower Paid Foreign Labor, thus Reducing Aggregate Demand in the US From The Failure of Laissez…
  • By David Swanson Wouldn’t it be nice if the war in Ukraine were entirely one side’s fault, if the U.S. had one political party that did everything perfectly, if USAID had only ever caused either benefit or harm, and if all the self-contradictory…
  • Janet Campbell Image: Freepik When you care deeply about a cause, it’s natural to want to make an impact. But taking meaningful action in your community isn’t just about passion—it’s about strategy, persistence, and connection. Whether you’re advocating…
  • Paul Craig Roberts and Larry Sparano Discuss the Fight Ahead This is my interview by Larry Sparano of a few days ago prior to my learning, as I posted yesterday, that the temporary injunctions that judges are issuing against Trump and Musk’s activities…
  • Andrew Korybko Andrew Korybko's Newsletter The US could move its nascent “New Détente” with Russia further along by either forcing the G7 and UNGA Resolution sponsors to change their language about “Russian aggression” or refusing to attach its name to…
  • Paul Craig Roberts If there is gold in Ft. Knox, whose is it? Many bullion dealers believe that any gold in Ft. Knox is not ours. Over the decades the gold was “leased” to bullion dealers who sold it into the gold market, thereby protecting the value of…
  • Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirovic “Dresden was known as a city that was overcrowded by up to 500,000 German refugees from the east.” The Three Men of Slashing        It was in May/September 1945 when WWII ended – the bloodiest and most horrible war ever fought…
  • Robert David The so-called ‘free market’ was never free—it’s a stage-managed spectacle where financial elites dictate the rules, rig the system, and ensure that true competition never sees the light of day. What if the so-called 'free market' was never…
  • Chris Spencer Discover the powerful herbs and vitamins that support neurogenesis and neuroprotection, promoting brain health and resilience against cognitive decline. Key players like Bacopa Monnieri, Ashwagandha, Omega-3s, and Vitamin D provide…
  • Tracy Turner Discover how pro-Zionist media outlets shape narratives around the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. This article explores tactics such as framing and selective omission, which often portray Israel as a victim while overlooking Palestinian…
February 2025
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
 << <   > >>
            1
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
9 10 11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20 21 22
23 24 25 26 27 28  

  XML Feeds

Web Site Builder
FAIR USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted articles and information about environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. This news and information is displayed without profit for educational purposes, in accordance with, Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Thepeoplesvoice.org is a non-advocacy internet web site, edited by non-affiliated U.S. citizens. editor
ozlu Sozler GereksizGercek Hava Durumu Firma Rehberi Hava Durumu Firma Rehberi E-okul Veli Firma Rehberi