BLOG 64: Live and Learn...PLEASE!

"Be the change you want to see in the world." — Mahatma Gandhi pre-eminent political and spiritual leader

If one more person whinges in my direction about ‘the terrible state of the world today’ I will not be held accountable for my actions! I cannot believe that so many people have not noticed we live in incredible times where so many insolvable injustices have actually been resolved… often without a casualty.

This should be a time of looking at what we have achieved as human beings and giving ourselves a pat on the back that finally after over 100000 years we actually are starting to get the hang of looking out for each other. But what do we do?… whinge that things are getting worse and we have learnt nothing from a history stained with blood.

There is a popular myth that we human beings solve conflict through violence. That we don’t learn, that we don’t improve, that we pick up our spears, or swords, or guns every time we wish to end tyranny.

Did ANY of us actually live through the 20^th century at all?

Yes, I did notice that the world went to war twice. I did also notice that on any given day that century some nation somewhere was dropping bombs or laying land mines… I did.

But I also noticed in the century before this one… something started that is catching on .

Given that anything new takes a while to become the norm, I think we as humans owe ourselves a pat on the back for giving it go, not giving up and sticking with this new development. We’ve had some pretty fabulous results and if we all play our part we may have all contributed to offering an alternative to change foisted by war.

The 20^th Century is dotted with Nonviolent revolutions which increasingly have become more successful and more common… it is the way forward.

Most of my childhood was spent with the world I live in only having one enemy. I would not wish to count how many UK pounds sterling was spent on defending us from the threat of attack or annihilation of the hands of these people. They were a big nation, they were powerful and they had weapons that could take us out with the simple push of a button. They were the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). I was invited to visit with them as a schoolgirl, and they were mighty and pretty awesome and I recall feeling genuine fear as our party crossed behind the ‘iron curtain’. This nation stretched from Alaska USA to Karelia Finland touching borders with China, Middle East and most of Europe along the way. They influenced lands as far away a Cuba, and the folks who built a wall up half way through Germany. But in the end, this huge frightening demon who threatened our way of life since 1922 was declared officially dissolved on December 25, 1991. A bloodless end to what was supposed to be the source of the end of the world. What an achievement for mankind.

It’s only one of many bloodless revolutions that I can rattle of the top of my head….

The People Power Revolution that occurred in the Philippines back in 1986 was another such revolution. The good people of the Philippines brought to an end the 20-years of an authoritarian regime by holding a series of nonviolent and prayerful mass street demonstrations. Standing at the head of the crowds was the son of a market trader, Joveto Salonga, who had the backbone to inspire people that through their sheer numbers they could stand against injustice, oppression, and dictatorship. They successfully ousted President Ferdinand Marcos and made news headlines as "the revolution that surprised the world.

I don’t think there are many who can forget the word Solidarity. It seems funny to me that at a time when we, the mother of parliaments and democracy were taking rights away from our trade unions in September 1980 at the Gdańsk Shipyard, freedom was coming to Poland as the consequence of a trade union. Lech Wałęsa called his independant shipbuilders union ‘Solidarity’. They went on to oppose the communist government which led to semi-free elections in 1989. In the end a Solidarity-led coalition government was formed and in December 1990 Wałęsa was elected President of Poland.

Of course one of the coolest examples of people power was Velvet Revolution also known as “How to change the world in 2 months”. Communist Party of Czechoslovakia was overthrown in 1989 following ordinary people demonstrating in reaction to riot police over reacting in Prague. The demonstration ran for about a month with numbers swelling from a few students to an estimated half-million. Finally a two-hour general strike, involving ALL citizens of Czechoslovakia, was held on November 27. The following day the government (who had been in power since 1948) announced defeat and dismantled the single-party state.

Then of course the 21^st century has had quite a few bloodless revolutions too. There are far too many to mention but my favourite two are – The Orange and The Rose revolutions.

One million people wearing bright orange in Independence Square Kiev. It took a month, but it proved that in the Ukraine at least you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. The corrupt government were out and the will of the people was in.

It took a bit longer in Georgia, but bursting into government with Roses in hand… class! And what was even better was when the corrupt leader tried to raise the elite troops to squash the rebellion…. The troops declined! The President had no choice but to resign. The good people of Georgia celebrated the victory all night long, accompanied by fireworks and rock concerts…. Oh… and a whole load of roses!

Thing is we do evolve. We do learn. We realise we have the power to change what we don’t like not by violence by coming together to support what is wrong with our world. I started this blog quoting Gandhi the man who brought down tyranny through mass civil disobedience, firmly founded total nonviolence—which led his nation to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world.

I find it heartening that what he started in South Africa in 1893, which lead to India’s independence in 1947, lead to the down fall of statutory segregation in the USA in the 1960’s, which lead to the end of apartheid in South Africa in 1994. It all came full circle.

You don’t have to be big, or clever or well educated to change the world. You don’t have to be well funded or well connected. You just take a small step. Or in the case of one seamstress from Alabama… no steps at all.

In 1955 by virtue of a 55 year old law even bus travel in Montgomery Alabama was segregated by race. It didn’t matter that 75% of travellers on the bus were blacks: they had to sit in the sections from the middle to the rear, the front sections were reserved for whites only. On a December evening a lady was sitting in the middle section of the bus along with 3 other black people. The driver decided to reposition the section to increase the size of the white only section and order the 4 people to move. Mrs Parks, a seamstress was tired of giving in to an unfair law... so in her quiet and dignified manor declined. The bus driver had her arrested. A boycott of the buses ensued and heading up the boycott was a young and mostly unknown minister of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The boycott lasted for 381 days. The immediate effect of course was that dozens of public buses stood idle for months, severely damaging the bus transit company's finances, until the law requiring segregation on public buses was lifted. That little known Minister became quite inspired after that!

One small brave act became the start of something bigger. The long lasting effect of course is that a nation that was built on the horrors of slavery, and had continued onwards into the modern age with the effrontery to humanity that was segregation changed. It has progressed at a terrific speed towards being a nation that can almost live up to its own strapline as “The land of the Free, and the Home of the Brave.” It has also inspired other oppressed people globally - the same bus action was copied in township of Alexandria, South Africa in 1983, and went on to be one of the key events in bringing down the apartheid system.

I’m tired of hearing the people who don’t do anything about changing things whinging about the ‘state of the world today’ – whilst doing nothing to improve it.

Nothing in this world is unchangeable. We already have plenty of examples to show that each and every one of us has within us the power to bring on a better world. It has been shown that it can be done without guns, and bombs and death and suffering. It seems amazing it has taken us so long to get to the point where we realise that to achieve a goal we must first take a tiny step towards it. BUT we have. Let’s give ourselves some credit here.

Be warned - if we insist on buying into this myth that NOTHING ever changes and the world is a bad place it means that we will make ourselves blind to the moment when we are called upon to join those who are brave enough to take that tiny step… first. Because at the end of the day that was all those who initiated a better world ever really did.

But when they stepped, they looked around they saw to their amazement the rest of the world was right there standing shoulder to shoulder with them.

So please, let go of the myth, the world is NOT a bad place. Bad things happen of course but no matter what the odds, in the end righteous people fix it. Free yourself up to be the one who makes the first step, but if you aren’t ….then be ready to support who ever it is. As Gandhi said we have to BE the change we want to see in the world.

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