For anyone who's been paying attention to American politics in the last few years, one thing is abundantly clear: The discontent at our political class, our government and their enablers, is universal. From the Tea Party to Occupy Wall Street and everything in between, its easy to see that so much is badly broken, and that those tasked with trying to fix it, don't really seem to give a damn.
Even at the grassroots level, those who have appointed themselves "leaders" or those who have risen up through the ranks to be perceived as "leaders", don't seem terribly interested in truly finding a way to bridge the gap between left and right, so we can ALL work towards a common goal of a better present and future. From bloggers to talking heads on TV, to professional activists, we should remember at all times that they too have a deeply vested interest in keeping this false paradigm of left v right going. Money, prestige and power have DEFINITELY infected the ranks of grassroots activism on the right, and although I don't follow the left nearly as much, I imagine the same dynamic might exist there too.
But, you see, the opportunity for left and right to come together exists at every moment of every day. In my own experience, I've had friends who identify with Anonymous, friends who identify with the Tea Party, and friends who identify with conservatism all be able to coexist and actually get each other to laugh and to think. So the question becomes... How do we relearn how to truly become We, The People?
The thought of movements associated with the right and left unifying together at the grassroots level, away from political control, is probably one that terrifies all those invested in our false paradigm. From the politicians to the old media to the new media, SO MANY benefit from keeping us separated, from keeping us angry and fearful of each other, of keeping each other at each other's throats. Have no doubt that if we can make this work, we will be attacked relentlessly. But so be it.
But if it were possible, for just the breifest moment in time, for the many to come together and throw off the chains of the false paradigm that's been foisted on us... something amazing might happen, no?
If this idea were to ever truly take off, it seems the time is right now. Discontent for all parts of the political parties and their sycophantic whores is everywhere we look. There's no election to muddy our concentration on this thought of unifying. We can truly seize the agency of our own lives, right here, right now, and try to save this country before it goes up in flames.
If something like this were to take off, there's no doubt that it will be painful, awkward, and probably so daunting as to make many of us want to quit before it ever gets started. But something worthwhile like this, an effort to get We, The People together and out in the streets, out in our communities, out into the world, is going to be painful, hard and frustrating.
I think it's worth it.
What do you think?
