“The greatest mistake of the movement has been trying to organize a sleeping people around specific goals. You have to wake the people up first, then you'll get action.” ― Malcolm X
I posted that quote on my facebook page yesterday, and I got this from a reader-
"I like this, but ask: What if the people don't wish to be awoken? What if they're so tired every day from the working to survive and put food in their mouths, and a roof over their heads that their energy is gone, their spirits at their lowest depths for the worry that if one more thing happens "this house of cards" will fall, that the only choice of information to even hear is owned by two entities and you're too exhausted to search for the truth, and having been physically and mentally beat into the ground by just trying to live that there isn't much left to either wake let alone organize around a goal which is constantly being "wagged" like the dog? As a devils advocate I ask these things as I hear these things every single day. Hope, belief, energy, and truth are in short supply these days."
This is one of the things I treasure most about social media; the ability to have an open dialogue. We need to be talking. We need to encourage thought in people; a new thought, a letting go of old belief systems that hurt the believer, and the planet they live in.
Here is my response- "I think, in this situation, those who can awaken do so for those who can't. I do believe that any one and everyone stands to gain from waking up consciously- there is no freedom without it. The life you describe sounds like one of drudgery, that's not freedom. Freedom is a state of mind, reworking our belief systems, refusing to be a slave and have our lives doled out to us. But you are correct, I think there are those who won't, or can't, and that is why those who will and can do what they do- not for their own well being, but for the well being of all. I don't, for example, run this page for my own sense of satisfaction. I run this page for others. Maybe one person will read one thing that gets them to thinking, changes one small way they conduct their lives that has a positive ripple effect on the planet, and liberates them, little by little.
Its like in the Matrix- Morpheus says to Neo- there are many minds we can not free. They are too hopelessly inured into the system. That is true here and now. It makes me so sad to think of it. And most, unlike the picture you paint, have no idea how enslaved and ensnared they are. Its a comfortable sort of slavery, with tv and the internet, social media, iPhones- gadgets and distractions and addictions abound. It feels like we have choices. But the choices are manufactured to not really leave you with a choice they wouldn't want you to make. Its like the white man coming and giving the Native Americans alcohol. They loved it, they wanted it, they insisted on it, and it helped destroy their entire civilization."
It is one of the most nefarious stories in all of history, in my opinion.
The majority of the United States will never understand how damaging alcohol has been for Native Americans, perhaps more devastating than any disease, gun, massacre, or policy. The perfect colonizer, alcohol has no conscience. It feels no remorse or regret for the modern holocaust it has caused. Alcohol has also led the dominant culture to view Native Americans as nothing more than a statistic, a stereotype for the likes of Mike & Molly and countless other shows and films. I wonder whether anyone even finds the sad old joke funny anymore. Stereotype aside, the most significant impact of alcohol on Native Americans is how the disease takes root like a parasitic plant that can affect every aspect of life, even including the potential death of its host. Take a look at many of the issues afflicting contemporary reservation communities like domestic violence, health disparities, rape/sexual assault, dropout, and suicide. At least one factor at the heart of all these social ills is alcohol.
From a blog by Andrew Bentley- see more here- http://blog.nrcprograms.org/alcohol-its-different-for-native-americans/
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| The best way to control a population? String them out on drugs or booze. |
I don't want to make it sound like the encroaching Europeans brought alcohol to the native Americans, initially, knowing it would destroy them. It just so happened that they had a weakness for it. But once this was recognized, it was utilized. In addition to the massacres and battles, much of the destruction of the culture was caused by this weakness. We now understand it wasn't a moral failing, some sort of sign that they were weak people- they simply had, and have, no defense against alcohol. To this day, it is the detriment to many Native Americans, and continues to wreak havoc both on and off the reservation. (In 2010, 5 million beers were consumed by 14 Native Americans on the Pine Ridge Reservation, CLICK HERE to read more)
Why this is important for us to keep in mind is because history repeats itself. We are currently being given the very tools of our own enslavement-its how the 1% (or, to be more accurate, the .01%) stay in that category of the socio-economic bracket, and it was ever thus. In feudal systems in Europe, the serfs worked to provide goods and services for the 1%. They were given a measure of security against the barbarian hordes by doing so- although this was mostly an illusion. It is also an illusion, here in the US, that we are living some sort of American Dream. We can compare it to the lives of others in the world and feel lucky. When we see pictures of starving children, we marvel at how lucky that we don't live in those conditions. But that's setting the bar awfully low. We could just as easily look at countries where there is free health care- if we look at those countries, we wouldn't be so enamored of Obamacare. We are a powerful country, and we COULD have free healthcare. Why don't we? Why do we settle for this ACA? In our low income neighborhoods, there is a dearth of healthy food, there is a high rate of incarceration (which is something this country excels at- incarceration. We have the highest rate in the world by far) because its big business. there are a lot of foods being touted as healthy by the FDA, even though a lifetime consuming them cause a plethora of diseases (high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, autism) for which they offer us Big Pharma- another huge business, and so convenient that the foods that are most readily available to the bottom 10% are known agents for these chronic and prevalent diseases. And the entire 99.99% are kept quelled by social media, by slanted reports on the evening news, by focusing on the apparent intentions of the two parties- who are really two sides of the same exact coin...we are mollified by thinking we have choices. There is a lot to choose from on the Value Meal menu, but its all the same shit. Same with our government. Same with our lives. They have lulled us into a false sense of security while they flay us alive.
The comment the Shake the Hive reader made, above, really provoked me. It speaks of a life that is doled out to a typical American. The weariness that comes from the drudgery of what is expected of us. The wearing down of our spirit so that awakening isn't an option, or isn't desired. it takes too much energy. One wants to just come home after a long day, feed the kids and trance out watching tv or scrolling on facebook. Its the reason why a picture of a grumpy cat will get 10 million likes and a meme about global warming will get 10. Everybody just wants to feel good. Please stop reminding us that there is stuff we should worry about.
Not everyone can wake up. Not everyone will. When I was in the jungles of Central America a few years ago, I was told that the significance of 12/21/12 was more about a shift of consciousness. There will be those who wake up, and those who don't, and the fate of each will be very different, according to how they have chosen to live. What that means can just be guessed at, but when I look around, it makes sense. There is a feeling of freedom that comes from being aware of how one's actions- from consumer choices and carbon footprints to personal relationships and self knowledge- affect the whole. In that accountability comes the ultimate freedom, which is counter intuitive but no less true. This is a heavy responsibility, but one that removes the shackles of society, of drudgery, of the norm, of the grind. I have written a lot about this- The zombie apocalypse is already upon us- CLICK HERE to read more. Its already here, and happening, people are deeply apathetic, shuffling along, getting annoyed by anyone trying to shake them out of their stupor. They want to be blind, to be numb, to be comfortable. They seek their own comfort like zombies seek brains. Their aggressive desire for convenience and commitment to apathy is the toxic waste that will eventually destroy us all. Those who wake up have a responsibility to act in ways that counteract the bad habits of others.
Even as I write this, I get tired. My lord, there is so much to fight against, so many ills in the world, so much greed and corruption. We need people to wake up. Its not enough to just be resigned. We need numbers. We will fight for those who can't, we will be a voice for those who can't speak, we will live in ways that support the well being of the planet, and I for one will be saddened by those who are resigned and apathetic, or living in an illusion, pretending this is still a democracy, and that they still have the freedom to choose, that the planet isn't in trouble, that our government seeks to take care of us, that their children will have blue skies and fresh air, that Sea World is still a family place to visit, that we will enjoy internet freedom forever, that things will basically remain the same for most Americans and those who are alarmed are liberal freaks.
Definitely, living inside the Matrix has its allure. The real life, the life of Zion, lacks many creature comforts and illusions of safety. I think many people would choose the pleasant lie over the (seemingly) gloomier reality- and that's the crux of the matter. THEY know this. They will continue to lie. And we will continue to choose to believe it, just as the Native Americans continued to drink the alcohol that the Europeans provided and that helped wipe them out. Why do I say 'seemingly gloomier'? Because real gold doesn't glitter. It isn't a lie. It isn't obvious, and so those with shallow perceptions will not see it for what it is. Zion is filled with gold. That's what happens when you wake up- you are able to see it.
Occupy Yourself!
xoxo,
Shake the Hive
Ashley Dane
