"Wait, this is a rally and march, not a teach-in" some organizers will object. Well, why not partly a teach-in? Instead of wasting our time with talks that repeat the mantras that we all already agree upon, a respectful leadership should present serious education and opportunities for a serious discussion of the strategic directions ahead, and include among them the ideas of spiritual progressives!
Obviously we at the Network of Spiritual Progressives have a strategy about how to talk about the situation facing America-- and it's a strategy that we think could actually win majority support: the strategy of moving from the paradigm of domination to the paradigm of generosity, love and caring for others, articulated in a language that draws upon the shared spiritual experience of a country which is by everyone's account the most religious country in the Western world (80% of Americans say they believe in God and 60% say they pray at least once a week-- that's the majority to whom we have to appeal in such a way that they feel so outraged at the injustice and violence in this world that they refuse to elect anyone to office who isn't real about ending the violence and injustice once and for all). So, sure, read The Left Hand of God (it will be out in paper-back in late February, so you can use it for a study group if you want to bring some friends together to consider the possible impact of a spiritual progressive approach), and you'll get the strategy from which our Network of Spiritual Progressives emerged, and the Spiritual Covenant with America which embodies some of that vision (which you can read at www.spiritualprogressives.org, starting with the Core Vision). And as one Congressperson said to me while I was standing listening to the many speakers-- we progressives in Congess have been saying some of the ideas that you in the NSP have been articulating-- only you in the NSP have a way of saying it, a framing, that is better than what we have and we need to learn from you about it. Those were the words.
Any event, back to the rally as it was. There were dozens of touching and moving moments, and I only wish tens of millions more Americans could have been there and seen it to see the one thing that was most impressive about the speakers and about the people marching-- how incredibly beautiful, decent and good they were and are. {Again, let me thank the leaders of United for Peace and Justice for putting this together-- they worked hard, need financial support, and are playing a very valuable rolel}
During the subsequent march, I stood at one intersection for about an hour and watched as tens of thousands passed by (it took a full three hours for everyone to get passed that intersection). The amazing creativity, diversity both in racial, class and age terms (yes, finally there was a very large turn out of people in their teens and twenties, not much from the lost generation of people from 30-50, but then plenty of aging boomers and grannies for peace, vets and even active duty military people, parents of children in the military, people in wheelchairs, and many others). And at various times I just broke down cried for joy to experience the life energy and love energy flowing through that crowd, the goodness of the universe, the God of the universe manifested in human form, however temporary-- it was a deep religious experience for any who would open their hearts to it.
And yes, it was sad, because with all of it, we have not yet succeeded in convincing the millions of people who are agains the war that they could end it if they gave an unequivocal message to their elected representatives that they will be defeated in primary elections in 2008 unless they cut off funding for the war, and demand that the U.S. take the steps we've outlined at www.tikkun.org/iraqpeace. There still remains the tentativeness, the willingness to let their own elected leaders pretend to be courageous by voting for non-binding resolutions, and then coming back to their constituents and saying "see, I did everything I could be expected to do, because to do more would have been a risk for my future election." Until we let them know that the risk is more immediate from us, that we will not allow them to go unchallenged in the future when they seek our support, the charade will continue and so will the massacre and so will Guantanamo and so will the torture and the abuse of human rights, the undermining of our Constitution, and the willful deceits sent out by the government and repeated in ways that add credibility by many in the media.
Still, I went away very hopeful, exhilarated, excited, and hopeful that our movement for peace could open itself eventually to the ideas of the NSP and through that deepen its appeal to tens of milioins of Americans who sort of agree with us but are not yet feeling personally mobilized to stand behind what they sense to be true and right.
I was encouraged in that hopefulness when I met with about fifty NSPers at a gathering in another church Saturday night. It was a great opportunity to meet and talk to people from some chapters I hadn't visited-- and to engage in frank questions and answers and sharing of feelings and idea. These were people who were mature, smart, and devoted-- and I had a very good sense, just as I had when I spoke this fall in Minneapolis, Kalamzoo, Tuscon, Seattle, San Diego, and on some college campuses, that the message of the NSP is not only badly needed but readily understood and rejoiced in once we get people into the room to hear it, and that we are developing a crew of activists in our movement who can successfully get others into the room. So I again decided to offer that when any local group can get 100 people to sign up for a one-day or more training with me, I'll come and provide an intensive training in the NSP way of talking and thinking that I think will srengthen people's capacities to trust their own ethical and spiritual instincts and really apply them to the concrete situations we face as we develop programs and strategies for social healing and transformation.
So, that's my short report. Hope it was helpful to some of you.
Many blessings, and much love to all who yearn for peace.
Michael
Rabbi Michael Lerner Editor, Tikkun Magazine National Chair, The Network of Spiritual Progressives RabbiLerner@tikkun.org Author: The Left Hand of God (HarperSanFrancisco, 2006) and eleven other books.
P. S. One of the many media distortions: Jane Fonda started her talk by mentioning that she had not spoken at these rallies for 32 years because she did not want to make herself an issue which she knew the media had done and might do again, but that now it was impossible not to speak out. The media reported the part of her not speaking for 32 years and it not being possible to keep silent any more, but cut out the reason-- namely, that she didn't want to be the subject of the news reports. And, having cut that out, they then gave equal time from the rally of 150,000 to the 30 counter-demonstrators who were calling Jane a traitor-- thus, the media recreating the very focus that she and we had sought to avoid, while they avoided reporting on any of the critiques of the Bush Administration being made, much less the positive visions put forward by NSP or even the fact that this demonstration had a real spiritual component. Once again the media shows its "fairness" by ignoring the left (though the anti-choice demonstrations got a much fairer media response this past week when they brought 1/10 the number of people to DC==because the media, accused of being too liberal, bends over backward to give time to the Right and not to the liberal and progressive voices, while the right-wing media like Fox have no such compunctions and put out single-line versions of reality that have nothing to do wit h the facts but everything to do with their pre-cut ideology, and they have the courage to be unashamed at doing so, while "the best lack all conviction" and hence project the wish-washy-ness that makes many people afraid to depend on them. But lets end with a prayer that the God of the universe strengthen the hearts of those who want a world of peace, justice, love and kindness so that they feel empowered to act on their highest ideals and no longer cower in fear and trembling when others tell them that their ideals are "so unrealistic." If you can, please also read the editorial in the Jan/Feb issue of Tikkun (now on the news stands, but also a version of it is at www.tikkun.org).
P.P.S. Among the groups that cosponsored the interfaith church service on Saturday morning and with whom we hope to continue to work in building Generosity Sunday: and cosponsored by American Friends Service Committee Baptist Ministers' Conference of Greater New York and Vicinity The Buddhist Peace Delegation The Buddhist Peace Fellowship Catholic Worker Clarendon Presbyterian Chruch Episcopal Peace Fellowship Fellowship of Reconciliation Ministers for Racial, Social and Economic Justice of The United Church of Christ Pax Christi Shalom Center Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur TIKKUN United for Peace and Justice Unitarian Universalist Association
Rabbi Michael Lerner is editor of Tikkun and national chair of the Tikkun Community/ Network of Spiritual Progressives.
People are invited to subscribe to Tikkun magazine or join the interfaith organization the Network of Spiritual Progressives-- "both of which can be done by going to www.tikkun.org
Thank you, Michael, for sharing your unique perspective on the D.C. peace rally. I especially love your insistence that the peace movement must not merely call for an end to the war, but that we must couple that demand with our own idealistic vision of a better solution to national security: a national security achieved through the cultivation of a new ideology of caring and generosity and the implementation of an international Generosity Strategy (a Global Marshal Plan), rather than through the current ideology and practices of greed, domination and control.
I am so glad to hear that the leaders of the rally allowed at least a few minutes for your group of "spiritual progressives" to come forward and encourage the crowd to think for a moment or two about the underlying ideals and values which provide the deeper meaning and moral purpose for the antiwar movement. Hopefully this means that progressives in general are becoming more open to willingly acknowledge and embrace the moral/spiritual dynamic within themselves that is the driving force and motivation for the peace and social justice work that we do.
I get so tired of people on the left who want to cynically renounce and distance themselves from any talk of spiritual meaning and universal humanitarian moral values associated with our work. Let's be honest with ourselves. These values and beliefs are the underlying foundation for both the liberal programs that we advocate and for our democratic form of government. They're not the dogma of a particular religion, but rather the universally held values and beliefs of our common humanity and the founding principles of our country.
So we on the left should own up to our foundational spiritual values and ideals, acknowledge them proudly, let go of our cynicism and our fear of expressing spiritual concepts, and clearly affirm and articulate the moral imperative for social justice, and the spiritual dimension of social connectedness and community, with the idealism and passionate courage of our convictions. Thank you for showing the way.
by
my2cents (0 articles, 5 quicklinks, 3 diaries, 30 comments)
on Tuesday, January 30, 2007 at 1:54:08 AM
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