Donnerstag, 18. Juni 2020

Activism and maintaining relationships

https://www.lipstickandpolitics.com/love/maintain-activism-and-relationships

I read this and find that from her perspective it seems ok. I however have relationships based on results. Talk is cheap. People and results count. Do they have my back if I need their help, am sick at work? Are they ready to go the extra mile? Everyone has to pull their own weight as their health, age, fitness allows. Everyone belongs to some sex, racial, ethnic, religious background. Respect it, get along, be friendly when it's Christmas or Ramadan or MLK's birthday. Personality of the individual is unique. After you get past all the PC B.S. that is all that is real. If I end up somewhere I'll adjust to culture, language then settle down and learn to cope with people, make friends. As an immigrant and my parents were too, one learns to adjust or go under. Sometimes admittedly larger forces take over a society and we get swept up in things. If it is an issue wrt our group then we will become really involved but after awhile we go back to everyday life. Professional activists and the press need, like Hollywood, a topic to keep the 24 hour news cycle going.  If there isn't an earthquake, a storm or a war then maybe a riot. We get perspective on this by having balance in our own lives and experience but also by studying history, philosophy, religion. The more we know, the less superficial news bulletins disturb us as we can compare data and know how to research to see larger patterns. This is why a broad pattern of reading is important. A good list of autobiographies of all the Black American cultural and historical figures might provide balance now. From Booker T to Malcolm X and artist, musicians, authors or just submerge yourself in wikipedia and research as many of these as possible and the people who were on the other side as well as a general history of the times when they lived and obtain different perspectives on historical development. Get grounded, informed. If people are selling you a story on TV then research it. Most stories nowadays are emotional, not data driven. If they are saying hate Trump, then read his biography and watch his old TV show. Hate is bad. I sort of grew up on skepticism born in 60s riots, free love nonsense. They turned into egoistic yuppies. All the Jesus freaks live for mammon. Both sides a**holes. Idealism doen't last longer than individual enthusiasm. Gay marriage was a decades long campaign by those with a personal interest in the result, grassroots. Riots and violence with fearmongering and hatred will alienate and destroy. Civil wars are everywhere. USA is nothing new. Just read a book or two. The rich get richer laughing all the way to the bank as divide and conquer tactics of press works on the impoverished masses that they caused. When there is less to go around then different groups will fight over the crumbs. Billionaires are growing regardless as the world burns. Progress in basic attitudes towards race is slow at best as it took thousands of years for differences to develop, just like between the sexes. These matters are not solved on the superficial mental level That is 1% at tip of iceberg. The subconscious and physical, spiritual levels are the rest. Brazil, Mexico are more assimilated cultures than the anglo cultures in USA, Canada, Australia, NZ, UK. The old world generally has simmering tensions but many homogenous cultures since millenia. The American concept is not the dominant, just the current idea. Caste systems in India, religious intolerance between muslim groups, hatred between catholics and protestants in Ireland or the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians or small conflicts between subgroups in various African countries present since millenia are just examples.   Aurobindo dropped out of politics to change himself. Jesus said 'the poor will always be with us' and 'give unto Caesar that which is Caesar's' . Revolutions eat their children.

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