Weblog Entry - 09/12/2002: "9/10/02 What shall we do?""

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09/12/2002 Entry: "9/10/02 What shall we do?""

I spoke, last Saturday, at the Spearhead 911 Concert/Peace Rally at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park, at which there may have been 20,000 attendees. In terms of getting people out, general ambience, and communicating the understanding that a movement is rapidly growing, it was quite successful.

I have become quite impressed with Michael Franti. He seems to be unique amongst popular musicians in his humility and dedication to the work before us. He was the first person at the site on Saturday (at 5:30 AM), and one of the last people to leave. He took personal responsibility to see to it that the site was left cleaner than it was before the event, and was last seen in the dark, on top of the pile of garbage bags, placing the last additions to the pile. The next morning, Michael, Catherine Enny (Spearhead’s manager), and I, were among the first arrivals at the Teach-In at New College, which was a follow-up to the concert/rally. In addition to which he plays wondrous music with meaningful lyrics. I should add that Catherine did an amazing job of pulling both events together.

It is time, however, for a profound change in our collective standards. Most of the speeches at the event were a complete waste of time. Most of the speakers spent most of their time telling us how bad the situation is – which is something that 99% of the people in the audience were all too aware of – and why there were 20,000 people in the park rather than the 3,000 that attended last year. I have been hearing these same speeches for over 40 years, at virtually all the activist rallies I have attended over the years. It is not that I do not share their concerns and views.

Indeed, in describing the negative consequences to humanity and the United States of the Bush Administration, I would go further than most. We have before us a systematic looting and destruction of the fundamental infrastructure of the United States: our environment, our economy, our civil rights and liberties, are all being destroyed; along with our relationship to the rest of the world. If this administration can, it will initiate a war against Iraq. This war will so alienate the Islamic world, that long after the Bush administration is history, subsequent US governments will be trapped into having to deal with the profound enmity of (and perhaps war with) most of Islam.

The question is "what shall we do?" This is what needs to be discussed and addressed at peace rallies. If the speakers do not have answers, which is not unreasonable, as there is no clearly delineated path through the current miasma, then the question is: "how do we find and create answers?" What do we have to learn as individuals to be able to make a difference? What skills do we need to acquire? What do we need to learn more about? How do we need to change? How to we make ourselves a suitable tool for the work before us? What kinds of shifts in consciousness do we need to make?

What do we need to do to make our organizations effective? How do we learn to take care of one another, to love, trust and support one another? What do we have to do to create a model for how to live on the planet? How shall we speak to the rest of the country? What shall we say? What needs to change for us to be able to communicate effectively?

If we speak to America with anger, hate, self-righteousness, and scorn, how can we expect to be heard? How will we be different than those we oppose?

We must accept in our hearts that we are fellow human beings on spaceship earth, travelling together through time and space. Each with our own story, our own fears, limitations, hopes and dreams. Each the center of our universe.

One day, recently, I said to God (not for the first or last time), in prayer and anger, "why do you let us treat each other this way?" The answer came back (from whatever higher inner or outer source was given to me at the moment): "We are allowing you to decide whether or not mankind will continue to be the dominant species on this planet of mine."