Have you ever watched a ladder truck race out with their sirens howling on their way to a fire? Have you ever noticed the guy in the back with his own steering wheel? They need that second steering wheel in order to maneuver around corners and through traffic. It is the same with cultural changes; culture does not turn on a dime. We have to work at all levels to bring about change: the personal, the political and the global or mythic level.
Consider the environment, as an example; we have made incredible progress at the mythic level. In fact, one of the reasons some folks contend we started the Iraqi war was to force the issue of Alaskan oil drilling. Environmental protection is so embedded within the American psyche nowadays; the only way to get past it is by evoking scarcity and the threat of terrorism. Now we could always hope that scarcity would help us in promoting alternative fuel sources, and it has. But we need to continually steer this change at all levels.
And one-way is to stop making SUVs the enemy.
Why do folks buy SUVs? Because it is today’s station wagon. Didn’t you ever ride in a station wagon as a child? It was a place to put all your children, your stuff and had horsepower to boot -- not a bad deal. The SUV is, at a mythic level, today’s version of the pioneers’ wagon. You cannot fight a symbol with that much mythic juice.
We need to instead find ways to make public transportation and high mileage vehicles and hybrids the mythic choice. What would be a better mythic level tactic? Well, consider your own habits. Why do you drive less, drive a high mileage car and ride share as much as you can? Oh, you have made these choices right? So you already know first hand why anyone else would choose similarly?
It always starts at the personal level. Examine the mythos within your personal decisions that reflect the changes you want to see in the world. And express that image, symbol or myth within the public sphere. Poets, musicians, artists and filmmakers express the mythic, and we, as activists, must learn to do it too.
Another example, how do you resolve conflicts with your neighbors, your co-workers, drivers in traffic, and within your home? If you don’t understand how or you do not actively engage in conflict resolution in these spheres, how on earth are you going work for peace in the Middle East or anywhere else for that matter?
From The Personal to The Mythic
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sweet! :-)
You are usually able to annunciate what I do not have words for. Thank you!
Much love,
-Eridanus
INTJ here. I hear what you are saying.
"what is remembered, lives". It was with sadness that I read of Wilma Mankiller's passing. She won't be forgotten.
"...Weaver, Weaver weave this thread, whole and strong into your web...Healer, Healer, heal our pain...In love may she return again..."
While student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I became friends with Carl Rogers, who was respected as one of the leading psychotherapists of his time. He taught me much about the art of listening.
Dr. Rogers said that when we listen, and people know we are listening, it shows we truly care about them. In turn, they will respond by caring about you. It opens communication and also opens hearts. When we accept them as a person, unconditionally, they will be more kind to you.
We should listen without preconceptions, without anticipation and without judgement if we want others to portray what they truly feel. We listen with all our senses, not just to the words which are said. Some people cannot fully express themselves while speaking, so we must try to see them as they see themselves. We should watch for non-verbal clues as to what they really mean: facial expressions, body movements, etc.
While we should show positive regard for the other person, we should also demonstrate our own positive self-regard. We do not react to their negative comments, verbally or physically, even when we disagree with them. When they do ask for our opinion, however, we should respond with our true thoughts and in specifics rather than generalities. We offer our own perspective as other options rather than as contradictions.
Listening might seem quite passive as opposed to speaking. It is actually very active. To paraphrase Bobby Kennedy, “I learn while listening. When I talk I don’t learn too much.” If you think talking helps to spread your own wisdom, you are not really wise.