On The Cusp of Change – Or Disaster?

 “Will we make it?” - the question arises in this unprecedented 40 degree heat. Sad that the question has arisen, for never in human history have we gotten so close to creating the situation that would overcome our many problems. There were very good reasons why these were not resolved a hundred years ago. One major reason being the fact we were still beset with the overwhelming legacy of a brutal and oppressive system of domination. This legacy kept people from working together to make change, and made many question the need for change in the first place.

We know what those divisive legacies were. In the 1950s most people were racist – in the full sense of the term. Misogyny and homophobia were universal. Only an enlightened minority did not beat or terrorize their children. Authoritarian, repressive religions held sway. The vast majority believed what ever the government, media or other authorities said. As for ecology - “What's that?”

There was the left of course, and it was more advanced than most on these issues. But the left's emphasis was on the economy, which essentially meant the “White” male worker. Thus, the Old Left was an inch deep and a mile wide. It had a lot of support in the working class, but its challenge to the domination system did not go to any great depth. (Women were ideally to be housewives, homosexuality was taboo and the whole mega-project, eternal growth paradigm went unchallenged.)

The New Left arose in large measure as a response to these and other failures of the Old Left. We tackled that list with gusto – taking racism, misogyny, homophobia and environmental destruction head on. Initially, 90% of the population hated us for all of this, so you might say we were a mile deep and an inch wide.

Fast forward forty to fifty years and what you find is that most people, at least intellectually, are in favor of overcoming the issues the New Left raised. You might well say that the average person today has much of the consciousness of a 1960s New Leftist. People have also become more tolerant, caring and aware of issues than ever before. This is in spite of concerted and well-funded efforts to turn the clock back to the 1950s.

While consciousness has changed, it has yet to give rise to the economic and ecological changes that this consciousness implies. We still have the same old top-down highly undemocratic political and economic systems and the economy is still based upon plundering the natural environment. However, it is only a matter of time when, like water droplets wearing away a stone, this consciousness would force those changes upon the system. (No, I am not saying consciousness determines existence – the relationship is dialectical – the real existing world gives rise to consciousness, which in turn reacts upon that world.)

There is now a race between the impending climate disaster and the ability of that advanced consciousness to change the system to one that is sustainable. The one force that truly encapsulates that consciousness and unifies humanity in a most basic way (for our survival) is the global eco-movement. This is not small potatoes – combine the eco-movement with its natural allies and you have the greatest mass movement in history.

Just to begin with, the world's Green Parties and the new leftist parties which reject the neoliberal model have some twenty million supporters. There are the NGOs – the biggest of which is Green Peace with branches in 50 countries. But the movement – and this is a very important point – cannot be reduced to either parties or NGOs.These two groups are only the tip of the eco-ice berg (now melting) There are tens of thousands of small local or regional, grass roots groups. Combine the support for all these groups, and I think they outnumber parties or NGOs.

To this list you must add those groups which the eco-movement is friendly with – such as the world-wide Indigenous movement. There are millions of Indigenous people, Maori, Australian Aboriginals, Polynesians, Sami, as well as the Indigenous of the Americas. Then there are the groups who naturally gravitate toward an ecological consciousness. There are the radical and syndicalist unions which embrace the ecological approach. There is Via Campesina, the peasant movement with one hundred million members. You have spiritual communities like Buddhists, Catholic Workers, Quakers and others. Where else could you place organic gardeners, fair-trade advocates, animal rights people, and those who favour “simple living.” ? Certainly not with the plunderers. We have the “Greta Generation” - people not yet adults who know they will be the ones to suffer from run-away climate change. These youth are aware, like none other in history.

We are now both a mile deep and a mile wide. Will we have enough time to avert disaster? The time for change is NOW. If you refuse to change, at least get the hell out of our way!