Indeed. Action (or activism) IS FAITH; IT IS LOVE, at least for me.
Often, my activist colleagues/friends used to express an incredible amount of hate toward the fisherman of Taiji, Japan, for the incredibly barbaric, torturous, and inhumane treatment of hundreds of dolphin pods: highly sentient closely-knit families.
These fishermen go out, about a dozen boats, from Taiji harbor at around 5am. We call them the “bangerboats” because they use a banging sound to disrupt, terrorize and disorient these dolphin pods who rely upon sound to live = echolocation (like bats) and drive them into a small “killing cove”, secluded purposefully. I was there to document this, constantly followed by Taiji police and the Japanese mafia was around as they profit in the ILLEGAL trade of Taiji dolphins.
But we need to look at the larger picture -
After these dolphins witness the psychologically excruciating, PAIN-filled, slow-stabbing of their family members and are forced to swim in their blood, the “pretty” ones are violently captured, and then isolated and starved in order to train / mind control to perform physically painful “tricks” for the aquarium trade. Each trained dolphin is valued at about $350,000 and more.
The bigger picture here? The people who buy the tickets to see these dolphin shows and a “picture-with-a-dolphin" venues. Capitalism, in a bad way.
But friends, our call is TO EDUCATE OTHERS. People are propagandized and that IS the problem!
So I say what I do is from a place of LOVE, NOT HATE, LOVE for these dolphins. I see all Non-human beings as my very own brothers and sisters. This is where my personal FAITH comes in. My Spiritual mentor: Francis of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, currently Franciscan Richard Rohr (www.cac.org). This is just one example of my own personal activism experiences. It’s out of LOVE, NOT HATE, and out of MY FAITH. Do I cry about it? YES, so much. Am I sad? YES, always. But I live through it, understanding my life-purpose is to fight for those human-voiceless, and I only find PEACE in where God resides, in Every-Thing.
Thanks for the comment, Maura. I do think there is an important place for righteous, protective anger. But you're completely right that the power of that emotion can control people. There's a reason that the most effective social movement of the last century in the U.S. was not only (mostly) non-violent, but incredibly disciplined and principled in that strategy. I'm not a pacifist, but that's a topic for another day... I've been slowly working on an essay on that topic for a long time.
The poet in me finds the "doomer" and "consumer" comparison evocative. As such, the title could also be "Are We Consumed?" Are we consumed by doomer negativity? Are we literally being consumed?...something that Trudell mentioned, the systemic feeding off of humans' minds and spirits, converting humans into energy to run their machine.
"The only way to guarantee failure is to never even try." I have used almost these exact words often in trying to rally those whose attitude is, "I can't change anything anyhow." These are profoundly difficult times, and self-extinction is a possibility we can clearly see. I used to feel much more happiness in my life. My happiness may be diminished, but fighting for what's right and sane is meaningful. Maybe living with meaning should be the goal, even it that means absorbing some pain. Meaning can't be taken. It's a choice about who you want to be.
It's possible to have absolutely no hope that humans will somehow constrain ourselves and stop the insanity before we are forced by so much chaos we have no other choice, AND choose to fight anyway. I fight for every square inch I can. We can do both. I don't use a label for myself, but I know plenty of people who do describe themselves as "doomers," who understand the reality of the predicament we're in and choose to fight anyway. One does not necessarily preclude the other.
I agree. The spectrum between the people you're describing and people who remain, in some sense, optimistic, is those who will take action. I get frustrated at those on both ends, although, of course, I don't control their thinking or behavior.
Love your writing, Max. I wish I lived closer to you. I'm utterly isolated in my circle of friends and family when it comes to environmental issues. I have tried so many things including sharing Derrick's books, the taxonomy of action graphic, starting a newsletter, etc. NOBODY is interested in the environment in my area. I feel so alone knowing how desperate things are and how much healing work needs to be done. It's not enough to be online.
Another issue is that many of the people who are doing environmental work have turned their backs on people who chose not to be jabbed or who do not affirm trans ideology. I know that you're in much the same position but at least you have a community who stands with you. I don't. Even the little I've shared has created distance between me and my friends and I am no longer included in many activities of the group. I'm ok being excluded and I'm ok being alone as I'm very happy with my life overall. But I, too, grieve the fact that the MOST important work that I want to do seems impossible to even start if I'm the only one doing it.
Of course, these may be excuses because heaven knows history is filled with individuals who've created massive change by themselves. I think I need to try harder. In any case, I'm always inspired by reading your posts. Thank you. ❤️
I hear you, and I've been in similar situations. I don't think it's enough anymore to just share ideas, because we live in an age of such information overload. People are inspired by action, and are desperate for people who can lead by showing the way. I hope this helps.
Thank you for this great piece, which resonates so much. I know I'll be returning to it to help guide my own writing and actions. Very grateful to have found this little corner of the Substack universe.
Excellent piece, I thank you deeply from my heart, your thoughts and your connections can help us expand our actions. I liked "We live in a culture ruled by patho-adolescents ruled by sociopaths," and "the true objective in a war is to destroy the opponents will to continue fighting," all so true. Reminds me of working with Joanna Macy years ago when we had 'The Nuclear Guardian Project" and the fire group, she lead us with "Despair and Personal Power in the Nuclear Age." As did Fran Peavey who wrote HEART POLITICS when with her despair she set up a card table in a train station in India with a sign "American wants to talk" sign. People lined up and mostly talked about their despair and fear of nuclear power and contamination. These issues will not resolve in my life time but I will plug away one step at a time, one meadow at a time, one tree. The divisiveness we feel today is horrible, may we overcome that pain and keep our faith in the innate beauty of our world. Thank you.
Hi Caroline, thanks for the comment. I had the chance to have a long phone call with Joanna a couple years ago to talk about Thacker Pass. She was wonderful. I'm somewhat familiar with the nuclear guardianship project. I actually have a longer-term writing project about nuclear power, and want to include that topic in it. Have you been personally involved in that?
Yes Joanna is wonderful, a true heart gem. And yes I am somewhat familiar with nuclear power as we met at Joanna's house regularly as we studied fission and fusion and what to do with the waste, Joanna being a spiritual warrior lead. I also made and still have a map on canvas 20 x25' of the U.S. with all the commercial reactors and DOE sites and more. Message or call me anytime, I am in Grass Valley. And thank you for Thacker Pass and beyond.
Over the years I've seen a certain collapseophilia, or love of collapse, occupy so much thinking, as if collapse is going to come and somehow save us. All along, we've seen the opposite, consolidation. What we are seeing now is yet more consolidation. It's terrible to watch, but waiting for it's collapse is not an option.
Hope and hopelessness seem like two sides of a coin that has no currency in nature. Nature strives no matter what. And we just have to do the same without thinking too much about it. This is life now. Not that it's easy. It's hard. Mutual support is therefor necessary and words like your help.
For me, the only way I can cope with the cruelty and loss is to fight against it.
Rob, thank you for the comment. I love the way you put that. You're such a brilliant writer. Sending all my best from afar. Hopefully we have a chance to connect in more depth at some point. As I may have told you before, I grew up in Seattle and still have a lot of connections to Washington State.
We are at a very unique and distressing time. Please look up Steve Bannon and his remarks about the transhumanist agenda of Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein. I really believe that civilization fighters might have temporary allies in the market place of ideas
Thanks again, Max, for this and all that you do/have done. As an eco-utopian activist, my sense of "doom" for the so-called "civilized world"--the misguided, life-destroying path that most humans are struggling to walk upon today--abides side-by-side with my "hopeful," or inspired, vision for the survival and thriving of eco-centric, alternative local communities that might possibly continue (in some fortunate locations), post-collapse. While fully experiencing the grief that we all share now, we simultaneously experience great joy and inspiration, especially when working with the young people of our grandchildren's age ("20-somethings"--I can't even try to keep those silly generation labels straight) who come here to the farm to learn and to share their own learnings with us. Who needs more inspiration and hope-giving than that?
Hey George! Thank you as always for your ever-insightful comments. I completely agree. Thank you for what you're doing. I don't know if you read fiction, but I just started reading a novel called "Moon of the Crusted Snow" by Waubgeshig Rice/Billy Merasty which dives into some of the themes you mention. I'm not far enough in to know the story in detail, but it begins in a small, isolated First Nations reserve somewhere in northern Canada, and the portrait of how communities like that will experience collapse is, of course, far different than the megacities.
Yes! That is a great read, and I liked the sequel to it even more, "Moon of the Turning Leaves," which deals much more with the alternative communities. I hadn't really been much of a fiction reader, until I found out about those two books, last summer. After I read those, I found out that a friend of mine, Dave Jones, had also written a post-collapse novel, "Oblivion's Cross," which I really enjoyed as well. It is set in your old stomping grounds, the Seattle and western Washington area.
Indeed. Action (or activism) IS FAITH; IT IS LOVE, at least for me.
Often, my activist colleagues/friends used to express an incredible amount of hate toward the fisherman of Taiji, Japan, for the incredibly barbaric, torturous, and inhumane treatment of hundreds of dolphin pods: highly sentient closely-knit families.
These fishermen go out, about a dozen boats, from Taiji harbor at around 5am. We call them the “bangerboats” because they use a banging sound to disrupt, terrorize and disorient these dolphin pods who rely upon sound to live = echolocation (like bats) and drive them into a small “killing cove”, secluded purposefully. I was there to document this, constantly followed by Taiji police and the Japanese mafia was around as they profit in the ILLEGAL trade of Taiji dolphins.
But we need to look at the larger picture -
After these dolphins witness the psychologically excruciating, PAIN-filled, slow-stabbing of their family members and are forced to swim in their blood, the “pretty” ones are violently captured, and then isolated and starved in order to train / mind control to perform physically painful “tricks” for the aquarium trade. Each trained dolphin is valued at about $350,000 and more.
The bigger picture here? The people who buy the tickets to see these dolphin shows and a “picture-with-a-dolphin" venues. Capitalism, in a bad way.
But friends, our call is TO EDUCATE OTHERS. People are propagandized and that IS the problem!
So I say what I do is from a place of LOVE, NOT HATE, LOVE for these dolphins. I see all Non-human beings as my very own brothers and sisters. This is where my personal FAITH comes in. My Spiritual mentor: Francis of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, currently Franciscan Richard Rohr (www.cac.org). This is just one example of my own personal activism experiences. It’s out of LOVE, NOT HATE, and out of MY FAITH. Do I cry about it? YES, so much. Am I sad? YES, always. But I live through it, understanding my life-purpose is to fight for those human-voiceless, and I only find PEACE in where God resides, in Every-Thing.
Thanks for the comment, Maura. I do think there is an important place for righteous, protective anger. But you're completely right that the power of that emotion can control people. There's a reason that the most effective social movement of the last century in the U.S. was not only (mostly) non-violent, but incredibly disciplined and principled in that strategy. I'm not a pacifist, but that's a topic for another day... I've been slowly working on an essay on that topic for a long time.
Superbly put Maura. Capitalism - Headstrong but so not wise.
The poet in me finds the "doomer" and "consumer" comparison evocative. As such, the title could also be "Are We Consumed?" Are we consumed by doomer negativity? Are we literally being consumed?...something that Trudell mentioned, the systemic feeding off of humans' minds and spirits, converting humans into energy to run their machine.
Wetiko energy.
I liked the symmetry of that line too, Mankh.
Wow. Powerful insight.
hi Rob, some of Trudell's talks and spoken word performances online, including album "DNA".
"The only way to guarantee failure is to never even try." I have used almost these exact words often in trying to rally those whose attitude is, "I can't change anything anyhow." These are profoundly difficult times, and self-extinction is a possibility we can clearly see. I used to feel much more happiness in my life. My happiness may be diminished, but fighting for what's right and sane is meaningful. Maybe living with meaning should be the goal, even it that means absorbing some pain. Meaning can't be taken. It's a choice about who you want to be.
It's true, and so often overlooked.
It's possible to have absolutely no hope that humans will somehow constrain ourselves and stop the insanity before we are forced by so much chaos we have no other choice, AND choose to fight anyway. I fight for every square inch I can. We can do both. I don't use a label for myself, but I know plenty of people who do describe themselves as "doomers," who understand the reality of the predicament we're in and choose to fight anyway. One does not necessarily preclude the other.
I agree. The spectrum between the people you're describing and people who remain, in some sense, optimistic, is those who will take action. I get frustrated at those on both ends, although, of course, I don't control their thinking or behavior.
Well put. PS I recently “enjoyed” your book and added it to my recommended reading list for my readers.
Hey, thanks Jan, I really appreciate that! I'll check out your writing.
Love your writing, Max. I wish I lived closer to you. I'm utterly isolated in my circle of friends and family when it comes to environmental issues. I have tried so many things including sharing Derrick's books, the taxonomy of action graphic, starting a newsletter, etc. NOBODY is interested in the environment in my area. I feel so alone knowing how desperate things are and how much healing work needs to be done. It's not enough to be online.
Another issue is that many of the people who are doing environmental work have turned their backs on people who chose not to be jabbed or who do not affirm trans ideology. I know that you're in much the same position but at least you have a community who stands with you. I don't. Even the little I've shared has created distance between me and my friends and I am no longer included in many activities of the group. I'm ok being excluded and I'm ok being alone as I'm very happy with my life overall. But I, too, grieve the fact that the MOST important work that I want to do seems impossible to even start if I'm the only one doing it.
Of course, these may be excuses because heaven knows history is filled with individuals who've created massive change by themselves. I think I need to try harder. In any case, I'm always inspired by reading your posts. Thank you. ❤️
I hear you, and I've been in similar situations. I don't think it's enough anymore to just share ideas, because we live in an age of such information overload. People are inspired by action, and are desperate for people who can lead by showing the way. I hope this helps.
Thank you for this great piece, which resonates so much. I know I'll be returning to it to help guide my own writing and actions. Very grateful to have found this little corner of the Substack universe.
Thank you Kira, I'm glad this can be helpful.
An excellent read and rallying call for those walking alongside, acting to create a future worth living.
Some great quotes & references , thank you 🙏
Thank you so much, Susan!
All I can say as a 77yr old woman ,urban farmer who is doing what i can.
"Well said".🌻🙏🏽I keep learning and listening.
Thank you, Brenda!
Excellent piece, I thank you deeply from my heart, your thoughts and your connections can help us expand our actions. I liked "We live in a culture ruled by patho-adolescents ruled by sociopaths," and "the true objective in a war is to destroy the opponents will to continue fighting," all so true. Reminds me of working with Joanna Macy years ago when we had 'The Nuclear Guardian Project" and the fire group, she lead us with "Despair and Personal Power in the Nuclear Age." As did Fran Peavey who wrote HEART POLITICS when with her despair she set up a card table in a train station in India with a sign "American wants to talk" sign. People lined up and mostly talked about their despair and fear of nuclear power and contamination. These issues will not resolve in my life time but I will plug away one step at a time, one meadow at a time, one tree. The divisiveness we feel today is horrible, may we overcome that pain and keep our faith in the innate beauty of our world. Thank you.
Hi Caroline, thanks for the comment. I had the chance to have a long phone call with Joanna a couple years ago to talk about Thacker Pass. She was wonderful. I'm somewhat familiar with the nuclear guardianship project. I actually have a longer-term writing project about nuclear power, and want to include that topic in it. Have you been personally involved in that?
Yes Joanna is wonderful, a true heart gem. And yes I am somewhat familiar with nuclear power as we met at Joanna's house regularly as we studied fission and fusion and what to do with the waste, Joanna being a spiritual warrior lead. I also made and still have a map on canvas 20 x25' of the U.S. with all the commercial reactors and DOE sites and more. Message or call me anytime, I am in Grass Valley. And thank you for Thacker Pass and beyond.
Thank you Caroline! Will do. Maybe send me a quick message via this link so we can connect directly? https://www.maxwilbert.org/contact/
Those feelings are important, Max.
Something that brings me comfort is my commitment to do what I can to heal this world and the beautiful life it supports for as long as I'm breathing.
Me too, Diana! Thank you.
Thank you for this, Max. Timely and needed.
Over the years I've seen a certain collapseophilia, or love of collapse, occupy so much thinking, as if collapse is going to come and somehow save us. All along, we've seen the opposite, consolidation. What we are seeing now is yet more consolidation. It's terrible to watch, but waiting for it's collapse is not an option.
Hope and hopelessness seem like two sides of a coin that has no currency in nature. Nature strives no matter what. And we just have to do the same without thinking too much about it. This is life now. Not that it's easy. It's hard. Mutual support is therefor necessary and words like your help.
For me, the only way I can cope with the cruelty and loss is to fight against it.
Rob, thank you for the comment. I love the way you put that. You're such a brilliant writer. Sending all my best from afar. Hopefully we have a chance to connect in more depth at some point. As I may have told you before, I grew up in Seattle and still have a lot of connections to Washington State.
Sounds good, Max. I may take a trip south this spring as well. All best.
Yeah, let me know if you're in the Eugene area, I'd love to get together!
Positive writing
Coming from a place of love & light
Thanks, Jason! Not entirely positive, but real, I would say.
Great speech! I can't agree more with what you said. I'm in this mind struggle as of now and this helped a lot. Thank you for your existence!!
Thanks Zane. I'm glad this helped.
We are at a very unique and distressing time. Please look up Steve Bannon and his remarks about the transhumanist agenda of Elon Musk and Jeffrey Epstein. I really believe that civilization fighters might have temporary allies in the market place of ideas
Thanks for the comment, Mark.
Thanks again, Max, for this and all that you do/have done. As an eco-utopian activist, my sense of "doom" for the so-called "civilized world"--the misguided, life-destroying path that most humans are struggling to walk upon today--abides side-by-side with my "hopeful," or inspired, vision for the survival and thriving of eco-centric, alternative local communities that might possibly continue (in some fortunate locations), post-collapse. While fully experiencing the grief that we all share now, we simultaneously experience great joy and inspiration, especially when working with the young people of our grandchildren's age ("20-somethings"--I can't even try to keep those silly generation labels straight) who come here to the farm to learn and to share their own learnings with us. Who needs more inspiration and hope-giving than that?
Hey George! Thank you as always for your ever-insightful comments. I completely agree. Thank you for what you're doing. I don't know if you read fiction, but I just started reading a novel called "Moon of the Crusted Snow" by Waubgeshig Rice/Billy Merasty which dives into some of the themes you mention. I'm not far enough in to know the story in detail, but it begins in a small, isolated First Nations reserve somewhere in northern Canada, and the portrait of how communities like that will experience collapse is, of course, far different than the megacities.
Yes! That is a great read, and I liked the sequel to it even more, "Moon of the Turning Leaves," which deals much more with the alternative communities. I hadn't really been much of a fiction reader, until I found out about those two books, last summer. After I read those, I found out that a friend of mine, Dave Jones, had also written a post-collapse novel, "Oblivion's Cross," which I really enjoyed as well. It is set in your old stomping grounds, the Seattle and western Washington area.
"Resistance is the secret of joy." -Alice Walker
Thank you! I love that.