My wife and I are in the car this afternoon. I'm ranting about some aspect of the current sorrow of the world. My wife says, "Is this (she's referring to the rant) good for you." I pick up my phone, and there is your essay. I say, "Let me read to you what Max has to say." I read your conclusion to her. Ha! I'm in the spiritual trenches with you, buddy!
Thanks for this article, even though you are forced to admit you are a flawed human being. (grin)
First, all of the people I know who attend public protests are not mentally ill, not stupid, sincere in their beliefs, not prone to violence. Good people in their everyday lives. Some are devoted to one or more cause, some only publicly protest in response to what they consider an egregious event or in protest to the actions of elected and appointed leadership in political and business arenas.
What they share, in my opinion, is frustration. They feel powerless in the face of what appears to be their lack of control or even influence regarding the bad and unfair things that happen in the world. They want them to stop, and they want someone in power to listen.
My experience with causes is that rarely does marching, shouting slogans, waving signs, etc., make a difference. It's what happens behind the scenes, but it does not start in formal hearings, board rooms, and the votes of a legislative body after the headlines.
How does change happen? Here is a summary of the advice that I would give clients who had figured out that public protests might feel good at the time, but maybe are not effective politically except, perhaps, to bring capricious media attention to the cause; the equivalent of its fifteen minutes of fame.
1. Individually and as a group, you build influence by getting to know the people who have the power and authority to make change. And this can take years. Because the people you don't like have been making plans for years, usually in secret. You want to know who actually makes decisions that lead to action. Maybe not the people who stand in front microphones and pontificate - the power behind the throne. There is often one key player in charge.
2. This might mean rubbing shoulders by serving on boards, attending meetings, and volunteering for the same nonprofits that they support. You find out where they hang out, who are their buddies, and what is important to them, meaning their selling point. Meaning, are they concerned about money? Personal reputation? The support of a particular cohort? Their own cause?
3. Build your personal network of influence. Find people who agree with you about this issue, even if you don't agree on other issues. Build trust and respect by supporting their issues: donating time and money, serving on their committees, writing letters, etc. I think most cause-driven people have blinders on and don't actively look for possible partners outside of fellow travelers. Okay, you don't agree about A and B, but what about C and D? Your network should include honorable people who might be political opponents, but will tell you the truth.
4. Be known to the individuals in the professional media - reporters, editors, columnists, podcasters - as someone civil and trustworthy. You tell the truth, the whole truth, and you don't cherry pick the data to put your cause in a better light. You don't exaggerate. You don't dehumanize opponents or come up with nasty nicknames. You admit mistakes. You don't propagate false information, so you meticulously check sources and references before forwarding information. You know the difference between a fact and an interpretation or opinion. Media professionals will never be embarrassed if they print your news. If you lie, by intent or accident, to them, there goes your credibility and the credibility of your cause.
5. Do the grunt work - read widely - not just people you agree with - write letters, show up to testify.
6. Build connections with people before there is a crisis, when everyone is still speaking to each other.
7. This being Earth, and not Vulcan, people will often support you because they like you personally, not necessarily because of your logical arguments.
8. Show gratitude and thank people a lot - in the media, in politics, etc. Your name appearing on their phone should make them want to return the call, not delete. You should be known as being decent to everyone, if when you disagree strongly. And you have your act together regarding relationships with employees, coworkers, bosses, neighbors, etc.
I could go on, but this is the gist of it.
Two examples from my father's career in the Midwest, my first political mentor.
1. My father worked for Cook County government (Chicago) in the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s, when the mayor was one of the most powerful and corrupt politicians in the country. Dad stood up to him on an issue and won because his employees were loyal to him and the Chicago media liked and trusted him. Also, Dad had already planned on being fired, which included a family meeting, since if the situation blew up it would make headlines. So he could confidently go into the offices of the Machine, knowing that our family would survive the consequences.
2. We moved to Wisconsin. Dad wanted to build a free clinic in our new home, but the powers that be were at best indifferent. Took him twelve years to build the political base needed to make it happen. The clinic still exists.
Everyone has a different way of interacting with the world. Marching is the short game in my opinion; the long game is an investment that might take years to pay off.
I adapted this from a persistent theme in the book, "The Sutra on Perfect Wisdom (in 100,000 lines)." When I wrote it, I used this story to illustrate the idea that there is no such thing as individual freedom of choice; but in the context I suggest it here, that original purpose may seem obscure. To see the connection, imagine the world we observe today as mere theater wherein all actors are merely illusions upon the stage of reality -- YOUR reality, for you are the reality of all that you experience! Ultimately, you are the reality of all possible experience, which means that not only do you witness this theater, but in effect you are, in different guises, every actor in every scene, so that you may witness all possible experiences from all possible angles. Such entertainment!
Ralph was beyond unhappy. He had wandered down a miserable path and into a dark forest. He recalled the words that The Poet saw: “Abandon Hope.” But he said to himself, “So what.”
Ralph heard a voice from the side of the path: “Hey, Ralph, got a minute?”
Ralph turned to look where the voice came from, and there in the woods stood some old guy dressed in a magician’s hat and robe, waving his hand for Ralph to come over. So, Ralph went to him, since there was nothing else to do. How did the magician know Ralph’s name? Well, he was a magician, wasn’t he.
“Show you a good magic trick, Ralph?” “Sure.” So, the magician waved his hands in the air, and there appeared in the woods the image of a great landscape. In this magical place there stood all manner of people and animals, and all kinds of trees and grasses and other natural things. Ralph was amazed.
“Just watch,” said the magician as he waved his hands again. The people and animals moved quickly. Life was unfolding rapidly in the image. Ralph saw how these creatures were all fighting and struggling with one another, fighting over a patch of ground, cutting each other, killing one another for every scrap of food that might be found. Still faster, this was a many-headed monster tearing itself limb from limb and devouring itself piece by piece. People and animals, and even the plants, were killing and eating each other just for a little more food. They cried out in horror at their terrible lives. The magician commented, “This is true suffering, Ralph, kill and then be killed, no choice, no hope for anything better than this.” Ralph asked, “Why are you showing this to me?”
“Watch carefully, Ralph.” The magician stepped toward the image and flew into it. He sat down right in the middle with life all around him. The people and the animals at once fell upon him; they beat him, bit him, and clawed at him. But they could do him no harm, no matter how hard they tried. They screamed in frustration.
The magician sat there in the image, staring back at Ralph who looked puzzled and shook his head in disbelief. The magician spread his hands a little to his sides, tilted his head a bit and shrugged as if to say, “What do you expect, Ralph, it’s a magician’s trick.”
A few of the people in the trick became curious about the quiet magician. How could he just calmly sit there like that? A few stopped struggling and sat down beside him. They sat the way he sat and calmed themselves the best they could. The magician produced a rabbit that he turned loose at his feet. The rabbit started to run away, but before it got very far it faded from sight. The magician sat quietly. A hungry wolf lunged at him, baring its fangs and snarling. The magician reached out his hand and touched the wolf on the tip of its nose, stopping its attack. The wolf settled to the ground to sit at the magician’s feet. Those who sat quietly with the magician watched all of this unfold. They sat as if nothing notable had happened. Amid the great chaos, these few were peaceful.
The magician rose and stepped out of the scene to stand beside Ralph again. He sent the image away with a wave of his hand. He spoke to Ralph: “Let me ask you a couple of Questions.” Ralph nodded. “Was there anyone in that image who was saved from misery?”
Ralph said, “Yes, several were saved from their misery; they sat there with you.”
The magician nodded and then asked, “Is there anyone here who was saved from that misery?”
Ralph said, “There is no one here who was saved from that misery; it was all a trick of the mind.”
The magician nodded. He said, “That is surprisingly difficult to notice.”
Ralph smiled at the magician’s trick as he continued on his way.
-- -- --
Care to answer a few questions of your own?
Who chooses what?
Who allows what?
What is the result?
How might it have happened some other way?
If you believe the world is just an illusion, what is the value of helping others?
I'm grateful for the inspiration of F. A. Hayek, whose search for a word to name his point of view did not result in anything he thought suitable. See the "Postscript" to his "The Constitution of Liberty", titled "Why I am not a conservative".
Conflating activism with violent riots and looting isn't great.
Your non-violent protest example needs work. Forcibly preventing me from traveling down a road with the threat of violence, is violent.
The people showing up to put a stop to this without using firearms are better men (if only today), than you and I. Choosing to risk your life to protect civilization from this is a fine thing. Especially when you aren't allowed to use lethal force until you have been targeted with lethal force... and you know there is a good chance there is someone in the crowd with a gun hoping to create the bloodbath that would ensue after shooting a couple cops.
If this happened in my area, the national guard and marines would be needed... to prevent the execution of violent criminals that the world would be better off without. Foreigners causing destruction and waving a foreign flag should be shot on sight. I'm fine with government authorities doing it, the same as I would be if private citizens took on the responsibility. Citizens voluntarily associating with violent foreigners are also fair targets in my book.
Peaceful, legal (non-violent, destruction of property is violence) protests, by citizens are fine. Non-citizens do not have a right of protest until they go back to the country where they hold citizenship. The point of view of the person instigating violence is irrelevant. Once you become violent, violence in return is acceptable, perhaps even morally required. I can see a moral acceptability of violence towards government if you believe they have been violent to you and others. That does not extend to burning cars and assaulting people not involved in the government violence you object to. Once you take the step of violence, you no longer have the right to ask others not to use violence against you until you surrender.
I sometimes wonder, for only a brief moment, what would happen in the Middle East if Hamas traded out their violence for ahimsa. Might it bring down the Netanyahu government?
Netanyahu was going to be out of power if Hamas did not attack on October 7th. People like him will be needed as long as Hamas and their type prefers to murder their neighbors over improving their own situation- water pipes used for rockets is a great example.
Israel has made peace with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and others. The only condition was that they were granted the right to remain alive in the previous enemy's mind.
If there was some intent or tactical design behind these ‘protests’ they’d have more validity… but they’re half astroturfed tools of foreign/leftist manipulation, and half childish ventings of rage and upset. Such displays will accomplish nothing. They’re counterproductive.
My wife and I are in the car this afternoon. I'm ranting about some aspect of the current sorrow of the world. My wife says, "Is this (she's referring to the rant) good for you." I pick up my phone, and there is your essay. I say, "Let me read to you what Max has to say." I read your conclusion to her. Ha! I'm in the spiritual trenches with you, buddy!
Spiritual brethren.
Thanks for this article, even though you are forced to admit you are a flawed human being. (grin)
First, all of the people I know who attend public protests are not mentally ill, not stupid, sincere in their beliefs, not prone to violence. Good people in their everyday lives. Some are devoted to one or more cause, some only publicly protest in response to what they consider an egregious event or in protest to the actions of elected and appointed leadership in political and business arenas.
What they share, in my opinion, is frustration. They feel powerless in the face of what appears to be their lack of control or even influence regarding the bad and unfair things that happen in the world. They want them to stop, and they want someone in power to listen.
My experience with causes is that rarely does marching, shouting slogans, waving signs, etc., make a difference. It's what happens behind the scenes, but it does not start in formal hearings, board rooms, and the votes of a legislative body after the headlines.
How does change happen? Here is a summary of the advice that I would give clients who had figured out that public protests might feel good at the time, but maybe are not effective politically except, perhaps, to bring capricious media attention to the cause; the equivalent of its fifteen minutes of fame.
1. Individually and as a group, you build influence by getting to know the people who have the power and authority to make change. And this can take years. Because the people you don't like have been making plans for years, usually in secret. You want to know who actually makes decisions that lead to action. Maybe not the people who stand in front microphones and pontificate - the power behind the throne. There is often one key player in charge.
2. This might mean rubbing shoulders by serving on boards, attending meetings, and volunteering for the same nonprofits that they support. You find out where they hang out, who are their buddies, and what is important to them, meaning their selling point. Meaning, are they concerned about money? Personal reputation? The support of a particular cohort? Their own cause?
3. Build your personal network of influence. Find people who agree with you about this issue, even if you don't agree on other issues. Build trust and respect by supporting their issues: donating time and money, serving on their committees, writing letters, etc. I think most cause-driven people have blinders on and don't actively look for possible partners outside of fellow travelers. Okay, you don't agree about A and B, but what about C and D? Your network should include honorable people who might be political opponents, but will tell you the truth.
4. Be known to the individuals in the professional media - reporters, editors, columnists, podcasters - as someone civil and trustworthy. You tell the truth, the whole truth, and you don't cherry pick the data to put your cause in a better light. You don't exaggerate. You don't dehumanize opponents or come up with nasty nicknames. You admit mistakes. You don't propagate false information, so you meticulously check sources and references before forwarding information. You know the difference between a fact and an interpretation or opinion. Media professionals will never be embarrassed if they print your news. If you lie, by intent or accident, to them, there goes your credibility and the credibility of your cause.
5. Do the grunt work - read widely - not just people you agree with - write letters, show up to testify.
6. Build connections with people before there is a crisis, when everyone is still speaking to each other.
7. This being Earth, and not Vulcan, people will often support you because they like you personally, not necessarily because of your logical arguments.
8. Show gratitude and thank people a lot - in the media, in politics, etc. Your name appearing on their phone should make them want to return the call, not delete. You should be known as being decent to everyone, if when you disagree strongly. And you have your act together regarding relationships with employees, coworkers, bosses, neighbors, etc.
I could go on, but this is the gist of it.
Two examples from my father's career in the Midwest, my first political mentor.
1. My father worked for Cook County government (Chicago) in the mid-1950s through the mid-1960s, when the mayor was one of the most powerful and corrupt politicians in the country. Dad stood up to him on an issue and won because his employees were loyal to him and the Chicago media liked and trusted him. Also, Dad had already planned on being fired, which included a family meeting, since if the situation blew up it would make headlines. So he could confidently go into the offices of the Machine, knowing that our family would survive the consequences.
2. We moved to Wisconsin. Dad wanted to build a free clinic in our new home, but the powers that be were at best indifferent. Took him twelve years to build the political base needed to make it happen. The clinic still exists.
Everyone has a different way of interacting with the world. Marching is the short game in my opinion; the long game is an investment that might take years to pay off.
I've watched Pat do this for years. She lives what she writes. I am very proud of her.
I adapted this from a persistent theme in the book, "The Sutra on Perfect Wisdom (in 100,000 lines)." When I wrote it, I used this story to illustrate the idea that there is no such thing as individual freedom of choice; but in the context I suggest it here, that original purpose may seem obscure. To see the connection, imagine the world we observe today as mere theater wherein all actors are merely illusions upon the stage of reality -- YOUR reality, for you are the reality of all that you experience! Ultimately, you are the reality of all possible experience, which means that not only do you witness this theater, but in effect you are, in different guises, every actor in every scene, so that you may witness all possible experiences from all possible angles. Such entertainment!
https://burnteliot.substack.com/p/on-reality-and-being
-- -- --
Ralph was beyond unhappy. He had wandered down a miserable path and into a dark forest. He recalled the words that The Poet saw: “Abandon Hope.” But he said to himself, “So what.”
Ralph heard a voice from the side of the path: “Hey, Ralph, got a minute?”
Ralph turned to look where the voice came from, and there in the woods stood some old guy dressed in a magician’s hat and robe, waving his hand for Ralph to come over. So, Ralph went to him, since there was nothing else to do. How did the magician know Ralph’s name? Well, he was a magician, wasn’t he.
“Show you a good magic trick, Ralph?” “Sure.” So, the magician waved his hands in the air, and there appeared in the woods the image of a great landscape. In this magical place there stood all manner of people and animals, and all kinds of trees and grasses and other natural things. Ralph was amazed.
“Just watch,” said the magician as he waved his hands again. The people and animals moved quickly. Life was unfolding rapidly in the image. Ralph saw how these creatures were all fighting and struggling with one another, fighting over a patch of ground, cutting each other, killing one another for every scrap of food that might be found. Still faster, this was a many-headed monster tearing itself limb from limb and devouring itself piece by piece. People and animals, and even the plants, were killing and eating each other just for a little more food. They cried out in horror at their terrible lives. The magician commented, “This is true suffering, Ralph, kill and then be killed, no choice, no hope for anything better than this.” Ralph asked, “Why are you showing this to me?”
“Watch carefully, Ralph.” The magician stepped toward the image and flew into it. He sat down right in the middle with life all around him. The people and the animals at once fell upon him; they beat him, bit him, and clawed at him. But they could do him no harm, no matter how hard they tried. They screamed in frustration.
The magician sat there in the image, staring back at Ralph who looked puzzled and shook his head in disbelief. The magician spread his hands a little to his sides, tilted his head a bit and shrugged as if to say, “What do you expect, Ralph, it’s a magician’s trick.”
A few of the people in the trick became curious about the quiet magician. How could he just calmly sit there like that? A few stopped struggling and sat down beside him. They sat the way he sat and calmed themselves the best they could. The magician produced a rabbit that he turned loose at his feet. The rabbit started to run away, but before it got very far it faded from sight. The magician sat quietly. A hungry wolf lunged at him, baring its fangs and snarling. The magician reached out his hand and touched the wolf on the tip of its nose, stopping its attack. The wolf settled to the ground to sit at the magician’s feet. Those who sat quietly with the magician watched all of this unfold. They sat as if nothing notable had happened. Amid the great chaos, these few were peaceful.
The magician rose and stepped out of the scene to stand beside Ralph again. He sent the image away with a wave of his hand. He spoke to Ralph: “Let me ask you a couple of Questions.” Ralph nodded. “Was there anyone in that image who was saved from misery?”
Ralph said, “Yes, several were saved from their misery; they sat there with you.”
The magician nodded and then asked, “Is there anyone here who was saved from that misery?”
Ralph said, “There is no one here who was saved from that misery; it was all a trick of the mind.”
The magician nodded. He said, “That is surprisingly difficult to notice.”
Ralph smiled at the magician’s trick as he continued on his way.
-- -- --
Care to answer a few questions of your own?
Who chooses what?
Who allows what?
What is the result?
How might it have happened some other way?
If you believe the world is just an illusion, what is the value of helping others?
Who helps whom?
Who benefits, and in what way?
Max's use of the word "freeorder" has inspired me to update the page he referenced.
http://explorersfoundation.org/freeorder.html
I'm grateful for the inspiration of F. A. Hayek, whose search for a word to name his point of view did not result in anything he thought suitable. See the "Postscript" to his "The Constitution of Liberty", titled "Why I am not a conservative".
Thanks, Max!
Conflating activism with violent riots and looting isn't great.
Your non-violent protest example needs work. Forcibly preventing me from traveling down a road with the threat of violence, is violent.
The people showing up to put a stop to this without using firearms are better men (if only today), than you and I. Choosing to risk your life to protect civilization from this is a fine thing. Especially when you aren't allowed to use lethal force until you have been targeted with lethal force... and you know there is a good chance there is someone in the crowd with a gun hoping to create the bloodbath that would ensue after shooting a couple cops.
If this happened in my area, the national guard and marines would be needed... to prevent the execution of violent criminals that the world would be better off without. Foreigners causing destruction and waving a foreign flag should be shot on sight. I'm fine with government authorities doing it, the same as I would be if private citizens took on the responsibility. Citizens voluntarily associating with violent foreigners are also fair targets in my book.
Peaceful, legal (non-violent, destruction of property is violence) protests, by citizens are fine. Non-citizens do not have a right of protest until they go back to the country where they hold citizenship. The point of view of the person instigating violence is irrelevant. Once you become violent, violence in return is acceptable, perhaps even morally required. I can see a moral acceptability of violence towards government if you believe they have been violent to you and others. That does not extend to burning cars and assaulting people not involved in the government violence you object to. Once you take the step of violence, you no longer have the right to ask others not to use violence against you until you surrender.
I sometimes wonder, for only a brief moment, what would happen in the Middle East if Hamas traded out their violence for ahimsa. Might it bring down the Netanyahu government?
Netanyahu was going to be out of power if Hamas did not attack on October 7th. People like him will be needed as long as Hamas and their type prefers to murder their neighbors over improving their own situation- water pipes used for rockets is a great example.
Israel has made peace with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and others. The only condition was that they were granted the right to remain alive in the previous enemy's mind.
If there was some intent or tactical design behind these ‘protests’ they’d have more validity… but they’re half astroturfed tools of foreign/leftist manipulation, and half childish ventings of rage and upset. Such displays will accomplish nothing. They’re counterproductive.
https://jmpolemic.substack.com/p/pretend-revolutionaries