Love and Revolution

Dropped in on alternet, like I do most mornings, and I usually read a story or two, print out some things for later contemplation sometimes, often end up scared at how little impact Obama seems to have had, or irate and angry at the clueless politicians, the greedy corporations, and their converservative defenders...

Then this morning I fun across this beautiful, lovely piece by Grace Boggs:
http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4686/love_and_revolution/

She talks about how revolution was once an outrage-based enterprise involving uncompromising toughness. But she says a different approach is needed now:

"Normally it would take decades for a people to transform themselves from the hyper-individualist, hyper-materialist damaged human beings that Americans in all walks of life are today, to the loving, caring Americans we need in today’s deepening crises.

But these are not normal times. If we don’t speed up this transformation, the likelihood is that, armed with AK47s, we will soon be at each other’s throats.

That is why linking Love and Revolution is an idea whose time has come.

We urgently need to bring to our communities the limitless capacity to love, serve, create for and with each other that up to now we have practiced only in our personal relationships. We urgently need to bring the neighbor back into our hoods, not only in our inner cities but in our suburbs, our gated communities, on Main St and Wall Street and on Ivy League campuses."

It got some kudos on the altnernet comments, also some accusations of naivete. It is, after all, a spiritual concept, which means most progressives automatically shy away from it as a solution. We confuse the open-hearted spiritual with the close-minded religious, and throw the baby out with the bathwater. But I do believe this concept could indeed be the only solution: Grassroots love and caring for each other, until the clueless people at the top catch up.

I don't think this is naive. I think all progressive change has been fueled by love. Feet on the ground, yes, but fueled by the energy of love, not anger. And I believe the New Age helps lay the philosophical groundwork for the creation of love between us.