Friday, April 15, 2011
Organizing Energy
Some of my best friends are political researchers and educators. A few of them make a living at this, but most are volunteers.
While I once did research and used it for popular educational purposes, my forte was organizing--bringing motivated people together for a common purpose. Often I used research to inspire others to become motivated and active. Thus many of our community actions were effective in changing the way political business was done.
As our society falls apart, the hunger for authentic leadership will grow. Since that usually comes in the form of organizers operating outside the system, resources required to sustain organizing will need to come from supporters outside the established philanthropy industry.
Keeping the energy flowing that organizing involves means abandoning false hopes and false models offered as distractions by financial system gamers and other elitists hoping to keep the system in play. That energy will need to be replaced by people once accustomed to pocketbook diplomacy as their means of charity. Serious public interest organizers simply don't come in that package.
Absent a sweeping revolution in public consciousness, genuine organizers will continue to find the path they've chosen a hardship, and most will fade from fatigue. The few that remain steadfast will do so because their communities recognize them for the treasures they are, despite the massed communication efforts to disparage their reputations, values and ideals. When they start holding rummage sales and bake sales for organizers, we'll know we're finally getting somewhere.
While I once did research and used it for popular educational purposes, my forte was organizing--bringing motivated people together for a common purpose. Often I used research to inspire others to become motivated and active. Thus many of our community actions were effective in changing the way political business was done.
As our society falls apart, the hunger for authentic leadership will grow. Since that usually comes in the form of organizers operating outside the system, resources required to sustain organizing will need to come from supporters outside the established philanthropy industry.
Keeping the energy flowing that organizing involves means abandoning false hopes and false models offered as distractions by financial system gamers and other elitists hoping to keep the system in play. That energy will need to be replaced by people once accustomed to pocketbook diplomacy as their means of charity. Serious public interest organizers simply don't come in that package.
Absent a sweeping revolution in public consciousness, genuine organizers will continue to find the path they've chosen a hardship, and most will fade from fatigue. The few that remain steadfast will do so because their communities recognize them for the treasures they are, despite the massed communication efforts to disparage their reputations, values and ideals. When they start holding rummage sales and bake sales for organizers, we'll know we're finally getting somewhere.
