Conversations with Your Inner Revolutionary

It's been a whirlwind these last few days and weeks, but what an amazing journey it's been. I'm definitely struggling with all the driving I've been doing lately, but I'm happy to be back in beautiful Marin County to attend the Bioneers Conference taking place this weekend.

On Monday, I'll be heading back down south to continue my work/volunteer stint at Mano Farm, where I've been learning a ton about seed saving and small scale organic farming. Don't know about Bioneers? It is worth checking out if you're interested in changing the world for the better. In fact, I was fortunate enough to have an article about the conference published on elephantjournal which you can check out here.

Plus, elephant also posted a great article that includes a few videos of speakers from past years.

All of the events, courses, and activities I've witnessed and participated in during the last month seem to be in perfect alignment with many other events occurring throughout the world. For instance, the Occupy Wall Street campaign has completely taken over countless other cities and new offshoots of the protests continue to arise. Lot's of interesting articles are being published about these protests, some of which can be checked out at the links below:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/12/opinion/theres-something-happening-here.html?_r=1

http://westandwiththe99percent.tumblr.com/

http://www.elephantjournal.com/2011/10/we-are-the-99/

In addition to all of the far away, amazing, and change-inspiring activities taking place, I seem to have chosen the right place to spend this Fall, because everyday I hear about a nearby lecture or event taking place that pertains to exactly what I'm passionate about. Already, I've seen numerous academics, activists, and environmental experts speak in person, and tomorrow I will be attending Bioneers with a press pass (!!) - giving me the incredible opportunity to witness interviews with even more incredibly visionary people. I feel very blessed to be here at this time in my life.

For this post, I wanted to share an excerpt from a commencement speech made by Paul Gilding, author of The Great Disruption, whose work is mentioned in the New York Times article above. I find his words especially evocative of the hope and perseverance many of us need to be reminded of during this era of political back-and-forths, global crisis, and general chaos.  

From "On Leading a Useful Life"

"There is in my view, no contradiction or confusion in all the things I’ve done. It’s been a long exploration on how to live a life that is happy and useful – trying to make the world a better place and being of service, while enjoying the process of doing so.

Through this life, I’ve developed the core beliefs and values that now guide me and that I want to share with you today.

1. We are slightly evolved monkeys.

Firstly, I believe we are, as Jared Diamond argues in the Rise and Fall of the Third Chimpanzee, slightly evolved monkeys. We’ve been animals, driven by basic instincts like survival, eating, passing on our genes and protecting our immediate families for many, many millions of years. For a very short 40,000 years or so, we’ve been vaguely human. So be patient with humanity, we’ve only just started being people and we’re not very good at it yet. It is very much a work in progress, and one definitely worth contributing to.

2. Ideology is a cancer.

I’ve learnt the hard way, to have a deep distrust of ideology and fanaticism. Whether it’s been hanging around with communist trade unionists, corporate free marketers or anti-capitalist environmentalists – I’ve seen ideology be a cancer that blinds us to seeing the way forward. So be open to new ideas. Yes, be clear and firm on what you believe, but listen carefully to others beliefs and test yourself constantly. Be comfortable in being wrong, changing and moving on.

3. The system is a mirror – focus on the behaviour not the institution.

I believe that society, or the system in which we live, is a mirror. Money is not evil. Companies are not bad. Charities are not good. Goodness and badness is in people’s behaviour not in institutions. We are the market, we elect the politicians, we get the media we pay for, we build companies by buying from them, we create the pollution that is killing us. We created all that you see around you. The system is a mirror that we need to carefully look into each day and observe our reflection. So focus on the behaviour.

4. Attacking others mobilises emotion but also creates resistance.

My early activist days were all about attacking others. This was a great way to mobilise emotion both amongst our own supporters and the media. Seeing things in black and white is easier and more fun. It makes you feel righteous because you see others as wrong.

But it’s not actually very helpful if you want to fix something. The legacy of conflict is ideology, bitterness and resistance to change. We need to confront bad behaviour directly, we need to simplify and communicate what’s wrong with it, but, if you’ll allow me one, gender insensitive, sporting analogy, we need to play the ball, not the man.

5. Act with good intent.

I also believe in the importance of intent. When you act, be clear on your intentions – know what you’re setting out to achieve and why you’re doing so. Who are you acting for? What is your motivation? Is it clear? If your intention is good, then get on with it, but be easy on yourself when you make mistakes – adjust, refocus and move on.

6. Fun is great, but pursue happiness not distraction.

Fun is critical and helps us be happy. We should enjoy our lives, not have them be some kind of suffering obligation. But remember fun comes from satisfaction, not from distraction.

Helping others is a form of positive self interest. Helping other people succeed or making the world a better place is fun and brings me great joy. It’s not a sacrifice I make, but the way I gain satisfaction and generate a feeling of having a useful life. It makes me happy.

Conclusions

What does all this mean for you?

Let me finish by asking you to consider the following three suggestions as you go forth and consider your future.

1. Above all else, lead a useful life. Whether it be as a painter, a scientist, a cook, a father, a mother or a teacher, spend your life pursuing your passion and doing so in a way which leaves something positive behind. Make the world a better place for your visit.Don’t leave it to the end, facing mid life crisis or late-life guilt and then decide to contribute something, as so many wealthy businessmen do. Start today, right now and keep doing it every day from here on. So please, be useful and make a contribution.
2. Secondly, be happy. Not entertained, not distracted, but happy. Look within, find yourself and work out how to nourish the soul inside. Happiness comes from satisfaction. A job well done, a passion pursued, a life well lived.
3. Thirdly, be nice to others. Keep it simple. Make your partner a cup of tea. Thank people who help you. Thank your parents for doing their best. Teach your children respect, by showing it to them. Love other people…and love yourself."

You can see the full text at this link: http://paulgilding.com/who-is-paul/personal-values-and-philosophy