Where Change Must Come From

A follow-up essay to A Leadership Crisis

Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash

Everybody’s talking about change. Well, maybe not everybody. But from what I can see, change has become a very common topic on Substack. And I’d go so far to say that, given the precarious and perilous state of our world—be it on a political, social, economic, environmental, cultural, spiritual level—most people are painfully aware that something has to give! Something has to happen! Because, not a helluva a lot seems to be working anymore!

It’s not hard to see what’s wrong. At least, those of us do who are not in positions of power, privilege, influence and wealth. And I don’t think many among us would disagree about:

• wars that threaten to escalate into an apocalyptic WWIII due to irresponsible aversion of political leaders to peace and stability, and their preference for punitive sanctions over diplomatic negotiations

• Israel’s on-going genocide in Gaza that no country, no international organization, no court has yet mobilized everything in its power to stop

• severely dysfunctional democracies and corrupt governments that cling to power, serve special interests, neglect the welfare of their populations, erode public services and fuel fascism and fanatical nationalism

• arbitrary censorship, mass media propaganda, the proliferation of misinformation/disinformation, and a draconian crackdown on free speech, freedom of assembly and public protest

• a moribund legal system and a militarized police force that protect the powerful, punish the powerless, and disregard basic human rights and freedoms

• environmental degradation and contamination, more frequently occurring and worsening natural disasters arising from climate change, and species extinction

• a decrepit capitalist system that prioritizes predatory profit over production and employment, legitimates rampant greed and obscene wealth, and measures the good in the world in terms of money rather than morality

• mounting social malaise, poverty, starvation, addiction, disease, mental illness, homelessness, unemployment, criminal activity, unaffordability, desperation

• rapidly advancing technology that, instead of serving humanity, makes human beings stupid, subservient and redundant

• gluttonous consumerism that feeds on fast food, fast fashion, dollar stores, built-in obsolescence and credit card debt

And those are just for starters!

It’s pretty easy to identify what’s wrong in the world unless one is willfully blind and/or ignorant. And there are myriad tools, strategies and solutions at our command. In the last two parts of my recent 4-part essay, Leadership in Crisis. I outlined 13 points, which I attribute more to common sense than originality on my part. I won’t relist them, but will point out that several writers have also emphasized the importance of informing ourselves! Close behind is the need to organize, protest, resist, boycott and practise civil disobedience.

For me, the big question is not what must change, but where must this change come from? Who shall get the ball rolling? Who will light the fire? Who will lead the charge?

It’s abundantly clear to me where change won’t come from.

1. From the top.

Change will never under any circumstances come from those sit at the top of the human pyramid and benefit most from a corrupt, calcified, entrenched and rotten system. These are the capitalists and corporate executives, financiers and money managers, billionaires and oligarchs, real estate magnates, royalty, military commanders, politicians, celebrities. A select minority whom we are constantly reminded to worship and adore.

In order not only to hang onto their money, property and power but also to acquire even more, those at the top will do whatever it takes to resist change. They will start wars. They will pass, amend, rescind or break laws. They will buy or sell political favours and influence. And although they may talk nicely about human rights, freedom, the rule of law, peace, prosperity, equality and other such lofty notions, they will resort to repression, coercion, persecution, defamation and outright terror when those below them get too uppity.

2. From the bottom

Here languish the poor, homeless, addicted, mentally ill, disabled, marginalized and disadvantaged people who are the least equipped to initiate change but in the direst need. Historically, significant social movements such as those that fought for civil, women’s, gay and trans, and workers’ rights, for example, have risen from the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid, or close to it. However, nowadays in an economic environment where the rich get richer and the poor get even poorer, the everyday struggles of low income seniors, single mothers, welfare recipients, undocumented immigrants, refugees, veterans, children and youth at risk have become too consuming, too discouraging, too onerous for people at the bottom to do more than struggle to get by. The evidence is there on our streets for all to see.

3. From the middle

Although what we call the middle class has the considerable advantage of large numbers, it’s fractured and fraught with conflicting interests.

The upper layer consists of professionals, business owners, upper level managers, landlords, and academics who are more apt to believe in the system than to question or challenge it. And while they live very comfortably, they would be even more comfortable if they made it into the very top echelon.

Next is the traditional middle class: medium-size business owners, trades people, educators, health care providers, civil servants, police, military personnel, journalists, wage earners. As long as they are gainfully employed; can afford a house and manage their debtload; feed, clothe and educate their families; travel and go on vacation; invest in their retirement, they’re good. And as long as they’re good, the rest of the world is good, too.

Then, there are those whose primary focus is to keep their jobs and homes, provide for themselves, pay their debts and manage not to fall through the cracks. These are the traditional working class of wage earners, service industry employees, sales staff, small business owners.

The problem with the middle is that, like a shoal of fish or a herd of sheep, they can be swayed, moved and manipulated. These people tend to take the path of least resistance and avoid taking risks for anyone beyond themselves and those closest to them. They do not rock any boats, make waves or upset any apple carts. And they are more likely to be joiners than starters.

4. From the edges

The edges of society is where new ideas, new impulses, new visions originate. It is intellectuals, philosophers, artists, writers, poets, musicians, filmmakers, activists, anarchists, revolutionaries, non-conformists, inventors, visionaries who populate the edges. These are people who think, question, imagine, explore, experiment, investigate and innovate. Though not of a particular income or social class, they are often seen as radical, eccentric, unconventional, idealistic, even crazy or dangerous, and it can take a long time for their work to be taken seriously. However, should their ideas become popular enough to threaten the status quo and those who hold power, visionaries can end up assassinated, imprisoned, burnt at the stake or crucified.

5. From within

In Part 2 of A Leadership Crisis, I quoted C. G. Jung:

As any change must begin somewhere, it is the single individual who will undergo it and carry it through. The change must begin with one individual; it might be any one of us. Nobody can afford to look around and to wait for somebody else to do what he is loath to do himself.

This is the essence of real change. And real change can come about only from within. It can happen only where individuals, regardless of social, economic, political, cultural standing, open their eyes, their minds and their hearts to another possibility, another reality, another world. It can happen only when individuals are willing to act and live according to their principles, their beliefs, their conscience.

To quote Krishnamurti, another visionary:

Our chief concern is the transformation, the radical change, of the human mind. We are concerned with the change of the content of consciousness because the content makes consciousness. Unless that radical revolution, that psychological change, comes about, there will be no end to conflict, no end to suffering and all the violence that is going on through the world.

Of course, change doesn’t come easily and it doesn't come about without us overcoming:

1. Inertia and internal resistance

As creatures of habit, we tend to stick, or cling, to what we know even if what we know doesn’t make us particularly happy. We tend also to blame someone or something else for our unhappiness and misfortunes. Or we expect someone else to make our world better. But all we are doing is standing in our own way.

2. Feelings of powerlessness

This is another lame excuse for doing nothing. We may not have the power that presidents, prime ministers, kings, and CEOs wield, but we do have the power of agency. What we do, what we value, what we prioritize, what we believe in and aspire to shape our lives just as much as, if not more so than, the uncontrollable external forces to which we are subject. Because, what do we do? Do we bitch and complain, moan and cry, feel sorry for ourselves and expect pity from others? Or do we make the best of things? Do we see opportunities, possibilities and alternatives? Do we seek help when we cannot go it alone? Do we reach out and offer our support to others? Do we make conscious choices, and deal with the consequences? Do face each day standing up? Do we fight on? Do we count our blessings and lucky stars?

3. Fear of the unknown

Fear is our biggest obstacle, our most formidable enemy. Take it, again, from Krishnamurti:

You cannot be frightened of the unknown because you do not know what the unknown is and so there is nothing to be frightened of.

This makes perfect sense to me as I know from my own experiences that what I fear usually never happens or turns out to be half as bad as I’d imagined. And if you are afraid of failing, is it not better to fall flat on your face, pick yourself up and start all over again, than never to try at all?

Instead of giving in to inertia, powerlessness and fear, we need to cultivate:

1. Confidence in ourselves and our ability to learn and grow

2. Responsibility for our actions and for the impact of those actions on others

3. Faith in not only a better life, but a good life and a hopeful future

4. Love and forgiveness

To end with Krishnamurti:

There is only one fundamental revolution ... This transformation is not an abstraction, a thing to be wished for, but an actuality which can be experienced as we begin to understand the way of our relationship. This fundamental revolution may be called love; it is the only creative factor in bringing about transformation in ourselves and so in society.

So, how about let’s get this ball rolling, one fearless step at a time!

(Note: I know that I haven’t included everyone who belongs to the top, bottom, middle or edges so feel free to add your thoughts to the comments, or even dispute my categorization or anything else.)

Photo by Kevin Delvecchio on Unsplash

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