Moving forwards?
In the previous post - Trying to escape the doom spiral 15.9.24 - I wrote about how I'm trying to change the tone and direction of this blog. These changes have two strands to them. The first strand is avoiding getting sucked any further into the doom spiral, posting critique after critique of the dysfunctional and increasingly dystopian society we have to endure, without offering any pointers as to how we can move forwards to a world that's genuinely worth living in. The second strand is trying to offer some pointers as to what a better world could possibly look like, and seeing how people react to that. The reason I've not posted anything on here for nearly a week is that I've been thinking about how to move this blog forwards so it has got something positive to offer in what feels like a sea of outrage, fear, gloom and despondency. I'll freely admit that I'm struggling with coming up with ways this blog can be moved forward.
Stating that as far as possible, I want to avoid getting sucked into the doom spiral is one thing. In a world that feels like it's going to Hell in a handbasket, it's bloody difficult to avoid writing posts about how shite things are! Even though I try to take a few steps back from the madness of the modern world, things happen that rile me up, and it's all I can do to stop myself posting yet another angry rant on this blog. Okay, posting an angry rant may help me get things off my chest, albeit temporarily, but it would be just one among many. Someone following an issue could be reading a range of commentaries, opinions and rants about a situation but, how are they going to feel after reading them? For sure, they may have a better understanding of why things are going to shite. They may even feel motivated to take to the streets. As we all know, depending on the issue being protested, taking to the streets these days can prove to be somewhat fraught and risky. If someone who has read a range of blog posts about a situation, is angered by what's going on, but is fearful of taking to the streets, what can they then do?
That's just the situation with blog posts and various other forms of commentary and opinion. If you want to see the outrage, fear porn spreading machine in full flow, there's social media, in particular X, formerly known as Twitter. Bloody heck, that platform can get full on toxic, particularly if you start scrolling down the For you feed instead of the Following one! I do try to follow accounts on X that offer some ways forwards but, all too often, it feels like they're drowning in a sea of negativity. I used to be the type of person who would routinely vent their outrage on social media but, I started to ask what was I actually achieving by doing this? I get the impression there are too many armchair doom mongers who are quite content to vent their spleen while congratulating themselves on their superior opinions and analysis, but who are strangely reluctant to get stuck into the hard graft of building a better world. This particularly applies to some of the self styled members of the so called 'truth' movement.
Right, I've spent the first three paragraphs of this post looking at what I'm trying to avid doing with this blog, and also to a certain extent, on social media as well. The thing is that if I want to move away for putting up posts that only end up spreading fear and gloom, I need something positive to put in their place. I want to use this platform to try to offer some pointers as to a way forwards. One that doesn't look to leaders or so called heroes, but instead, empowers people at the grassroots to take on more responsibility, collectively and individually, for how their community develops and prospers.
As an aside, I'm aghast at the number of people who still look to leaders, voices and so called heroes to offer a way forwards. That's not just in the populace at large but also in what has been described by some as the 'truth' movement. That's the uneasy coalition of people who came together on the streets in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid 'crisis' to oppose the lockdowns, the restrictions, the vaccine mandates and also, the way the situation was being used to accelerate the implementation of the great reset. An uneasiness which morphed into disintegration, as I described in this piece: It was never going to last so, we need to move on... 16.10.23. I don't want to name these leaders, voices and so called heroes because that would only give these charlatans the oxygen of publicity they don't deserve. Anyone who's been around the anti-lockdown and anti-vaccine protests, and who can think for themselves, will have a pretty shrewd idea of who I'm talking about, albeit the cast of charlatans may change depending on the geographical location.
Getting back on track, what I want to get this blog doing, is working out a way forward from the parlous state we're in. I don't pretend to have all of the answers. In fact, I'm not sure if I have any answers yet. What I'm fairly certain about is the direction of travel I want to go in. There are two strands to this, one of which I'm better equipped to deal with than the other. Firstly, there's the spiritual and philosophical underpinnings of what a better world could look like. Secondly, there's the nuts and bolts of how we get to a better world, in particular, what can be done in the here and now to develop better and genuinely sustainable ways of living.
Regarding the spiritual and philosophical underpinnings, this is one of the very few pieces I've ever written which try to get to grips with what this would mean: Taking a step back in a search for some spiritual depth 11.7.23:
The kind of spirituality I'm looking for in what is still an ongoing search, is one that recognises our place in nature and our connection with each other at the level of the community. Recognising our place in nature means an awareness of the passing of the seasons and the changes that brings. It's about the celebrations and rituals that mark the passing of the year from the winter solstice, Imbolc, the spring equinox, Beltane, through to the summer solstice and back via the autumn equinox. It's about the bonding that comes from participation in these celebrations and rituals. It's about recognising the wherever you are on the globe, there will be celebrations and rituals marking the passing of the seasons. It's about recognising that we are a part of nature and not sitting above it.
There are other writers and thinkers who are far better equipped than I am to offer some insights into what we need regarding spiritually and some kind of philosophical framework to apply to the building of a new and better world. One of them is Paul Cudenec who publishes Winter Oak - The Acorn. Of particular interest on The Acorn is this page, linking to articles by, and biographies about, a wide range of thinkers: Organic Radical Thinkers.
Where I feel more at home is with the nuts and bolts of how to build a better world, particularly in the here and now. An approach better described as Prefigurative action 29.6.24:
Being against the system doesn’t just mean engaging in reactive activity to events. It’s also about showing the kind of world we want to move towards and fight for. It’s about building the social and community structures we need, so that when revolution does come, we have the foundations ready for the new world we want. It’s about the kind of prefigurative action we can engage in to bring this about. It’s not separate from revolution – it’s an integral part of the process of revolution.
It's this ethos that is reflected, at least in part, in this piece: What do we actually do? 15.9.24:
These are small scale, unglamorous activities that a lot of people wouldn't associate with what we think anarchism should be. Namely, caring about where we live and the people that live there. It's also about building and maintaining a sense of community, one that at least in part is defined by a feeling of identity with where we live. In the increasingly dystopian world we live in, the sense of community and identity with place is under constant and increasing attack. We like to think that with what we do with our practical activity, we're doing what we can to resist that attack by building a sense of community. One with real relationships, responsibilities and obligations. One that has values that reflect our humanity in the face of the relentless assault from the techno-fascists and transhumanists who want to strip us of what it means to be truly human.
When it comes to the actual nuts and bolts of building a better world, I know I keep banging on about it but, this is what we're trying to do with At the Grassroots when it comes to practical, community level initiatives that get things done:
In The Directory there’s a list of all the grassroots community projects across Bath, Bristol and the surrounding settlements that we’re currently aware of who, each in their own way, are doing their best to make the world a better place to live in. These include a fair number of food growing projects and also, resources on how to organise your own project.
The Directory is a work in progress that is constantly being added to. Any help in doing this or suggestions as to how we can improve The Directory will be greatly appreciated:) Each of these projects has a different story and background we can all learn from. One of the aims of setting up At the Grassroots is to encourage these groups to talk to each other to exchange experiences, ideas and skills with the hope that what emerges is considerably greater than the sum of its parts.
To conclude, I hope you can see and appreciate what we're trying to do to escape the doom spiral and to do our bit to building a positive future for all of us. Any help in achieving this, particularly from people living in the Avon region, will be greatly appreciated:)