What is The Loving Kindness Revolution? What inspired it?
The Loving Kindness Revolution is a social justice and sacred
activism movement that has the goal of placing loving kindness—as presented in
many of the world’s wisdom traditions, perhaps most clearly in the actions of
Yeshua (Jesus the Christ), as expressed in Judaism and Jewish teachings, many mystical expressions of various wisdom traditions, and as embedded in the teachings of many schools of
Buddhism—at the heart of its philosophy and actions. The Loving Kindness Revolution
was inspired by two things. First and foremost it is guided and inspired by
this quote by the beloved social justice activist and revolutionary, Grace Lee
Boggs:
Being a victim of Oppression in the United States is not enough to make you revolutionary, just as dropping out of your mother’s womb is not enough to make you human. People who are full of hate and anger against their oppressors or who only see Us versus Them can make a rebellion but not a revolution. The oppressed internalize the values of the oppressor. Therefore, any group that achieves power, no matter how oppressed, is not going to act differently from their oppressors as long as they have not confronted the values that they have internalized and consciously adopted different values.
Second, The Loving Kindness Revolution was inspired by the actions of Marisa Johnson and
Mara Willaford, who, on August 28, 2015, interrupted Bernie Sanders during a
campaign speech he was scheduled to make in Seattle, Washington.
The distinction that Grace Lee Boggs makes between a rebellion
and a revolution is seen as being absolutely essential and fundamental to
understanding the heart of revolutionary action. People who have responded very
positively to this quote, it is thought, consciously or unconsciously see and
probably more accurately feel the
deep wisdom contained in it. Many of us have likely been engaged in movements
that had far more rebellion energy than a true revolutionary spirit. Or we have
observed from afar different movements or specific actions that we may not have
been directly involved in and intuitively felt
that something was off kilter; that something wasn’t quite right; that
there was something missing (or that there was something present that would
have been better missing).
That Bernie Sanders rally, with those two young women
interrupting him, stands as what meditation master and longtime Buddhist monk,
Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh calls “a bell of mindfulness” as well as a potent
call to action for us. That is because it was a cogent and very powerful reminder
of how easily oppressor consciousness can find its way into actions designed to
be those about positive social change. It was a moment of illumination. That
quote by Grace Lee Boggs provides the necessary prism through which to
understand it. These two women’s action was very powerful for us, mostly in
that it expressed the internalized values of the oppressor even though they
valiantly tried to present the illusion that something much more honorable was
happening on that stage in Seattle. And most importantly, it revealed to me how the exact same seeds of internalized oppression resided in my heart and soul and how I must constantly seek to monitor my own motivations as a result. Still, I don’t believe anything truly honorable
was in fact occurring on that stage in Seattle, nor in the boisterous reaction of the
crowd, except perhaps as expressed by the graciousness and humility in the
response of Bernie Sanders.
People who are full of hate and anger against their
oppressors or who only see Us versus Them can make a rebellion but not a
revolution.
Some social justice activists are perfectly content with
making a rebellion. For them the entire Grace Lee Boggs quote that inspires us
is perhaps relatively useless, especially this specific part of it. There is a
place in this world for them and their beliefs, of course. However, for those
of us who desire a revolution not based merely on the internalization and
expression of oppressor consciousness, these words provide an excellent and
clear focus and provides a space for us to mobilize around a Loving Kindness
based Revolution.
Is this a revolution you could see yourself participating in? facebook page
Is this a revolution you could see yourself participating in? facebook page
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