Grievances mount - but where is the Revolution?

Everything in this world is upside down.
  He who should be hanged in the public square
  is crowned emperor instead.
  People stand and applaud.
                --  Rumi

Yes, It has finally come to this: we have no choice but revolution!

The present grievances inflicted upon the citizenry are no less than those suffered under King George III: the imposition upon the public of severe measures with no effective means for correction at our disposal.

The listing of our grievances is a separate task, but they are many and they are well understood by those who suffer. And while our governments are the source of many ill-advised and unevenly applied laws, statutes and regulations, there are sins of collusion, inaction and self-aggrandizement in all manner of institutions, not just the legislative and judicial.

Thus we are faced with a dilemma. Having been gifted with the greatest of governing documents, how will our citizenry respond to the need for revolution without overthrowing the seats of power? For common sense tells us that the armaments that would surely be brought to bear upon citizen militias are far advanced from the musketry, blades and torches of the 1700s.

On the other hand, we are faced with the failure of legal jurisprudence to ameliorate the ills we are suffering. The monetary costs and the time spent in the courts with no surety that even the most just of causes will prevail effectively closes this avenue of appeal as well. 

If respect for our founding documents, the folly of armed insurrection and failure of the courts to economically litigate blocks all traditional methods to allay the humanly manufactured inequities we suffer, what recourse do we have then, but to appeal to a higher power? The United Nations concept is well intentioned but it suffers the limitations of budget, bureaucracy and agenda that constrain all earthly foundations, committees and governments. And the US government would surely bristle at any attempts from that body to regulate internal affairs of state. 

So we are left with the need to appeal to a heavenly power. But praying for necessary change would seem an empty exercise to all but the most devout. And our religious institutions are unlikely to abandon their current programs to form an alliance of any consequence. The chance of an extra-terrestrial civilization intervening to save us from ourselves - slim at best.

Are we out of options? Are we doomed to keep exacerbating our ills? Must we throw up our hands, allow continued desecration, increasing usury and destruction of hope to destroy our children's future? Of course the answer is "no" - but then where is the way out of this downward spiral - what method, so far undiscussed, still to be discovered?

We, in America, have inherited the greatest governing documents ever created by mere humans. Having received this gift our mission now is to protect it, and further revolution, destruction of the edifice of government would be sinfully retrograde. So the challenge is not to mount armed insurrection, but instead we must analyze the source of our failures, search for the motivation that fuels the mechanism of greed, disrespects the poor, saddles our students with debt. Why do we suffer self-serving duplicity when the intent of the electoral process is to select qualified servants who will administer for our common good? The answer lies in the human heart - change the heart and the culture will follow!

Science, scripture, parables, common sense, our own experience: all these teach us that the shape of the future is latent in the present. When we look back with our 20-20 hindsight we are able to see the tendencies, the trends, the inventions that were unrecognized at the time, yet they were harbingers of the future. The "love generation" of the 1960s was on to something, but it was a reflexive reaction to the sins and shortcomings of the elders. Emotion and idealism guided the protest and the search for alternatives. And failures of the human heart led to opportunism and excess. From the promise of the 1967 Summer of Love to the disorganized chaos of Altamont in 1970, and the myriad excursions and experiments in between, as a beacon, love alone was found lacking.

Nevertheless, the answer to the current dismantling of institutions, the lack of compassion, unconcern for the fate of the least of us, this unholy state of affairs - the answer still is love. But rather than an abstract ideal, we need love that lives in the heart. In every sphere we need love. Restorative love that will redeem the hardened criminal. Respectful love to motivate the law-giver, the law enforcer. Love that will teach our children of their inherent worth and great potential. We need enlightened approaches to the societal challenges of automation, robotics, instant communication, global poverty and devastating changes in our weather.

There is no dispute that we have a male-dominated society. Women's suffrage, a battle fought a mere 100 years ago. Wage inequality. Misogyny. And now there's an unveiling of the pervasiveness of sexual bullying from those who have been shielded by their power. Essentially that power stems from an ability to control the economic fate of others: reveal the sins of an unprincipled sexual aggressor, lose your job. And suffer disrespect, be suspected of deceit, a suggestion that your immorality was the cause of the situation, a total disregard for your pain - and the perpetrators show a facile unawareness of the damage caused by their betrayal.

The current defrocking of sexual opportunists is unprecedented and the change in our awareness and attitudes should not be abandoned as if this is a fad or a temporary, brief interlude in the continuing history of American culture. There is always an opposition to change, gains can erode, the tone and temper of an epoch can be forgotten. We must not let that happen. And even more than reinforcing our respect for women, we must level the field, redefine the relationship between the sexes and realize the full potential of every human being.

Gentlemen, it's time to recognize the innate failure of patriarchy to embody the highest of ideals. There is a place and a function for the penile point of view, inherently greater body strength, endurance, the urge to probe and pursue goals and practical, functional ideals. But we are all impoverished by the lack of a nurturing consciousness, the destructiveness of heightened competition and a winner take all mentality as promoted by maleness. We see the insensitivity of the peer group in fraternity hazing, the tendency of the heterosexual to make a pariah of men who are gay, or merely thoughtful and sensitive. It's a bankrupt philosophy that endangers human beings, and threatens the very existence of the mother of us all, our planet.

So here, directly in front of us, is the opportunity for the revolution of spirit we so desperately need. Men need to relax and retreat, let the ladies take the lead. There have been successful matriarchal societies throughout history. We should take a lesson from historical triumphs where women were respected as worthy, wise and knowledgeable. We need more mercy and understanding, less acquisitiveness.

And while we're at it let's study and eliminate the vestiges of white superiority, the subconscious "given" that destroys individuals and divides humanity. The teaching that we have more similarities than differences - anathema to those who espouse "white power" and chauvinism - is now proven by our knowledge of DNA, and exemplified by the monumental successes of those of all genders and racial extraction.

The distinction of race is an archaic distraction from the tasks ahead. We are but one race, the human race, traceable to African origins. Let's all relax, accept our commonality, treat every human with respect and get on with improving our existence, protecting the health and welfare of not only all human beings, but all sentient beings.

And as we learn of the interconnected nature of all life and the resources of the planet that supports us, it is predominantly women - those who give birth and share innate qualities of nurture and respect for life, those who intuitively understand the need for cooperation and communication - it is women who are best positioned to display the qualities needed to end corporate pillage, remove the over-weening need for profit from health care, stop the ravaging of our environment and bring some intelligence to our planning and governance.

Ladies, come forth, lead us and teach by your example. We need you to guide us to our much needed revolution of the heart!