Standing up for a Cause

I found this week's quotation, by Mahatma Gandhi, interesting: "Strength does not grow from physical force (effort) - rather from indomitable will."

And I guess he was talking about the power of non-violent resistance. In the case of India, the indomitable will of Gandhi's people was pitched against the power and might of the British Empire. And yet, the Indian people prevailed.

Today, the Extinction Rebellion movement is using similar tactics, to save our world from being destroyed by human exploitation and greed. The current issue of our Unitarian journal, The Inquirer, Holland Morrell of Doncaster Unitarians shared her experience of joining the XR protests one day last month:

"Once I got past the police, it was actually incredibly peaceful. There was singing, chanting, speeches, friendships being forged, and hot food freely available. There was an atmosphere of quiet passion and reverence for the Earth. It felt similar to stepping into a place of worship - the same sense of inner stillness, awe, wisdom, peace, and fellowship."

The centre spread of the issue has the headline 'Unitarians on the front line', in which four more Unitarians shared their experience of joining the XR protests in London. Elizabeth Harley, a ministry student from Bridport, wrote:

"The reason we travelled [to London] is simple: the destructive effects of corporate greed on our planet is present tense. Displaced people are suffering right now, and it will get worse. We need to think and act globally with a green conscience, a kind heart. Until we are all safe, we all suffer. This is a religious imperative for me, I am joining in with what we have got - and that is the imperfect but growing and impressively resilient Extinction Rebellion."

If enough people have the indomitable will to prevail, change will come. We need to stand up and be counted.

Working Together

Last week's quotation, by Friedensreich Hundertwasser, could not be more apposite: "Wenn einer allein traümt, ist es nur ein Traum. Wenn viele gemeinsam traümen, ist das der Anfang einer neuer Wirklichkeit."

Which being translated, means: "When one dreams alone, it is only a dream. When many dream together, it is the beginning of a new reality."

And this week, millions of protesters are gathering to support the Extinction Rebellion movement. So many people have been galvanised into action by the grim realisation that our planet is under threat. That our lives, and the lives of all living creatures and plants, are under threat. That it is almost too late to do anything about it. But that nevertheless, the effort has to be made.

Many Unitarians will be spending at least part of this week down in London to join the protests. I am so glad that we are a part of this, because we only have one planet. They are seeking to help people to understand that there are better ways to live, based on a lifestyle which Unitarian author John Naish calls "enoughness". 

Because at the moment we are a society of consumers, with our heads buried firmly in the sand. Natural resources such as gas and oil are running out and the biodiversity on which our planet depends for its health is at risk from the activities of humankind.

Extinction Rebellion has published a book called This is Not A Drill. In it, the authors write: "This is a crisis that requires radical system change on a scale never seen before."  They write: "The challenge we now face is extremely daunting. Because the problem, unfortunately, is not just the climate. The problem is ecology. The problem is the environment. The problem is biodiversity. The problem is capitalism. The problem is colonialsim. The problem is power. The problem is inequality. The problem is greed, and corruption, and money, and this tired, broken system. The problem is our complete and utter failure to imagine any meaningful alternative."

The book has some wonderful suggestions for ways in which every person can join the rebellion, by choosing sustainability over consumerism, by campaigning to *make* governments and industry understand what is at stake. 

This could be our last chance... let's work together to make it happen.