Politicians are Jungian symbols, policies are facades
ofthetwodreams.substack.com
ofthetwodreams.substack.com
---
MLK was an incredible organizer whose work helped get the Civil Rights Act and Voting Rights Acts passed.
That isn't a "facade". They're real policy and that is his legacy. His words don't take on mythical status without those significant accomplishments.
Not only is this article poorly-written and hard to parse with pointless sentences like "We are all legislators in the parliament of consciousness", the author's entire premise is wrong.
I hope people don't actually think this way. Activists, organizers, and politicians aren't just Jungian symbols or "cultural vibes".
The policies they fight for, organize around, and enact actually cause things to happen -- for better or worse.
So, yes, sadly activism today is largely symbolic, and I'd agree that most "activists" are symbols made manifest through media personalities. There are certainly old school activists around, and the fervor behind activism still burns within people, but the society has changed tremendously. All that energy just radiates into space, resulting in frustration and impotence.
The only significant risk taking you still see today at any meaningful scale is spending money. That's not nothing, but it'll never have the power that other forms of activism could have (when they're well organized), and it's blunted by opposing interests also throwing large sums of money into advocacy.
Also, I don't mean to discount the value of the army of people who are still involved in politics, doing things like canvassing, volunteering, etc. That kind of activity is just as if not more important than directed political and social activism. But general civic participation also seems diminished as compared to 50+ years ago, replaced by large sums of money, largely from mega donors (the "good" and "evil" kind), funding paid work.
Policies have direct material influence. Even if 99% dream and believe and talk and think.. That law gets passed that says those mining companies dig beneath those mountains and the board of the mining company don’t have to care about the chemicals or the energy or the environment or the working situation and suddenly there’s heavy metals in the food and the water and thoughts and prayers won’t get the board of the mining company to take different decisions.
Bad example, there are more direct material effects from just some economic levers influenced by policy and so on. So yes, those deepest layers do matter, but maybe all layers matter just as much as the rest. And at the end of the day the material layer is what influences everyones health and livelihood. Re: someones religious meme with the punchline ’brain explosion: samsara is brahman’