New
Year’s Revolutions
I
can ease the suffering of this world
With my head, my heart and
my hand
–-from the song Of This World
resolution
/rĕz″ə-loo͞′shən/
noun
The
state or quality of being resolute; firm determination.
"faced
the situation with resolution."
A
firm decision to do something.
"made
a resolution to get more exercise."
A
course of action determined or decided on.
"His
resolution is to get up early."
revolution
/rĕv″ə-loo͞′shən/
noun
Orbital motion about a point,
especially as distinguished from axial rotation.
"the planetary revolution about
the sun."
A turning or rotational motion
about an axis.
A single complete cycle of such
orbital or axial motion.
The overthrow of one government
and its replacement with another.
A sudden or momentous change in a situation.
The
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Just
in case you thought I made a typo or spelled the last word in the
title wrong, I’ve provided
the
definitions above.
While many folks this week are discussing their “New Year’s
resolutions”
to lose weight or take up exercising,
what this
world
desperately
needs
are
“New Year’s revolutions.”
Yes,
revolution
as
it states in the fifth definition: “a
sudden or momentous change in a situation.” If
we don’t
see any revolutions in 2024, we probably shouldn’t expect
to be alive and well this same
time
next year.
I
know you
thought I was going to say we need a
revolution
as defined in the fourth line: “the overthrow of one government and
its replacement with another.” Well, that kind
of revolution may
ultimately be
necessary to enact a
needed
sudden
or
momentous change
in our situation. For
now, let’s stick with just the simple idea of change and a
resoluteness to enact those
much
needed
changes.
See?
I didn’t throw out the first word’s
definition
entirely, but
I’ve changed it
slightly.
Resolution,
such as undertaking
an
activity like jogging, has been changed to resoluteness,
a character trait that
we
all need to have, a spirit of firm determination to
tackle the job that needs to be done.
So,
what New Year’s revolutions
need to be enacted in
2024?
In case you’re an alien from outer space
who has just landed on
Earth, or
you’ve been cryogenically frozen for the past year or more, you
can
catch up with what’s
been
going on with humankind by reading last week’s (that is, last
year’s last post) entitled Silence
Equals Death:
2023 In Review. That should help you understand how
humanity
cannot
remain forever
locked
into
the death-giving behavior patterns it finds itself locked
into
now.
To
continue down
our
current
path of death and destruction is to ensure humanity’s final and
total annihilation.
This is not something rational, sane individuals should
wish
to do. Nor should rational, sane individuals desire
to
be led by leaders—elected or appointed—who wish to continue down
this pathway of death and destruction. Hence, we are
all
in
need of
a
“sudden or momentous change” in our
situation in
order to
save us from our
demise.
This
is where the fourth definition of revolution
might become necessary. Even a
threat or a
hint
that the workers have had enough of the bourgeoisie class dictating
death-giving terms to them could ignite the momentous change
necessary to turn things around (revolve
them into
something better,
you could say) and put our
society
on the
road
toward
life and creativity, away
from death and destruction.
Contrary
to popular belief, revolutions don’t have to be bloody to be
effective. A revolution of the heart, an awakening of conscience, or
the raising of our collective consciousness (as prolific essayist
Caitlin Johnstone terms it) could be all it takes to instigate
changes for the better. After all, the word “love” can be found
in the word “revolution” if you look closely enough.
(R
E V O L U T I O N. Do you see it? Try flipping the word around and
spelling it out. Sometimes a sudden change of view is all it takes to
see the good in everything.)
The
question really becomes
this:
Do
we want
to look closely enough? Are we resisting a revolution of our hearts
because to open our hearts to
love others can be… too humbling? With
an open heart, would we see others as fellow human beings, equal in
the eyes of our God/Higher Power? Would this insight make us
uncomfortable because we could no longer dismiss others’ needs and
treat them as objects for our own gain?
For
instance, do
the majority of us want to keep turning a blind eye to the genocide
happening
in Gaza? (Or
the ones occurring in Congo or Sudan, for that matter.)
We Westerners seem to be experts at ignoring the pain and suffering
of others, particularly people of color whose religion or culture is
different than
our own. We’ve been indoctrinated to keep our emotions to
ourselves, to point out the “flaws” and “weaknesses” of
other cultures and
not our own,
so
much so that
we
don’t even seem to realize
how hypocritical we’re
acting.
To
open
our hearts and love
is to reveal our true nature—our own flaws and weaknesses—to the
other. It means asking for forgiveness for
our
past sins. It means making reparations to those whose families lost
their lives and lands to our capitalistic greed and hunger to exploit
natural resources for
our own gain.
It
means sharing with and caring for everyone on the planet, not just
the face in the mirror.
Love
isn’t for sissies. It’s not for those without a resoluteness of
spirit willing
to
walk
the painful pathway toward reconciliation between two or more warring
factions, but it can be done. Look at how South Africa dealt with the
evils of apartheid with
its Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
Where
there is love, there
is hope.
And
there are plenty
of examples
of how a revolution of love could bring about an end to the selfish,
warmongering
behavior of the US and its allies. Building
a world order based on trust and mutual aid rather than the
petrodollar and
US hegemony would
eliminate the competitiveness and spitefulness engendered under
Western capitalism
Once
a momentous change or
revolution
of the
heart
has occurred, similarly changes in the “head” or the human
intellect
usually follow suit. We
can make a revolution from
using faulty pretzel logic to rationalize its need for more wars to
grab more fossil fuels (which we
acknowledge are
destroying our climate and our planet) to using our intellect to
design cleaner, greener energy sources and technology that could
improve the life of everyone
on the planet. And
I mean there
would be life improvements for
everyone,
not
just the rich and those of lofty social status. A
revolution
of both the heart and head of humanity could lead to many wondrous
positive
inventions and fascinating
explorations
of our universe, technology
and knowledge shared with everyone, everywhere.
We
shouldn’t
underestimate just how much good
and beauty humankind is actually capable of creating if it is willing
to do it together
as one body and
not as competing cells. The
“Lone Wolf Syndrome” (a.k.a. “the oligarchy” or
“billionaires”) would be cured once and for all in a world that
is unified to protect, nurture, and care for all its members not
just a few.
To
start the revolution of the heart and the head, we must first be
willing to use our “hands” to spread this message of love to all.
Hands on the keyboard typing a social media post sharing the news of
a group who is
supportive of life
and creativity, away from the path of
death and destruction we’re currently taking. Hands holding a
protest sign telling those in authority that we will not accept the
slaughter of
our brothers and sisters
in Gaza and
elsewhere.
Hands raised
in a fist to prove we have the love that it takes to begin the
“overthrow of one government and its replacement with another” if
that
is what
would be more
conducive to guaranteeing peace and prosperity for all human beings.
As
Peter, Paul, and Mary sings:
I
can ease the suffering of this world
I
can ease the suffering of this world
I
can ease the suffering of this world
With my head, my heart and
my hand
In
2024, let us stand resolutely together and shout boldly, “I can
ease the suffering of this world.” Let’s
get down
to
work on our New Year’s revolutions, shall we?
Articles and Other Interesting Links
INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE: Press Release
29 December 2023
The
Republic of South Africa institutes proceedings against the State of
Israel and requests the Court to indicate provisional measures https://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/192/192-20231229-pre-01-00-en.pdf
South Africa Invokes Genocide Convention Against Israel
https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/29/south-africa-invokes-genocide-convention-against-israel/
Israel Says It's Anti-Semitic To Invoke The Genocide Convention Over Gaza https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/israel-says-its-anti-semitic-to-invoke
2023: The Year Humanity Died
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/2023-humanity-died-gaza
One
month into the bloodshed, after Israel had killed 1,000 children, I
said that’s it; the world would make its move now, if only to save the
children! But the U.S. responded by vetoing a humanitarian cease-fire
that could have saved thousands of innocent lives! A month after, when
the death toll of children reached 10,000, I said enough is enough; it’s
high time the world acted NOW, because humanity itself is at stake!
U.N. officials had already sounded the alarm that Gaza was becoming a
“graveyard for children,” so no one could pretend they did not know. The
time to act was now or never! Yet there was another U.S. veto; another
cold hand was raised to issue a new death sentence for Palestinians.
Another spit in the face of humanity!
Now
I’m lost for words. I have lost faith in humanity. The staggering death
toll in Gaza is humanly impossible to fathom or accept without losing
our sense of shared humanity. As a Palestinian, as a human being, I feel
that part of me has died in this war. I know for certain that I will
not emerge from this tragedy the same person I was before. None of us
will.
"Christ in the Rubble": Palestinian Pastor Delivers Powerful Christmas Sermon from Bethlehem
https://youtu.be/Md_hw_A-oIs?si=93V1j1hEWw0thgQY
Christmas in Bethlehem 2022 vs. 2023 https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/26/christmas-in-bethlehem-2022-vs-2023/
The lies we believe about Gazan Christians are killing them
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/gracecoloredglasses/2023/12/why-christian-west-cold-hearted-palestinian-christians-enormous-crisis/
Tonight a Palestinian is Born
https://arunnews.substack.com/p/tonight-a-palestinian-is-born
‘Are we the baddies?’ Western support for genocide in Gaza means the answer is yes https://jonathancook.substack.com/p/are-we-the-baddies-western-support
Israel’s Genocide Betrays the Holocaust https://chrishedges.substack.com/p/israels-genocide-betrays-the-holocaust
Debunking the world’s largest skin bank: How Israelis harvest organs without consent? https://medium.com/@ASll0_/debunking-the-worlds-largest-skin-bank-how-israelis-harvest-organs-without-consent-d8415b266a55
Overcoming Our Differences Is The Only Way Forward https://roberturbaschek.substack.com/p/overcoming-our-differences
This Can't Be Another Instance Of Genocide — Israel Believes It's Right! https://www.caitlinjohnst.one/p/this-cant-be-another-instance-of
Voters Want the U.S. to Call for a Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza and to Prioritize Diplomacy https://www.dataforprogress.org/blog/2023/12/5/voters-want-the-us-to-call-for-a-permanent-ceasefire-in-gaza-and-to-prioritize-diplomacy
Patrick Lawrence: To Retrieve History https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/28/patrick-lawrence-to-retrieve-history
Palestinian Journalists Are Exposing How “Objectivity” Is Used to Silence Them https://truthout.org/articles/palestinian-journalists-are-exposing-how-objectivity-is-used-to-silence-them/
Returning to Gaza after kidnapping, torture by Israel
https://youtu.be/svcMuAt3To0?si=8hGrl_uPXyqwJ1cT
The Overlooked Economic Incentives for Israel's War on Gaza
https://youtu.be/vDS5mKiXmgQ?si=CMM5nfE85Gv9P97s
Jill Stein on the Genocide in Gaza https://twitter.com/DrJillStein/status/1740152022144622839
We Should All Take Up the Cry of ‘Not in My Name’
https://wagingnonviolence.org/metta/2023/12/we-should-all-take-up-the-cry-not-in-my-name-anarchic-politics/
I
believe, we no longer want to live in a world where the death of
children can be legitimated, rationalized and justified. No law can make
the killing of children right, if it does, it is not just; no amount of
reasons can make the targeting of children right, if it does it is
insanity; no justifications can take away the conditions of peace from a
child, if they do, it is a clear pointer that it serves tyrants and,
therefore, is a perverse mockery of justice. This world must be
overthrown, even if we do not know as yet what will take its place — let
us be open to, and imagine and construct other possibilities.
Israel's War Crimes https://peoplesdispatch.org/2023/12/29/israels-war-crimes/
Israel Announces Its Gaza Endgame: Ethnic Cleansing As ‘Humanitarianism’ https://popularresistance.org/israel-announces-its-gaza-endgame-ethnic-cleansing-as-humanitarianism/
The Long History Of Zionist Proposals To Ethnically Cleanse The Gaza Strip https://scheerpost.com/2023/12/29/the-long-history-of-zionist-proposals-to-ethnically-cleanse-the-gaza-strip/
GHOULS: Israel Illegally Stealing Body Parts From Murdered Gazans https://mark192.substack.com/p/ghouls-israel-illegally-stealing
License to kill: US police killed over 1,200 people in 2023
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2023/12/30/asgq-d30.html
Boycott Israel/Support Palestine Tool Kit
https://www.codepink.org/bdstoolkit?
2023: The Year the Bubble of US Leadership Burst
https://www.commondreams.org/opinion/2023-us-leadership-bubble-burst
Why Putin is a Hero to Russians
https://joebrunoli.substack.com/p/why-putin-is-a-hero-to-russians
Silence Equals Death: 2023 In Review
https://therevolutioncontinues.substack.com/p/silence-equals-death-2023-in-review
US Military Sinks Three Houthi Boats in Red Sea Killing 10 https://news.antiwar.com/2023/12/31/us-military-sinks-three-houthi-boats-in-red-sea-killing-10/
RIP John Pilger https://dissidentvoice.org/2023/12/rip-john-pilger/
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