Maybe I do take issue with the normal campaign. When has
being “normal” ever achieved anything for anyone or any cause? The thinkers and causes that have managed to
shift paradigms in the past were never considered “normal.” No one really wants to be normal or
generic. Although I suppose there is a
degree of wanting to be just normal enough not to stand out too much, but still
hold on to the idea that we are unique and special. I might be coming full circle here, as I
guess it’s fair to say that while the neo-liberal paradigm has contributed to
our sense of individual freedom, it has simultaneously created an individual sense
of entitlement, entitlement that makes it difficult to divest of ourselves of
consumer driven actions, and invest (emotionally & financially) in a new
paradigm.
Today in class a debate emerged over whether or not to make corporate
and political institutions the target of our anger and frustration, or are they
merely reacting to public opinion and market demand out of a misguided sense of
duty? There are no absolute answers to these questions, but a plethora of
approaches can’t hurt. Luke Skywalker (I
would be remiss if I failed to make at least one pop-culture reference in my
final blog) didn’t enter the Death Star alone.
He would have never been able to release his proton torpedo’s into the
heart of the Death Star had it not been for the efforts of his wingmen (and “the
force”). We need people working
simultaneously at the systemic and individual levels. If people sense that change is possible at a
political or structural level they might feel a little less disenfranchised. At the same time the governments and
corporations who control international policy need to be aware of change
emerging from the bottom-up. I’m unsure
as to what the future holds, but there is no doubt that a shift is coming, and
unlikely in a time frame that we are comfortable with. If people want to remain optimistic about the
future they need to free themselves of the constraints to change that western
culture has deemed to be the aspirations of all. What should our aspirations be centered
on? Love is as good a place to start as
any.