Having grown up in South Africa, my home language is Afrikaans.  It is a modified, simplified, and then re-complexified form of Dutch.  This process have been going on since 1652 when the first Dutch colonists established a provisioning station at the Cape of Good Hope, now Cape Town.  The first bunch of people who thought it was important enough, decided to name this new language after the continent in which it took its new form, and from which it received much of it's added vocabulary.

There are many wonderful surprises in the Spanish language for an English speaker.  A beautiful nugget which continues to sparkle in my mind is the Spanish phrase for sunbathing: Tomar el sol.  To drink the sun.  Beautiful.

Instead of listing all the ways in which my opinions differ from yours in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, I prefer to do this:

Power: one of those loaded words. It is intuitively graspable but difficult, if not impossible, to define for all contexts. However it seems that at least some exploration of the term could benefit future discussions... bearing in mind that language is a flawed (if beloved) vehicle.

There is an excellent Science Fiction book called "Door Into Ocean" by Joan Slonczewski, which develops (amongst others) the idea that, if most people simply do not "buy in" to someone's claim to power, that person's (or entity's) power will be non-existent. Many people also seem to think that power is really something that ought to have gone out with the Dinosaurs and that, instead of exercising power, we should move around it, so to speak, thus making it obsolete.

To the extent that power (or the permission to exercise it) is governed by perceptions, I agree. To the extent that power is inherent in a certain context, I don‘t agree.

I believe that the exercise of power - by every person - is often not only unavoidable, but also desirable. In so far as it is unavoidable, we should recognize that fact, own it, and then use our deepest understanding to do the right thing. Not only this, but avoiding to use our power, could actually be an abandonment of our responsibility to one another.

Example: Whether I want it to be so, or not, I have unbelievable power over my young child. I have power over his little body - which I use by picking him up out of harm's way, and giving him nutritious foods. I have power over his developing mind - which I use to provide him with as much love, guidance, and appropriate stimulation as possible. It is an immense, awful, scary power. Not using my power would be abandonment. There are also the various powers to influence other people - like assertively discussing with doctors the right treatment for an illness, or conferencing with teachers over the best educational next step, or delicately but resolutely approaching the family of a child who might be bullying mine. When understanding or cooperation is not forthcoming, these are situations that require a very definite form of "putting my foot down", and "what are you going to do about it"... presented as diplomatically as possible. Power-play, in other words. Not to do this would be a form of neglect. (A family member once told me the birth of her child taught her, first, to stand up for her child, and then - over time - to stand up for herself.)

And this is one child. Now imagine how much power ordinary people have over one another, and over situations, across the entire biosphere. There are thousands of relationships we are placed into, where we have inherent power over another. Whether we want it or not. Of course, this power is impacted by knowledge, understanding, awareness, resources, health, physical & mental abilities, and especially by relationships, including webs, networks, institutions, laws, traditions, and cultures. And this whole menagerie is supported by the web of life on earth.

But there is one thing - above all - that impacts an individual's power, that thing is perception. Both the perception one has of oneself and how one is perceived by others. If you are primarily perceived as meat, you will be treated as meat, regardless of your true value or your own perceptions. No conversation beyond the level of "meat" will be possible, unless the underlying perception is changed. If you are not "permitted" this or that, you will be taken to the Guantanamo Bays of the world. Physically or psychologically. Permission is granted according to the granter's perception.

Often, the person with the least understanding is the person with the most direct power, because that person's lack of understanding automatically limits possible outcomes to the area of his own power, which can only be on the same level as his insight.

Which is why there are forms of power no one should ever have. No one should have the power to push a button and destroy lives by doing so. Regardless of his/her perceptions. No one should have the power to speak a command and destroy lives. The taking of a life should be made impossible. The things, processes, agreements, institutions, and (aspects of) cultures that make this possible, should not exist. But since destroying all the rocks on earth is an impractical solution, there is only one way to eradicate violence: change perceptions. Everything boils down to this. In the end.

One cannot mention power without mentioning politics. I don't think politics will bring the change that's necessary in the world. However, I do think that those who have the inclination to go into politics should do so. Why? Because, if it wasn't for all the "good" people in the system pushing in the opposite direction, the juggernaut of government, industry & military will have nearly destroyed anything recognizable as true freedom by now. The "good" people in politics are buying the rest of us time & space to work around the system before it suffocates us all. Actual solutions, however, will be many, nuanced, localized, plural and NOT issuing from the monolithic, dominant political processes.

I've said nothing new - but its better to have said it anyway.

  1.   First of all, my activism involves raising my 4-year old son to grow up as conscious & aware as possible.  On all levels.  There is nothing more transforming in society than an aware individual.  All action (and non-action) flows from this.  He is not my creation and never will be.  My task is simply to bring himself to himself.  To be midwife to his real birth (although: who knows where life & consciousness truly begins?).  The rest will follow.  Of course, I also cannot help relishing the delicious fact of his existence.  This being.  In my house.  In my life.  It's astounding.  

2.  One cannot raise a child without being influenced by the process.  You have to be the person you want your child to become.  Years of effort, growth and much, much good luck has brought me to a place where I, as an individual, could finally become somewhat useful to the world in a larger context.  Until recently, this has been the primary focus of my "activism" - just to become whole enough.  As you know, its a process that never really ends.

3.  But I want to go further.  Because for me there is simply no other way to live.  You cannot "save" yourself.  For what?  You can only burn.  Burn up.  Burn up with a transforming love for the ten thousand things of this world.  What is there to do, except to help the beautiful things of this world to flourish?  Death will come.  Until then.  What else is there to do but burn ?  Fire is the process whereby matter is transformed from one form to another.  

4.  How language influence us and behaves as a carrier of meaning fascinates me.  So: I'll be learning Spanish over the next 3 years because language is one of my stronger points.  Not a talented poet, I am nevertheless interested in the potential language has both to transform, clarify and to obscure, mislead.  Also, I want my son to know another language and to develop a closer understanding of a people whom the dominant culture over here (California) tries to obscure.

5.  Participate with my son in local children's charity organizations.  Learn the nuts & bolts of direct service to people in need.  Raise him with community service as a natural given, not a luxury option.  

6.  Enter the public domain for the benefits of open conversation.

This is a decent start.  Yes?