A Spiritual Foundation
- David Michelson
- Oct 15
- 4 min read
by David Michelson
Earlier this week while reading the book Spirit Matters by Michael Lerner, I came across a passage about the trajectory of many social change movements. The author was writing about the importance of movements having a spiritual foundation in order to avoid this trajectory.
Contemporary social change movements that lack a spiritual foundation have often gone through a kind of "natural history" that includes many of the following steps:
People come together around some specific grievance, then; They begin to understand that what they really need is some deeper transformation of the world, then; A period (a few weeks, months, or years) ensues in which people experience the incredible high of hoping for these kinds of fundamental changes, but; As the full intensity of corporate/media/governmental power is mobilized in defense of the status quo, people begin to realize that their full vision is not going to be won very quickly, possibly not even in their lifetimes. Without the immediate possibility of achieving the full vision, people become more focused on the quality of the movement itself. Their frustration about not being able to achieve their vision makes them feel more critical of each other and they begin to focus more on the ways people around them are disappointing and do not fully embody the goals of the movement. This then leads to; Growing internal resentments, rivalries, displacement of anger at the larger social world against movement leaders or fellow participants, and incessant bickering over tactics or theories, which in turn leads to; A narrowing of focus away from the shared vision and toward what can be won in the short run, and a growing despair about the larger vision ever happening. This in turn is followed by; An even deeper despair about anything changing, because now the movement seems to be just another narrow interest group seeking to move for its own advantage, which finally leads to; A deepening cynicism, depoliticization, and dissolution of the movement to the point that people feel all alone and unable to act in the world.
The only thing that could stop this process is the development of a spiritual consciousness, which would counter some of these dynamics by:
Helping people stay in touch with their transformative visions even when those visions do not seem immediately winnable; Helping people develop a practice of compassion for others that would allow them to be less disillusioned when they found that their fellow participants in social change movements were as flawed as we all actually are; Helping people resist the tendency to settle for the kinds of short-term payoffs that divert attention from longer term goals; Helping people resist the tendency to restrict their political activity to goals that are practical and realistic, since what is practical and realistic in a society dominated by corporate globalization will be that which is least threatening to the powerful; Preventing people from demeaning participants in corporate structures, or otherwise engaging in us/them dichotomizing, and instead helping social change activists see the humanity, decency, and spiritual potential even in the people on the opposite side of the table; Providing activists with a foundational vision that would help them recognize their common goals even as parts of the movement may emphasize more narrow tasks.
When I read this passage I was struck by how deeply it resonated with my own perspective. I felt inspired hearing the author's call for compassion for those "on the opposite side of the table" and to stay in touch with our transformative visions of the world.
I believe our campaign works to achieve both of those goals and can help the animal rights movement maintain a transformative vision while also acknowledging the humanity of those currently involved in killing animals.
For our campaign, I would argue that our spiritual foundation is comprised at least in part by Nonviolent Communication—a process of connecting with ourselves and others that increases the likelihood of meeting all of our shared needs and decreases the likelihood of violence. I've discussed Nonviolent Communication previously, but for those interested I highly recommend reading Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life or watching one of the recorded workshops by Marshall Rosenberg, which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NH1MKAdxUpQ
In a prior email newsletter, I wrote a bit more in depth about Nonviolent Communication (NVC) after I had just returned from an NVC training in California. I've included the content of my original newsletter below, so that those who were not previously subscribed can view the content.
If you'd like to listen to the song mentioned above, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/F64O31N-G_s
Joining the campaign as a monthly donor would help meet our need for stability and support. The more funds we are able to raise, the greater our chances of getting on the ballot. If you are inspired by our work so far, would you consider signing up to give, at any amount, as a monthly donor?
Do you know of other ideas for how we can either secure additional funding or how we can spread the word about our campaign? Email team@yesonip28.org and let us know.
