Gather

By any manner of measurement, life has gotten much harder in the last few years. Objectively, collective tragedy has become more pervasive through sickness, war, and genocide… indiscriminately creeping into each of our lives. The “everyday struggle” has grown into an obstructive tumor… well-fed by corporate greed, it darkens any view beyond survival. Still, hate-filled individuals openly prey on the most vulnerable of us with weapons of war. And, of course, this all occurs amidst extreme climate change and unprecedented weather events. The horses may not have arrived yet, but we can all hear the trumpets: our world is ending. It’s an overwhelmingly common sentiment that transcends age, race, and any other physical denomination… simply put, if you exist in this world, you know that it can’t for much longer. The world, as we may have once known it, doesn’t abide by the same rules and certainties that we had once come to expect. Whereas we had been taught to believe in self-determination and justice, it’s now clear that the path to sustainable stability no longer runs through hard work, integrity, and patience. Instead, we need inside connections, ill-obtained fortune, and a stomach for cruelty or neglect to grasp any sort of societal elevation. Faced with this new reality, many have subconsciously embraced the mantra of “every man for himself” over time. And, if we may speculate, this widespread concession is likely the catalyst behind the overt, unyielding tribalism and apathy we see proliferating in our world… but we can’t blame each other for making an unreasonable reaction under unreasonable circumstances. Instead, it’s important to consider the origin of the circumstances themselves: the ruling class. As social creatures, it is well-known that we are most effective as a unified force… which is precisely why the accumulation of power has always coincided with the stratification of division. And, if we look at our current situation, it’s apparent that we are within an era of consolidated capital alongside a resurgence of fervent nationalism. Behind the curtain, the ruling class is all the same… so just as many large companies initiate mass firings, stock buybacks, and price-gouging practices, our government also doubles down upon invasions of privacy, increased military spending, and the looming, imminent threat of a “foreign menace”. Altogether, it’s clear that these actions are rooted within paranoid, fearful self-preservation, it’s also clear that both sects of the ruling class expect us to cover the bill… and it’s abundantly clear that we aren’t part of the long-term plan. In all honesty, by staging our basic needs as arenas of competition, the ruling class likely hopes that we’ll just eliminate each other. While creating and promoting the narrative that “there isn’t enough to go around”, our “leaders” have deceived us of our own capabilities. As a society that can grow food in a city, flow water through a desert, and put man on the moon, it’s dishonest to say that we can’t do anything when, in reality, it’s simply that they won’t let us. While they may require cogs for their machines, they don’t want anyone to truly understand or innovate them. In the face of how little we can offer to those who own everything, we’ve been forced into a purely sacrificial relationship with our own world. Just to get by, we are told to give up our health, happiness, hopes, dreams, and needs… to fill someone else’s wants. You see, if we were allowed to build a utopia in our image, then we would hold the knowledge, understanding, and, therefore, the fate of our world. We could finally be in a position to understand what’s actually important to us, and not simply follow the pre-established precedent. Constant evolution is key to survival… and we were meant to create, expand, and connect in every aspect of life. The touch of joy that we feel when we succeed at a goal, help one another, do something we love, or find something we like is a physical, spiritual, and mental indicator of our purpose. We were born to have an invested relationship with ourselves, our world, and our fellow man. Without these bonds, we often find ourselves lost, stressed, confused, and inadequate… even, and sometimes especially, when we may be doing “well” outwardly. This is because the long-standing hierarchical system works exactly as it was designed to, and we just find ourselves squeezing in the only places where we can fit: underneath the ruling class, just a little above the bottom, and always in a tight spot. To mold us into shape, this counterintuitive society purposely erodes our natural-born potential, pride, and passion to make the individual feel insignificant and inflexible. Yet, we hold more power than ever in an era where change is even more necessary. We still fill the factories, hospitals, schools, offices, armies, warehouses, restaurants, construction sites, power plants, water treatment facilities, countryside, towns, and cities. They only control these establishments in name and policy… while we control these industries in structure and function. So, whereas we currently are only allowed to trade our lives for labor… we must fight for the right to trade our labor for love and for life. While many factors have made this life harder, the harsh truth is that the palpable feeling of despair relies on you. If you think you can do nothing, then nothing is done. If nothing is done, then nothing will change. And if nothing changes, then you will lose what remains of your world… left burning to ash alone. On the other hand, peace and prosperity rely on us. Together, we have all the skill, necessity, and strength to erect a better world for everyone. Gathered as one, it takes just a spark to ignite a revolution large enough to brighten the dark, warm the heart, and bring forth a new beginning. So gather, revolutionaries, and strike at the shackles that bind us… until we set this world ablaze.