Violence begets more violence which begets more violence, even revolutionary violence in the name of Liberty. So again do we see yet another horrific example of the spiral of violence in Nice on Bastille Day, which offers such shocking horror, not only to the rest of the world, but to the French people themselves for whom this day is one so full of nationalist pride. However, the saddest part of today lies not with the scores of lives lost and millions more traumatized, but for the millions more to come as a swift reaction from a French Government and its allies ready to unleash militarized retribution awaits an already traumatized and decimated Islamic world. The irony that the French people will increasingly be deprived of any chance of Liberty at home, as the spiral descends and authoritarianism rises, will likely be muted by 24/7 news infotainment.
Yet, the liberty which the French celebrate on this day itself ushered in an era of untold violence. T he Monarchies of Europe and the French Republicans for two decades mired Europe in total war. Eventually, the Napoleonic Grande Armée of French and allied forces, which marched across Europe to liberate the civilized world from Monarchy, killed hundreds of thousands and eventually killing themselves in their ill-fated invasion of Russia. The freedom and liberty envisioned by an oppressed people answering with revolutionary violence ushered in the modern era of warfare, with professional armies and total war, where casualties numbered millions and eventually scaled a century later to world wide war.
The 1812 march of the Grande Armée into Russia and its return by Charles Joseph Minard — Source: Wikipedia
The tragedy from that era still haunts us, for in the name of liberty, democracy and freedom, the professional armies of the West have imposed a decade and a half war across the Middle East and Africa, in an effort to “combat terror” and in doing so, have escalated it beyond all proportion.
Violence begat violence. And so the spiral of violence continues.
And yet, so many recognize we are in an era where the revolutionary ideas of great change are occurring, not simply in war, which are amoral answers to structural problems of politics and economics, but more so because we’ve reached a stage in human history that we cannot continue further without a drastic change of course. Our progress in genetics, technology, weaponry, and mediatization have far outpaced our development of civil, cultural and emotional wisdom to buoy our historical urge to lash out towards each other in collective violence. The earth itself has experienced a war against it & its inhabitant sentient beings, as humankind has engorged itself on every available resource, stripping the land in its ever widening quest to extract wealth at the expense of life.
We’ve run up against it. Today is the turning point. We are headed towards a global total war by frightened and powerful reactionary western elite with 19th century thinking and 21st century technology and weaponry. The war will be fought for the same reasons as in the past and the people will be swayed by nationalism & fear to support it. And years from now we would regret it, refer to it as such a tragedy. But we must not allow history to repeat itself.
We must act — against elites too power hungry to share control;, against the avarice of the greedy too tenacious to share; against the multinationals too intent on profit to protect life; against nations desperate enough for resources to fight wars; against the nuclear powered armaments too deadly to ever be used; against the hate, anger and fear by those most intent on using violence.
We must act — NOT in Violence but in #RevolutionaryLove!
Our only chance left is a global revolution of the heart, a human social revolution that starts inside each one of us and radiates outward, not in a downward spiral, but upward, first to those near us, then extending out to everyone in our community, which would be the spark to drive a great coming together of humanUnity .
It starts with the heart although not only the heart, for its connection to the mind provides us with a more powerful weapon than hate. Love integrate s Heart and Mind, the feeling of synchrony between affect and cognition that occurs when we see others for whom they really are and we in turn are really seen.
Our heart and mind are the Providence for which we’ve been waiting, for it is in their balance that God’s evolutionary miracle has given us the extraordinary power to overcome Strife. It is by growing self-awareness of attention that we can regain control of our heart. It is with our heart and mind in balance that we are able to heal our trauma and the trauma of others. It is with our heart and mind in balance that we are able to rise above the innate drive of reacting with violence, the ultimate act of avoidance, and instead to engage in connection with others. It is through that connection of heart and mind with others that will end this spiral.
Violence is no match for #RevolutionaryLove. A #RevolutionaryLove will be confident, empathetic, compassionate, non-judging, non-yielding, courageous, gracious, generous, apologetic, forgiving, embracing, energized, righteous, calm, rational & humorous. A #RevolutionaryLove will connect us together into an unconquerable force for peace, to give us courage to stare down the threats and violence directed towards those awakened from the consensus reality. A #RevolutionaryLove will give us the spark to help awaken our brethren from their invented reality, grounding them in a shared humanUnity. A #RevolutionaryLove will give us the collective energy to persevere in the face of doubt.
#RevolutionaryLove begins with ourselves. We must love ourselves, which requires us to use our heart and mind to see ourselves and be seen by ourself. To realize our humanity, our common connection to all others and to see in ourself the sheer hope of change that love can bring to oneself and others.
This wisdom has been known for ages, yet only half heartedly obliged to those nearest us, while at the same time refused for those different than us. Now its our only hope. And today it began, in Nice, on Bastille Day.
A #RevolutionaryLove will win. And someday, it will result in a#RevolutionaryPeace.