We Will Fill Heaven to Overflowing

Loving the world, loving each other, eclipsing hate, saving the world.

In some of the greatest and most successful movements in history, a whole lot of people went to jail. Often intentionally in large numbers.

When we look at the campaigns led by King and Gandhi, we typically focus on bravery and the historic actions — lunch counter sit-ins and Salt March to the sea — and non-violence. And that the leaders were both murdered.

But the focus should be on love, because love is the force that makes justice and a better society possible. We don’t talk about it because we don’t believe in the power of love. Love is corny and weak.

For all our talk about justice and democracy and grass roots action, deep down most of us act as if we agree with Mao: political power comes out of the barrel of a gun.

The Saners, our movement to stop climate collapse and build a society based on better values (like love), won’t involve so many people going to jail. Yeah, some will be prosecuted or fined by a confused and desperate establishment, fighting to remain relevant. People will be fined for peaceful actions like distributing flyers posted to telephone polls which, if they said “Lost Dog!” would never get a citation. And maybe some peaceful protesters who aren’t inconveniencing anyone will be arrested for loitering.

Towards the end, as we get close to victory, The Saners may cross the law more directly but never violently — and law enforcement will be at its worst because we will be close to victory. Not long after that, we win.

Power doesn’t come from a gun. Power comes from the people — and we either give our consent and cooperation, or we withhold it. Right now, a small number of ultra-wealthy people and well-placed political leaders are, in accordance with existing economic and political systems — destroying the habitability of the Earth. Once we stop taking their orders, and begin rejecting their bribes, and laughing at their threats…they and the systems behind them are history.

That’s what must happen and it is what we are working towards. Everything we hear about now day to day — elections and the economy and a few big issues and MAGA and whatever — they are noisy sideshows. Yes, they have consequences. But only under the existing systems. Our movement will go to the root of the problem.

We won’t let any dictator or plutocrat destroy our common home. We won’t help and support and do the work of those who are killing our children and powering the Sixth Extinction. And they can’t do any damage without us. They are few in number and, truthfully, nobody wants a dead planet. Their cause is — once exposed — an extraordinarily unpopular one.

They’ve done a nice job spinning a story. But we will reject their story and tell a different one. We will tell the truth. And many will be surprised that TRUTH and LOVE are so powerful. Yes, a fairly large number of fools will continue to support failed leaders and systems, but enough will defect to end the insanity. It’s OUR job to make that happen.

Not the Opposition They Expected

Despots, whether they are dictators or plutocrats, are good at vilifying and violence. They engage in smears and killing as easily as breathing. So, when they are met with angry mobs, when people violently oppose them, they easily turn back the threat. Despots have the guns. But that’s all they have.

They are powerless against a moral campaign. When people are lured away from the despots and plutocrats, when the police and the coal miners and the accountants and the railroad engineers side with their children and their loved ones and their planet — and reject orders from the greedy few who’s demands threaten to destroy everything — the ordinary people win. The ordinary people do all the work. Nothing runs without them, without us.

The pharaohs built exactly zero pyramids. Egyptian engineers designed them and Egyptian workers built them. Without the engineers and workers no pyramids would exist. It’s the pharaohs that were superfluous.

Alerting people to the emergency that most already know exists — the imminent crisis of a collapsing climate — people who are important, even essential to continuing on the currently deadly course will begin NOT cooperating. Slowing down work at first, and maybe subtly sabotaging things by “making mistakes.”

But this will become more overt. People will walk off the jobs, especially the jobs that directly damage the climate. But also stupid useless jobs, work that produces useless crap for sale, crap that wastes energy and time to produce, crap that overflows landfills.

These people who quit serving evil and stupidity and insanity will be welcomed by sane, sensible people who will offer them worthwhile jobs and who will help them find alternative ways of getting by as the world changes from evil to loving.

Groucho and God

I recently saw a musical about Groucho Marx. In the show (and probably in real life as well), Groucho told a story. I’m paraphrasing here from memory.

There was a man who led an exemplary life. He was thoughtful and kind to everyone. Always. So, when this man died, God sent him a message. “I want to meet you,” He said. “Please come over for dinner this evening.”

So the man goes to dinner to meet God. He finds a beautiful table with a lace tablecloth, lovely flowers and candles. The room is grand and an exquisite chandelier hangs from the ceiling.

The man sits at the table and God sits at the other end. On the table, in front of the man, is a stalk of celery and a glass of tomato juice. God has the same in front of Him.

The man looks down to the place below, and he hears a raucous crowd drinking champagne, eating caviar and rack of lamb. That’s the bad place.

So, the man addresses God. “I don’t mean to be ungrateful or anything, but I can’t help noticing that, down there, they are eating and drinking a lot better than we are. I mean, they are enjoying the best champagne, and delicacies like rack of lamb, while all we have is a stick of celery and a glass of tomato juice.

And God says, “It really doesn’t pay to cook for just two people.”

But the Saners will bring out the best in people. We will save this Earth and later, we will fill heaven to overflowing. And you can bet your life that God will need a very good caterer.

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