A revolutionary's end game

I asked an elder original Black Panther: "Imagine we win, what's the endgame for you? Imagine you no longer needed to focus on 'the struggle'--what would a future for your grandchildren look like here in Detroit?"

After a deep pause and expressing appreciation, he answered with something both visceral and achievable:

"I look at it in the micro and day to day wins as inspiration--for me, it's being able to create room to let my grandchildren envision and create their own future."

That's it. A textbook revolutionary simply wants his grandchildren to be able to envision and create their own futures without hassle. Unfettered by the hindrances of racism and other dimensions of economic oppression which, when we really look at it, get in the way of almost everyone we know and their ability to live a life that embraces dreams in a way that can trust in kinder futures.

Imagine we win, what's the endgame for you?

Imagine you no longer needed to focus on "the struggle"--what would a future for your grandchildren look like in your community?

"Storytelling is inherently political"

"Storytelling is inherently political--and you have to draw your lines as to where your politics are. Even if something seems like a step forward in your career, if that's so many steps back in your perspective or your morality then you're losing the very thing you might have inside you that might be worth sharing with an audience."-Brit Marling

Those first four words stayed in my mind for years--to me, politics is about the articulation of desired action (because face it: a lot of politics is about how people say things and look rather than what actually needs to be done and how).

We might not think about it, but sharing a bedtime story says a lot about what someone believes or wants to believe:

That a child might trust in the vision we share with them. That we have the right and duty to take time with someone we care about to create or visit a world that few people get to see.

But if we're to believe the rest of the quote, you must expose yourself to new challenges and responsibilities as a storyteller:

It implies there's a level of will and preparedness you (and your community) need to muster in order to stand by what you care about to maintain those boundaries.

Sometimes you won't have the strength to do it on your own, but if you're fortunate, there will be folks who choose to stand up for the same because they know the story also speaks the truths found in their own lives too.

Sometimes, the best stories to tell are the ones you craft and share together.

......

"Storytelling is inherently political--and you have to draw your lines as to where your politics are. Even if something seems like a step forward in your career, if that's so many steps back in your perspective or your morality then you're losing the very thing you might have inside you that might be worth sharing with an audience."-Brit Marling 16:25
https://youtu.be/1H79-O1IxFA?t=985

I've heard this before but at the time just the first four words stood out: "storytelling is inherently political."

Hearing the rest (and finally 
I think in past moments my hesitation to stake claims

was out of conflict avoidance--

while I can muster what's needed to defend my position

I wasn't confident that I'd have the energy to at the time

Strategy beyond swords

A simple parallel between strategy for swordsmanship and strategy for most endeavors. In brief,  it roughly points out the need for vision and mission.

Distilled from early on in samurai and artist Miyamoto Musashi's book, go rin no sho (the Five Rings):

"It is not difficult to wield a sword in one hand; the Way to learn this is to train with two long swords, one in each hand. It will seem difficult at first, but everything is difficult at first. Bows are difficult to draw, halberds are difficult to wield; as you become accustomed to the bow so your pull will become stronger. When you become used to wielding the long sword, you will gain the power of the Way and wield the sword well.

...there is no fast way of wielding the long sword. The long sword should be wielded broadly, and the companion sword closely. This is the first thing to realize.

According to this Ichi school, you can win with a long weapon, and yet you can also win with a short weapon. In short, the Way of the Ichi school is the spirit of winning, whatever the weapon and whatever its size. 

It is better to use two swords rather than one when you are fighting a crowd, and especially if you want to take a prisoner." - Miyamoto Musashi, in go rin no sho (the Five Rings) on one school, two swords

It's the same for developing and championing one's vision in any endeavor.

We train and practice for the long-term.  Engaged with the rest of the world however, we're mindful that our reaching and immediate needs--the long and short--alike are instrumental to success only when clarity of intention and purpose remains central to your actions.

Carrying one's vision broadly for all to heed, and keeping tangible details close go hand in hand. We see this when making professional introductions and business pitches or making persuasive statements. What draws the attention of most people in any introduction comes from the bigger aspirations which take place in the initial introductions--that's the long sword to wield broadly. Skeptics are either repelled or drawn closer to you, for which you can share the details with greater detail.

Truths however, unlike swords, can be shared and work best when used without malice.

I've no parallel to the line about taking prisoners as of yet though... perhaps captivating hearts happens when people discover meaning through both?

For a translation of the text online:
http://www.uvm.edu/~asnider/IDAS_2011_CD/Teachers/Steve%20Llano's%20Materials/Strategy%20Books/Book%20of%20Five%20Rings%20-%20Musashi.pdf

A Devil's advocacy and simple actions

Yesterday morning I had a dream that I was at work and a lab user told me a story about "the devil's advocate".  Normally, the expression "Devil's advocate" refers to someone who offers insightful reason for a contradictory if not controversial position in a debate.  But in this story, the person spoke about immense hope and changing the world--and before anything conclusive about what the first step to take toward making a better world might be, he added another condition and new story.  It was endless.

His advocacy led to nothing.

In that case, the Devil's advocate advocates to move us emotionally, while hacking emotional sensation and rapid dependency on the next detailed caveat. In lulling our being into the next caveat, the Devil's advocate shifts our attention from any prospect of moving forward to look for the next caution and item to fear. We're smitten by grandiose prospect, while simultaneously disempowered by its monolithic complexity and our loss of self-agency when relying on someone to create a vision and path for us to follow.

Conversely (and in waking life), I spoke with another person about mantras and music as both means and ends to sensing spirit and confidence yesterday.  I think it ties in really well with the same practice of self-empowerment by scaling down big initiatives into something you can act on. There was a lot of great insight from the discussion I'll share another time, but for now I'll send some links.

Converting grand intentions (like new years resolutions) into habits that are tangible and actionable:
http://blog.bufferapp.com/the-science-of-new-years-resolutions-why-88-fail-and-how-to-make-them-work

http://blog.bufferapp.com/what-the-research-on-habit-formation-reveals-about-willpower-and-overall-well-being

The academic research it's based on:
http://psyserv06.psy.sbg.ac.at:5916/fetch/PDF/10978569.pdf

Perseverance and sustainability

Perseverance is a powerful thread of sustainability.  Yet in the opposite direction, perseverance in purview of foolhardy and narrow commitment can become the undoing of an individual, community, or organization.

We require vision to ensure the viability of our perseverance and ultimately, our sustainability.
#added 20 III 2013 11:22