Radical Commitment brings hope, by Jay McGinley

This morning I was mulling over the need for hope in our movement...but I didn't reallly have anything wise or otherwise to say. Then I opened up my email and found the following must-read piece. Jay has been one of the most active members of the Passion of the Present community..here is his response to the call for ideas yesterday.

From: [email protected]
Date: Thu Sep 23, 2004 8:35:57 AM US/Eastern
To: [email protected]
Subject: Suggestions: Focus not on the TECHNIQUE or approach, but RADICAL COMMITMENT

A suggestion? That each of us that are involved examine our commitment level - take encouragement from the commitment we find, FIND the commitment we don't find.

Why are the people of Darfur being tortured? There is but one answer - lack of commitment (% of time, energy, resources) on the part of the world's people. How can the necessary commitment come about? The only way it ever does. It starts with a few INDIVIDUALS that are radically, unmistakably, heroically committed; these committed few hold on, they don't give up. Others start to notice - "hey, Mikey likes it!" Hmmmm, maybe this is so important I should spend my time, resources, energy on this!!! The Sudan Government is radically Committed TO the Genocide - unmistakably. The army on the ground is radically Committed TO the Genocide - unmistakably. To perpetrate their Genocide THEY ARE TEMPORARILY FORGOING THEIR "NORMAL LIVES." Where is the force of people, individuals, that is EQUALLY RADICALLY COMMITTED AGAINST THE GENOCIDE?

Lack of Radically Committed Individuals is the problem; not the UN, not Bush who are FOLLOWERS. WE THE PEOPLE MUST LEAD. WE THE PEOPLE, INDIVIDUALLY are the problem. "Be the change you want to see," Gandhi.

Am I as an individual going to be part of the solution, Radically, Unmistakably committed? This is what we must ask ourselves day in and day out. And we MUST TAKE JOY and ENCOURAGEMENT those times that the answer is YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is what we CAN do. This is what we MUST do.

Hey, this suggestion above, this suggestion is as old as time, and equally old are the deaf ears we humans relentlessly turn to it:
* Do unto others ALL (ALL!!!!!!) that you would have them do unto you.
* Love your brother AS YOURSELF (AS YOUR SELF)!!!!!!!
These are extremely radical directives!!!!!!!!!!! RADICAL!!!!!!! RADICAL COMMITMENT (RADICAL SELFLESSNESS!!!!!!!), is the only hope for our brothers and sisters in Darfur.

Are there examples of such RADICAL COMMITMENT against the Genocide in Darfur? YES. Examples are people of:
* PASSIONOFTHEPRESENT.ORG
* FIGHTORDIE.ORG 7 day per week Vigil at the NYC/UN Sudan Embassy
* SUDANCAMPAIGN.ORG protesters, especially those that got arrested
* Others

With these examples, it is less WHAT they did, IT IS THEIR RADICAL COMMITMENT that brings hope.

Jay McGinley
West Chester, PA
ps: We've all heard this one right? "The chicken is "involved", the pig is "committed" :-)

Comments

[Wikus]

I am glad to see the radicals still remember the name of the Mahatma. Do they still remember his teachings? What would he have said about Jay's support for violence? Does Jay care to answer or is he only interested in name-dropping insofar as it serves the neo-imperialist enterprise?

[Jay McGinley]

To Wilkus. Excuse me? I AM TOTALLY COMMITTED TO A NON-VIOLENT WAR OF MASS-CONSTRUCTION! And, right now, job 1 is constructing a Conscience within the human body ALIVE enough to respond to this Holocaust in Darfur.

[Jay McGinley]

To Wilkus. Excuse me? I AM TOTALLY COMMITTED TO A NON-VIOLENT WAR OF MASS-CONSTRUCTION! And, right now, job 1 is constructing a Conscience within the human body ALIVE enough to respond to this Holocaust in Darfur.

[Wikus]

Jay, I cannot remember reading any condemnation of the rebel action from your side. Anybody who refers to a genocide is therefore wilfully blind to the fact that the GoS is busy putting down a rebellion and as such is supportive of the rebel instigated violence. This is in complete contrast to Gandhi's philosophy of satyagraha, by means of which even the utterly evil National Party government of South Africa was brought to its knees. If it worked against them, why not against the GoS?

[Jay McGinley]

To Wilkus: Sir, actually, I am not a purist, and Gandhi might not regard my moral development as mature by his standards. I might only measure to his person, too weak to be totally pure in his non-violence, but still with the courage to take some action in the direction of Love; the person he said would be better to commit violence, than to allow his wife (or sister, or fellow human I presume) to be raped. I WILL COMMIT NO VIOLENCE, I am sure. Put I do not aspire to perfect purity, nor accademic dialog. There is a horrific brutality being perpetrated by the relatively hugely strong Sudan government against the weak in Darfur. Brutality and cruelty beyond measure, beyond words. And there is an equally horrific and brutal NEGLECT being perpetratated by the rest of us. I am not a smart or wise man. I only know, that as the simple human that I am, I MUST STAND AGAINST THIS EVIL to the best of my ability. Wilkus, I do not need to convince you of this. I am convinced of the views just expressed by me in terms of my own life, my own decisions. I do not respect the priorities and values that I see implied in your comments, and I do not expect to continue this dialog with you. Agape.

[Wikus]

Jay,

I can see that your own moral purity matters a great deal to you. Good for you! It is, however, not helpful at all to demonize people you know nothing about. What do you know of the respective histories of those involved? Why do you ignore the fact that there is a rebellion going on and that those who are lionised by you and the international media are in fact the original perpetrators of the violence? Can it be that you are merely a victim of your government's propaganda which are trying to rearrange the politics of the Middle-East?

[Jay McGinley]

With my puny vision and intellect, the ONLY GOVERNMENT to which I pledge and attempt to owe allegiance is that to which Gandhi owed his allegiance - the Tyrant, the still small voice within. Rape, Murder, Genocide, Brutality - these I stand against. Agape/Selfless Love/Compassion, these I strive to stand for. I am that simple. That is it for me. The rest is beyond my abilities to comprehend or manage. This reality of my limitations I face and live within.