Evolution, not Revolution

It is growing in its power, this idea of revolution. And why should it not?  Is not the desire for change spreading like wildfire?  But the idea of revolution is one in which the desire is to destroy the old and then to bring in the new.  But let's be honest, how long does it ever take for the "new" to look a lot like the old?

In America I think all of 10 minutes passed before the New Regime put in taxes to fund itself - wasn't that at the basis of why those revolutionaries fought for their freedom?  Oh, wait, the difference was now the people paid them through taxes and they were no longer part of "the people."

What do they say, absolute power corrupts absolutely?  Maybe we need a different model so we can arrive at a different solution?

What about the idea of Evolution instead or Revolution?  While technically the word evolution can be just as emotionally charged, a closer look at it does reveal some subtleties.  For instance, isn't the evolution in nature really about taking what does work, keeping it, and then adapting new ideas to replace the old ones that didn't work very well?

This world has much more good than bad.  But the idea of evolution puts the responsibility back in each of our own hands - not at the effect of a few who like the idea of war and radical upheaval.  Anyone who has witnessed war first hand knows, death and desperation are never welcome - no matter what the "cause" fighting for is.  There is ALWAYS a better way.

The problem though is just that - the better way means you and me and not the "they" that is so easy to place responsibility on.

In every war movie, as thousands of mostly men give their lives to serve some leader they've never met, I've always asked - why do they follow blindly?  It makes sense in the movies, but why in real life?  What is it about the majority that are afraid to say no to the minority?

I know no parent who wants a child to die for any reason.  I know no child that wants to lose their parent for any reason.  Why do we believe change can only come through acts of violence and great upheaval?

Nature offers us both examples.  Big disasters that equal big changes.  But it also demonstrates to us the subtle and often more effective model of small changes that equal big results.  One of my favorite examples is when the wild wolf was put back into its natural habitat.  Beyond a few ranchers fears and wails, the reality is that the positive effects to the larger ecosystem bounced back in ways that could not have been predicted - from trees to insects to the larger mammals.

Nature will naturally correct itself when there is an imbalance.  Too many wolves?  Their food supply diminishes and they die off and reproduction is reduced.  Too many deer?  The wolves increase to balance the overabundance of deers.

Human though just kills everything it perceives as a problem.  Rarely does the human look at how it fits into the bigger picture.  But that doesn't work in nature and it doesn't work for us.

Revolution doesn't solve any of the real problems.  It won't make anyone more responsible for their own life.  And here is the great truth so many don't want to face - freedom requires responsibility.  No one gives or takes your freedom to you or from you.  Revolution makes us believe we are denied liberty and freedom - but that is never the case, only the belief we hold on any given day.

Evolution allows us to look at what works and what doesn't and then requires us to be responsible for our own choices and their consequences.  So, if I kill off my food supply or weaken it through GMO's, poison, and poor management - who is responsible for that?  I bought it.  I ate it.  I didn't vote against it. 

We don't have to dump the tea in the ocean - we just need to stop buying it. Then, if we really want more tea, let's just grow our own.  Evolution - choosing what we want - is something we can all do today and no blood is spilled.  Small steps then equal big change.  Not nearly as glamourous as a Hollywood movie - but it is more effective.

The earth is evolving and she is going with or without us.  We each have to choose what kind of world we want to live on - the old one of destruction or the new one of life?  You can't blame her, after all, how much can one girl take?  Like any good mother, she has been more than patient - but let's be honest - the air stinks, the waters is dirty, the land is depleted, and the weight of the cities is tiresome.

Evolution and not revolution is the way out - which one will you choose?

Jill
jillelizabeth.net