Michael Albert outlines the post-capitalist economic model of participatory economics: an alternative to both market capitalism and centrally-planned coordinatorism (i.e. the Soviet Union), which promotes solidarity, equity, self-management, diversity, efficiency, and sustainability. [Read more →]

“I once dated a man who taught quantum physics. I learned two things that night.

The first being that if you ask a quantum physicist to explain how gravity works. Not what it is; not how it behaves; but how it works. He will first talk himself in circles, then wind up crying, then, sometime between entree and dessert, call you a bitch and leave.

The second revelation came as I sat at the bar in morose solitude pondering the cantilevered relationship between bartender’s gut and lower extremities.

Before the big bang,
Before time itself,
Before matter, energy, velocity,
There existed a single and measurable state called yearning.
This is the special force that on a day before there were days,
Obliterated nothing into everything.
It is the unseen strings tying planets to stars,
It is the maddening want we feel,
From first breath,
To last light.”

from In Plain Sight

Anger can bend gravity…

…and yet so can hope.

The successful revolutionary is a self-aware revolutionary. They work tirelessly to understand their own history and the history of others, to understand good theory and how it can be used in practice; they reflect on their work and how it can be improved; they work diligently to understand and improve their effect on others.

Many religious traditions encourage periods of spiritual contemplation and reflection, which the revolutionary would learn much from for their political work. Parts of the day, week, month, and year are set aside for fasting, prayer, reconciliation, and reflection. Calls to prayer, the Sabbath, pilgramages, and periods of fasting mark many of the world’s bigger religions.

A self-aware revolutionary movement would be infinitely more effective than a non-reflective, worn down one. Setting aside one day a week, a part of each day, and a period every year for thorough, deep, inward reflection - about our health, about our work, and about our lives - would do us all well. Activities could including writing, journaling, hiking, meditation, talk therapy, small group discussions, etc. - the list goes on.

Revolutionaries, to be effective, must make an active effort to be self-aware and conscious of their actions, thoughts, and theories. Mirrors are a powerful tool - if we only dare to actually look in them.