| The Spirit of Resistance |
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| Written by Brenda Shoop | |
| Saturday, 15 March 2008 | |
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The Spirit of Resistance Resistance: often capitalized : an underground organization of a conquered or nearly conquered country engaging in organized and practical operations against occupation forces and collaborators Resistance:the power or capacity to resist: as: A: the inherent ability of an organism to resist harmful influences (disease, toxic agents, or infection) B: the capacity of a species or strain of microorganism to survive exposure to a toxic agent (as a drug) formerly effective against it.
 Resistance is often spoken of as a bad thing in our culture, to resist would be to oppose the general consensus. However it is not always consensus that rules, often there are influential forces that help to persuade or even wrongfully sway the outcome of events. For example, the election fraud of 2004, if not for the undermining and sneaky tactics of some of Washington's dirty pool league, president George W. Bush would not have been in office for a second term. And George W Bush is also the countries most unpopular president in the history of American presidents. So it is safe to say that resistance to the policies of this current president would not classify as against the consensus. Resistance in that text would possibly be the popular choice, and fully favored by the population. Resistance is also often spoke of as though it is violent, or abrasive. Although this is not always true either is it? If we look at Mahatma Gandhi, or Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, or John Lennon, we find that the resistance was not violent or abrasive, it was a matter of a large group peacefully and passionately voicing and displaying their opposition to oppressions. Resistance is most often about freedom, freedom of oppression. Think about it... if it were such a great plan to begin with why would there be resistance? So we can thus learn by studying what resistance is, why resistance is. Resistance is also often confused with battle. In fact, in listening to Joseph Marshall III of the Lakota nation, who is an authentic Lakota lineage holder and teacher from the Lakota Wisdom Keepers, James often speaks of the "old ways" of battle, from before the time of the European settlers. James speaks of how in battle, the intention was not to cause death. The intention, in the Lokata tradition was to "Defeat the Spirit of the enemy." Unfortunately sometimes death occurred, death was sometimes a reality of the battle, but not the intention. One of the things that I found amazing and beautiful, was that one of the greatest honors was to return from battle and tell the story of how a warrior had touched a live enemy, not to kill him, but to defeat his spirit, to defeat his energy, to prove that your medicine was stronger than his. I find this tradition fascinating and honorable. In this lesson we learn again that resistance can be honorable. Spirit: It is often referred to as in a ghost, but spirit in many beliefs is actually an energy. The invisible (to most) energy of a different realm that is connected to us here in the human realm. Spirit is the energy of, the essence of, the object in question. Many beliefs also claim that all things have a spirit. Rocks, trees, plants, animals, even different weather conditions, and directions. That all perceivable things and concepts have their own unique spirit. I believe this to be true. That every thought I have, which is a charge of light energy, has its own spirit. And that all of these spirits are connected and create an amazing grid of love, that we often lose contact with through the experience of our human emotions. I believe that the energy of resistance is an energy of defiance to oppression, driven by the love for freedom and desire to care for and connect with each other. And that in our human minds, we forget that we are all already connected spiritually. So the spirit of resistance is a spirit of love and protection in the physical realm, one of honor and beauty, if it is carried out in a good way. What defines a good way, depends on each persons individual perception. For me it means, to be clear, precise, non violent, and impacting. One of the things I have noticed about our sense of resistance in these times is that, we seem to be in a reactive mode. Our resistance is completely based on reaction to occurrences after the fact. When our government dropped our young men in Vietnam, we asked, "How could they?" ...and then we reacted to what had already been done with protests. Although they were powerful and made impacts, it was based on what had already been done. When the 2004 election was stolen we asked, "How could they?" We also sat and watched the current administration take away right after right, and we continue to ask the same question. Is it really working for us to be operating from a reactionary standpoint? Waiting for it to happen only to declare ourselves as victims? Or, might it serve us to be in a place of resistance before the fact. To meet them at the pass and say no. Not this time. The difference between where we are now, and where we were those times, is this... we can see where we are headed. We have the gift of insight. We have the ability to create the circumstances to defeat the undoing of one of our civil liberties under the bill of rights. The right to bear arms. It is our "God given right" to protect ourselves and our families, from hostile attackers, and from tyranny. Our forefathers created our system with the spirit of resistance in mind. In the words of one of the great men of our countries beginnings... "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." ~Thomas Jefferson "A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." ~Thomas Jefferson "All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent." ~Thomas Jefferson "Every generation needs a new revolution." ~Thomas Jefferson So, in the spirit of resistance, understanding that our civil liberties are under attack by our overgrown government, would it not make sense to take up arms, not as a violent uprising, but as a display of unity. To say, you may have passed these bills and executive orders in a very unclean way Mr President, but we know our current rights and we intend to practice and defend them. Before you can dismantle them. Many cultures have spoken of the Great changes that are to take place. The Hopi prophecies, the Mayan calendar, it is not a new insight that the world will take on great changes. I believe this to be true. I also believe we cannot change our destiny, but I do believe we can effectively change the quality of life that we experience through these times of transition. I believe it would be a good thing for honest law abiding citizens, in a display of unity and love for our freedom, to begin to purchase firearms and ammunition. Our traditional reactionary thinking would probably be to not purchase, because we are only going to loose this right anyway. But if we choose to create a wall of non violent civil disobedience by every citizen being armed and unwilling to disarm... I believe we will create a different outcome. This is about honoring. Honoring our will, honoring the vision of our forefathers, and honoring the rights of our children to experience as much of the same world as we did. So many great men have warned us against ourselves... Maybe it is time we heard the call. As a culture we seem to have lost our way, but it is not too late to begin to find it.   |
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