“The softest thing in the universe overcomes the hardest thing in the universe.”
-- Lao Tsu, The Tao Te Ching
-- Lao Tsu, The Tao Te Ching
“...(the kingdom of heaven) is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and put
in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the
sky lodged in its branches.”
in his own garden. It grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the
sky lodged in its branches.”
-- Luke 13:18–19
“...a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks
before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but
the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was
not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” --1 Kings 19:11-12
before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but
the Lord was not in the earthquake: and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was
not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” --1 Kings 19:11-12
There’s no doubt that all of us are called to “resist what is evil” in the world.
There is plenty of evil to be found. Perhaps there is a place for complaints, protests,
demonstrations, and politics. But many who have gone this route have discovered that it is a
dead-end street, stressing us needlessly. It often stirs up bad feelings, or in the worst cases,
can degenerate into violence.
There is plenty of evil to be found. Perhaps there is a place for complaints, protests,
demonstrations, and politics. But many who have gone this route have discovered that it is a
dead-end street, stressing us needlessly. It often stirs up bad feelings, or in the worst cases,
can degenerate into violence.
What if, instead, there is a way to practice a quiet, steady, day-to-day resistance? Not as exciting,
perhaps, but possibly just as effective. The Taoist literature speaks of water as a strong,
indomitable force, able to wear down the toughest rock. That sounds like it would take way too
long in human terms, but perhaps it would not take as long as we think.
perhaps, but possibly just as effective. The Taoist literature speaks of water as a strong,
indomitable force, able to wear down the toughest rock. That sounds like it would take way too
long in human terms, but perhaps it would not take as long as we think.
Boycotting is one example of a quiet resistance. If a certain company is polluting the environment
at an unacceptable rate, or oppressing its workers, usually we can just stop buying their products
and either buy from someone else or do without. (Of course, an education campaign is necessary if
this is to be effective.) A more challenging example is fighting the scourges of fracking and pipelines.
What if all of us worked at conserving energy so that there is less demand for fossil fuels? This means a
self-sacrificial effort, but if we are serious about resisting evil isn’t that what is called for? Perhaps it is
our own greediness that leads to these egregious problems. As the Quaker John Woolman said, “May
we look upon our treasure, the furniture of our houses, and our garments, and try to discover whether t
he seeds of war have nourishment in these our possessions.” Do we really need all we have come to
expect in our highly consumerist lifestyle?
at an unacceptable rate, or oppressing its workers, usually we can just stop buying their products
and either buy from someone else or do without. (Of course, an education campaign is necessary if
this is to be effective.) A more challenging example is fighting the scourges of fracking and pipelines.
What if all of us worked at conserving energy so that there is less demand for fossil fuels? This means a
self-sacrificial effort, but if we are serious about resisting evil isn’t that what is called for? Perhaps it is
our own greediness that leads to these egregious problems. As the Quaker John Woolman said, “May
we look upon our treasure, the furniture of our houses, and our garments, and try to discover whether t
he seeds of war have nourishment in these our possessions.” Do we really need all we have come to
expect in our highly consumerist lifestyle?
Bill Mollison was an environmental activist in Australia in the mid 20th century. After a few decades of
trying to resist through political activism, he decided to give it up.
trying to resist through political activism, he decided to give it up.
I soon decided that it was no good persisting with opposition that in the end achieved nothing.
I withdrew from society for two years; I did not want to oppose anything ever again and waste
time. I wanted to come back only with something very positive, something that would allow us
all to exist without the wholesale collapse of biological systems. --Introduction to Permaculture
I withdrew from society for two years; I did not want to oppose anything ever again and waste
time. I wanted to come back only with something very positive, something that would allow us
all to exist without the wholesale collapse of biological systems. --Introduction to Permaculture
Mollison went on to develop the science of permaculture, a system beginning with ecological design
for food and human settlements and expanding into proposals for legal and economic systems. His
ideas have spread worldwide and are now part of many university level curricula.
for food and human settlements and expanding into proposals for legal and economic systems. His
ideas have spread worldwide and are now part of many university level curricula.
One important aspect of permaculture thinking is working at the community level. As designer and
author of The Transition Handbook Rob Hopkins famously said, “If we wait for the governments, it'll
be... too late; if we act as individuals, it'll be too little; but if we act as communities, it might just be
enough, just in time.”
author of The Transition Handbook Rob Hopkins famously said, “If we wait for the governments, it'll
be... too late; if we act as individuals, it'll be too little; but if we act as communities, it might just be
enough, just in time.”
According to the Post Carbon Institute’s newest publication The Community Resilience Reader:
Essential Resources for an Era of Upheaval:
Essential Resources for an Era of Upheaval:
By design, new ideas typically come to fruition at the federal level slowly, thanks in part to the roles and constraints set by the US Constitution and the procedural hurdles of the US Congress. In contrast, local and state governments often have great flexibility in organizing how public decisions are made as well as significant regulatory and investment power over the issues that most affect everyday life: social services like health care and police, public goods like utilities, civic institutions like schools and courts, land use and transportation planning, and so on.
Indeed, our cities and states are traditionally the country’s laboratories for social and economic innovation. One community’s experiment can inspire thousands of other experiments, providing valuable insights and best practices and ultimately building support for larger-scale changes. In the first decade of the twenty-first century, while national and international climate efforts languished, many cities across the United States followed early leaders like San Francisco and Seattle and started their own climate initiatives. Using the terminology of resilience science, one could say that cities and states are providers of diversity, openness, and modularity for the resilience of the higher-level national system.
The Quiet Resistance has many other pathways than those illustrated above. The main thing
is to persevere with faith, hope and love, doing what we feel called to do regardless of whether
it is popular or visibly effective. We might never know what good we have done in this life, but
that does not make our effort any less powerful.