ultimately, we all seek to create change in the world…

I’m grossly oversimplifying when I say that there exists two types of people who want to change the world: those who seek to create change through direct and confrontational methods and those who seek change by creating environments that embody those changes. I don’t see a problem with either method; in fact, back when I was at Hamilton College, a friend of mine explained the loud and brash methods of the school’s Gay-Lesbian-Trans Student Association: sometimes people don’t even hear you unless you stand right there and shout in their faces. Maybe they purposefully ignore issues until they can’t any more, or perhaps they’re just unaware of the problems going on around them, but it takes breaking down the door before such people listen.

In other cases, inspirational communities, including Buddhist sitting groups, yoga studios and ashrams, true spiritual gatherings of any religious background, public service activities, work by attracting people whose hearts and minds yearn for the sort of growth these environments provide. These communities build strength by supporting the people who want certain change in the world, and their philosophy bases not upon conversion through forced awareness but growth through experience.

To the first group the second often seem like a bunch of wishy-washy liberals. And to the second the first come off as brash, rude and inappropriate. That’s a little of what’s happened at Zaadz as some of the more anarchy-oriented members have fled the corporatizing of Tribe and sought refuge. But Zaadz, “by its own admission”:http://www.zaadz.com/terms_of_use, is a community of inspiration, a community of evolution, not a community of revolution.

The danger in a community of outspoken individuals lies in its tendency to strengthen a sense of duality – an us vs. them distinction – and cause backlash against its ideas and tactics; in a community of seekers, homogeneity presents the greater problem… communities of this type often solidify their own beliefs and wall themselves against those who do not share them. And – unfortunately – each sees the dangerous tendencies in the other all too clearly and can barely suppress their desires to challenge them. On the other hand, as long we remain vigilant against our own weaknesses and tendencies, and we remain open to constructive criticism and suggestions, both types of communities remain vital and powerful agents for change.

The truth about changing the world is that both groups serve an important purpose… the loud, the brash, the rebels, they shock a complacent world into awareness. But nobody wants to be yelled at constantly, and that’s where such activism falls apart. It needs to be backed by communities of understanding, communities that support the external changes wrought by activism by providing an environment of learning, support and understanding. These are not the front lines where the casualties occur; these instead are the places that the change we want to see in the world is created, nurtured, renewed.

And just as some who are brought into awareness by the rebellious join the factions of the seekers, others find the path of controversy and confrontation through their experience as seekers. Both groups feed and support each other, even though they frequently disagree over tactics and behavior.

Just as we intend yoga studios to be places of practice and expect certain types of behavior and respect from those who take part in those gatherings, could any sufficiently radical group be expected to embrace a member who flouted their beliefs (for example, a staunch religious Republican who believes the President can wiretap and censor whatever and whenever he wishes, joining the Impeach Bush campaign and loudly, frequently, and without respectfulness, espousing his own ideas during their meetings)? No!

I’m not saying we shouldn’t make an effort to understand the reason and logic of those who oppose us in our quest for change.. we certainly should. And we certainly should listen to those who want to share their ideas for more effective change. But there are times and places for such discourse and dialogue, and by definition you don’t bring a rotting dead rabbit to your yoga class, no matter what your personal beliefs might be. (Unless, of course, the community asks you to do so, perhaps for a meditation on death!)

So there are a few people who have come to Zaadz with the idea that they can yank open minds whether they want to be torn open or not and then find that the leaders of the Zaadz community don’t appreciate such tactics. Suddenly our collective focus is not on the change we want to create in the world but on the egos involved in the current situation.

The reality of the situation is that radical communities and seeker communities generally require different playgrounds based on the understanding that certain people will move freely among them and that ultimately we all seek to create change in the world; in the arenas where we agree, we can be supportive to each other – as the outspoken open people’s eyes and the seekers nourish people’s souls.