Connected We Stand

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For the left to reclaim its role as the creative edge of social change, it needs to recognize what that change means at its core: connection, communication, and the removal of walls. Millions of people around the world are doing just that—consciously and otherwise. They’re not lamenting, they’re not plotting revolutions, they’re not committing acts of violence, for they’re aware that violence, revolution, and lamentation are all reactionary. They’re organizing, peacekeeping, growing organic food, working with solar energy, forming international alliances, and, yes, helping corporations and other organizations try to become sustainable.

The concept of “left” or “progressive” needs to be redefined. If “left” means being in the forefront of cultural change, much of the current left is out of the picture. Insofar as it still clings to individualistic values, authoritarian assumptions, and militaristic stances, it has aligned itself with the Divider position of the right. It will regain a sense of purpose and public support when it has fully grounded itself in the Connector values of the future.

Philip Slater is the author of the best-selling The Pursuit of Loneliness and is working on a book tentatively titled Temporary Insanity: Living in a Transitional Age.

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