Resistance takes many forms and is best waged on all fronts. There is no way to know which strategy is going to be the most effective, so we are more likely to succeed if we don’t place limits on ourselves by excluding certain ideas. Each different tactic has its own advantage, and it is the cumulative effect of all of these that brings about social change. The ways in which we fight for justice are as numerous, and nuanced as the power dynamics that keep people oppressed. Therefore it is far more effective for us to use all the tools we have at our disposal, than to repeat the same stale tactics over and over again. Diversity of tactics, just like diversity of people, and diversity of ideas in our movement, makes us more dynamic. It makes us stronger, more effective, and it makes it more difficult for our opponents to keep us down.
Though at times it may seem as though there is more division than unity within the movement, we must always remember that the beliefs we have in common are much greater than the ones we don’t. No matter how different we are, we must remember that our greatest enemy is the system that oppresses us all. Anyone who struggles against this system is an ally not an adversary. There are enough forces that inhibit the movement without us trying to coerce one another. The moment we try to control how the movement expresses itself, we are doing more to hinder social change than we are to combat oppression. That is not to say that we cannot critique each other. It is important to remain critical of our own privileges and biases as we critique the system, lest we replicate the same forms of oppression that we aim to destroy. But we must do so as friends, in a spirit of solidarity, rather than as opponents.
In the end it’s not the tactics we use, but our commitment to social justice that allows the movement to succeed. No struggle was ever won in a single battle. Rather it is our determination to outlast the oppressor that gives the revolution strength. The powerful will always defeat the weak in a single engagement. We cannot expect to win through any one single action, or any one tactic alone. It is through persistence and perseverance that the meek can defeat the strong, confronting the system on multiple fronts. Empires rise and fall but the people are everywhere. We may be small, but we are numerous. It is our ability to develop relationships of trust among diverse groups and deploy a diversity of tactics that gives the movement momentum.
We live within a system that degrades people and the earth to the status of tradable commodities. A system that pits us all against each other in a race to the bottom for the benefit of the investor class. This system affects us all regardless of our backgrounds, and we will not be able to confront this unless we learn to confront it together. Until we learn to trust each other, treat each other as equals, and break down the divisions of hate, we will not be able to empower one another to reach our collective strength. It is this collective strength that we need to defeat an opponent that is far more powerful than any one of us. This collective strength is hindered every single time one of us is silenced or is unable to participate. We are all individually weak, but if we learn that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, then we see that power with others is greater than power over.
Most of the revolution is hard, unglamorous work that largely takes place behind the scenes, unrecognized. But the work is its own reward. For with every step we take towards becoming a more inclusive society, we become stronger. We learn that a crime against one is a crime against us all. We all have our own reasons to struggle for equality, but for most, it is because someone reached out and touched us. Someone made us realize that we are not alone, that our greatest strength is our solidarity with one another and mutual aid. When we think like this, we are able to glimpse a better future where we realize our collective potential. We begin to see division as weakness and unity as strength. Once we know this, we cannot let go. Change is a group project, we cannot go it alone. The people united will never be defeated.
Peace, love, equality and justice for all.
Original photo by: Mstyslav-Chernov