Ziggy Marley. Credit: inland360.com
By Wes Annac, Culture of Awareness
Ziggy Marley, accomplished reggae artist and son of legend Bob Marley, has said before that love is this generation’s form of rebellion.
Some of you might know his song, “Love Is My Religion”, in which he explains that his newfound religion is love; self-love, love for mankind, love for the planet, etc.
His song inspired me to open up to true love; not the over-hyped and romanticized version of love we’re conditioned to think is all we have. There’s a much realer and more authentic form of love waiting for us to realize it exists, and the moment we open up to it will be the moment we discover the best form of rebellion.
The New Rebellion
Whereas before, rebels fought the powers that be out of anger for the world’s condition, the new rebellion is to love this world into a higher state of consciousness free from corruption and greed.
The idea is that love, if shared collectively and encouraged worldwide, will make for a far more effective and lasting change than angry rebellion. According to self-proclaimed love revolutionaries, it can heal corruption and suffering as long as we’re willing to share it.
To keep it to ourselves is to hoard the greatest gift we’ve been given, but sharing it freely will allow it to reach everyone, from the corrupt elitists to their suffering victims.
Credit: aidarenee.com
Love: A Source of Revolutionary Fuel
Some activists might not think love has any value, because anger seems to be the revolutionary’s greatest source of fuel. Just look at Bernie Sanders, whose rage toward a broken system has propelled his political activism for decades.
One look at someone like him might convince you that anger is the best tool in the revolutionary’s arsenal, but Bernie himself has said that love and compassion underlie every major religion and are required if we want to change the world.
To listen to the woes of the people, learn about all of the suffering at the hands of the one percent and still encourage love is impressive.
In terms of rebellion, love is useful because it allows us to raise awareness without descending into anger or violence.
With an open heart, we can expose the crimes, manipulations and human rights violations of the one percent and instead of torches and pitchforks, our weapons will be words, music and empathy for those who suffer.
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Love Those You’d Rather Hate
We can show love to the enemy while we rebel, and if we want to heal the underlying mindset that causes corruption and oppression, we’ll have to learn to love those we’d rather hate. If we want to get rid of elitism, we’ll have to encourage oneness in every way; even ways that are uncomfortable.
If we don’t want people to put themselves above the rest of society, we have to act on the understanding that our differences aren’t real. We have to find love for everyone no matter who they are, and we have to speak up against a loveless system that lines the pockets of the few and puts down the rest of us.
Only love can heal greed, corruption, oppression and general selfishness, because it puts us in other people’s shoes.
When we see life from their perspective, we realize that to hurt them is no different from hurting ourselves. We rebel against greed and hatred with selflessness and compassion for all, and our empathy is evident in the amount of time we devote to helping others.
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Subvert the System with Selflessness
Helping people is basically an act of rebellion in a world where everyone fights to get ahead, and since the rat race feeds the system, we can subvert them both by opening our hearts and caring about others.
We just have to find it in ourselves to care when we could turn our backs, and despite what you might think, the system wants you to fight it. It doesn’t want you to help people or approach the corruption in the world rationally or openheartedly, because if you do, you can raise awareness without letting it all affect you personally.
When you’re healthily detached from the terrible crimes you work to expose, you can shed light on them without taking emotional or psychological damage. You can advocate justice and subsequent forgiveness, and once the elite are brought to justice, you can open your heart to them like you would anyone else.
Justice has to come before forgiveness and peace, but we shouldn’t abandon the elite in a future when they no longer rule. We can help them better themselves, but if we do abandon them, we’ll lay the foundation for corruption to reign again in a few short decades.
Credit: aliveagainalliance.com
Love Yourself; Rebel from the Heart
You have to love yourself before you can engage society and encourage the changes it needs, and self-love is difficult but necessary in the struggle for a better world.
You, I and everyone who’s aware of what’s wrong with the world carry the responsibility of healing anything within us that prevents an enlightened or heart-centered way of life, and once this way of life is cultivated, we’ll want to share the wealth.
We’ll want everyone to know about the power of love, and we’ll know that the only way to make them aware is to share what we’ve discovered and felt.
Only by giving it freely can we increase the amount and quality of love in the collective consciousness, and the moment we embody it will be the moment we set ourselves free and successfully rebel against the elite.
They don’t want love; they want fear, violence and chaos. Let’s starve them of these spiritually destructive energies by opening up to love (and subsequently God) so we can steer this planet in a positive and worthwhile direction.
