Thanks to Charlie Talbert for this exemplary quote from Norm Phelps who died on Wednesday. Antonio Gramsci, a radical opponent of Italian fascism, wrote from prison that activists need, “pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will.” By “pessimism of the intellect,” I take Gramsci to mean that we must not entertain unrealistic expectations of quick and easy success. Expectations that are not grounded in a realistic assessment of the challenge we are facing will prove illusory, and when they fail to materialize on schedule, we can easily fall victim to disillusionment. Danish existentialist Soren Kierkegaard called despair “the sickness unto death.” Disillusionment—which is the despair of the activist—will kill a social cause quicker than all the attacks by all of its enemies combined. And the quickest route to disillusionment is to base our commitment to the animals’ cause on fantasies in which the barriers to success vanish when the magic wand of Truth is waved before them. The real world has never yielded easily to truth. Gandhi recognized this when he created the strategy of satyagraha, nonviolent resistance. Gandhi coined “satyagraha” from two Sanskrit words, “satya,” meaning “truth,” and “agraha,” meaning a trait of character that takes in both determination and perseverance. Truth prevails only when its advocates remain determined in the face of challenge and persevere when victory is nowhere in sight. By “optimism of the will,” I understand Gramsci to mean almost precisely the quality that Gandhi was summoning with satyagraha: determination and persistence in service of truth. The depth and endurance of our commitment must flow from the importance we place on achieving the goal, not from our intellectual assessment of our prospects for success. Because social justice movements defend the weak against the powerful, a rational, dispassionate assessment will always predict their defeat. When David fought Goliath, the smart money was all on Goliath. Social justice movements always look like losers until the moment when they are knocking on the door of victory. Then the experts announce with great authority that their success had been inevitable all along. But none of that matters. If a goal is truly worth achieving, it is worth fighting for whether we appear to be winning or not. Commitment and strategy obey different laws. Strategy must be guided by external circumstances and honest assessments of the prospects that any given tactic holds for success. A good strategy is one that works. Commitment must well up from within and express an unshakable belief, not so much that the campaign can be won as that it is worth winning—that it matters. Strategy reflects the world outside; commitment expresses the world within. Strategies should feel good when they succeed; commitment should feel not just good, but necessary, inescapable, without regard to success or failure. Strategies should change with experience and circumstances. But unless we decide that the cause is not worth winning, commitment should never change.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Jan 2015 21:38:17 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015