Loving & Fighting

To some these two words may seem contrary, some would go as far as to say that they should not be placed in the same sentence. This would, however, be a mistake on a fundamental level. We live in an era where state repression favors the opponent with the least threatening tactics. They have come to understand that social struggle is a constant, and will remain so indefinitely. So in this light they prefer to choose and promote the opponent which is least threatening. This often means those who condemn forceful acts. It happened in India with Gandhi and it is happening all over the world today. I bring Gandhi into this only to say that he is an American hero. In India it is a man named Bhagat Singh, a revolutionary who opposed the occupation by whatever means necessary. The British then sought out Gandhi and his followers to promote this less threatening form of resistance. The same is happening in America, the activist community has been fed a mantra of pacifism. It is self rewarding, perceived as being morally superior, and largely ineffective. With all of this said i am not advocating violence but rather effectiveness. One must ask: Have the tactics of the past few decades slowed the advance of industrial society? Have they saved more forests than were lost? Saved more species, lives, or livelihoods, than were extinguished? Activists need only ask themselves what is effective, not which moral category of action they want to engage in. If we can accept that each of us has a 'tool bag', in which there exists various tactics, each appropriate to a given circumstance, then maybe we will be inclined to use and explore some of the other tools we possess. For perhaps the tools we have been using are stripped and rusted, or simply not up to the task.

So how does all this relate back to loving and fighting? Well if one was to consider them as synonyms not words which antagonize each other, we may be able to tap into a new found power. I will pose the following question: can a person truly love another being if they are not willing to fight for its survival, its very life? If the forest activists claim that they love the trees but are not willing to risk or sacrifice anything more than a few dollars, do they love it? The same question can be posed on the side of fighting. Can one sustain a fight without love? Who will endure longer, the paid soldier, or the impassioned guerrilla? In military terms a quick and simple battle plan is favorable. We are not the military, a quick easy victory is not possible. This is to be a struggle that will outlast myself; and what keeps someone focused and motivated is love.