Why don't we recognize how much power we have?

By "we" I mean the hundreds of thousands of people in this country who know that the old ways of interacting with the world are not working any more. The people who have ideas, commitment and knowledge to change things and are disgusted with the lack of accountability in this administration and sick at heart at the way killing is routinely proclaimed as a solution to the world's problems.

Our leaders refuse to lead. The most inspiring thing we hear these days is "be very afraid." But we've always waited to be led, every four years choosing someone we expect to define our vision, give substance to our hopes, and protect us from our fears. "If only we could find a real leader," we're saying now, "we could become a force in this country." We can't wait for that, and we don't need to.

A critical shift happened during the Clinton administration. A collective will gathered against the power of Congress and the mainstream press--against, in effect, all the things that we'd always let make our decisions for us. And without taking to the streets or riots or any use of force, that collective will made the decision for the country. Something happened that hasn't yet caught up with our collective consciousness: we stopped waiting to be led.

Last month I attended a book signing and discussion with environmental activist/author Derrick Jensen sponsored by the Gaea Foundation in Washington, D.C. The discussion facilitator asked us to consider a quote from one of Jensen's books to the effect that he has learned to embrace times of dissonance and confusion, because that is when the seeds of change take root. The talk quickly became about "what is happening in this country." There was a striking degree of agreement on things that haven't been voiced in the mainstream media or Congress. Everyone simply knew, for example, that we're being manipulated by this administration. One person said it, and another picked it up: "And do you get the feeling they're always five steps ahead?" (You know it too, don't you? But how many of the politicians and pundits have told you so?) Our power comes back to us when we claim what we know. Seeds of change are taking root in the wind, really just in the wind, born of individual spirits who aren't needing the old grounds of media sanction or governmental or religious leaders to guide them, are in fact having to stand in opposition to them.

The talent, passion and knowledge of true leadership are evident everywhere in the grassroots movements. Just in the group of 20 or so at the Gaea meeting, there were: a white-haired woman who'd spent her life protecting Colorado mountain trails; a 20-year-old man in a business suit who quietly detailed the suffering of Iraqi children as a result of sanctions; an environmentalist with vast experience fighting the government's neglect and abuse of the earth; a Smithsonian researcher who devises creative solutions to conflict; and a young wise woman who pointed out that if we'd gone fully into our grieving after September 11 rather than going to war, a powerful transformation could have occurred. The evening opened my mind to how many such people are among us, and how gifted, how strong, how--powerful.

One of the last to speak at the meeting was a shy young woman who offered hesitantly that she wasn't quite sure what she was trying to say, but (and her voice rose, her head lifted) we're all saying that people are asleep, so it seems that those of us who are awake must speak, must act! We have an obligation! As she found her words and her courage, the power of it multiplied through the group. We despair at the futility of our single raindrop, but forget about the power of rain.

We already are our own leaders. That will become clearer as we set our agenda and define our goals. We can no longer afford not to be organized, not to be a force to be reckoned with. It will help if we identify a common thread among our causes. A demand for accountability--non-negotiable--would work for me. Accountability to the earth; accountability to the people of this country; accountability to the rest of the world.

A pendulum hangs still quivering, waiting for a breath to start it. Breathe.

Linda O'Brien is a freelance writer living in Bethesda, Maryland and welcome comments at dktlind@aol.com

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