The personal must unite with the political. I am haphazardly reading through ideas of libertarianism and ecofeminism, with the goal of creating a radical yoga podcast, a Green Stripster comic strip, and my CD. I have much to learn about freeganism, anarchism, and the Brooklyn counterculture.
A quote by Bookchin in Post-Scarcity Anarchism:
"Carried to its logical conclusions, the struggle for black liberation is the struggle against imperialism; the struggle for a balanced environment is the struggle against commodity production; the struggle for women's liberation is the struggle for human freedom."
I am searching for the connections between these movements.
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Yoga is an empowering way of life. The precepts of Buddhism are inherently communal, universal, anti-materialistic, and anti-hierarchical. Beyond anarchism, I am seeking to create a definition for JOY, as an artistic and ethical movement. These projects are all related to the desire to find an alternative way of social organization and co-existence that allows for greater freedom and fulfillment. Common themes:
1. Environmental activism and anti-consummerism
2. DIY art and connection between people
3. Female sexual & body image liberation
4. Psychology and mental illness in Western society
5. Politics of consensus and equality
6. Internationalism and citizen spaces for the understanding of foreign, especially third world, ways of life
7. Potentiality of the internet for communication and union; e-government and true democracy
I am searching for the truth: history more than philosophy. I am a pragmatist, though the philosophy of political economy certainly has its aesthetic appeal. I want to know what would work. I am not seeking a political revolution at all right now because I believe strongly in non-violence and militanism scares me. However, I am searching for a way to use yoga and the self-improvement compulsion of capitalist America to help build a more other-centric consciousness, to tap into all the wasted energy of fashion/consumerism/self-improvement (especially in women) in order to direct this energy into a productive way to solve the truly urgent problems of the world today: environmental crisis, great inequality and poverty, great discontent.
I am hungry for knowledge about the existing movements: people of color movements, ecofeminist movements, libertarian movements, freeganism worldwide, the great anti-globalization movement. I hope to contribute something with my skills in creative thought and communication.
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What is my personal relationship to the arts and to political philosophy? What takes precedence?
Adam Yellin tells me I need to focus more on music if I want to do music, that music must be the be-all and end-all of my existence if I want to make it as a musician.
I want very much to be a musician, but yes, my energies are scattered. Although I see the inherent aesthetic appeal and purpose of music, like the purity of Mozart's mature works - experiences of sheer beauty and spiritual elevation - I am unsure of whether or not I am capable of creating such music. My greatest strength lies in my ideas and my poetry. I can sing and dance, and perform with gusto, but I do not have the discipline to master the techniques of music or dance. I am more concerned with communication.
I want to communicate great personal truths, liberating thoughts. From these personal insights perhaps some political implications can be drawn. I do not claim to be knowledgeable in politics or history, and there is so much more I need to read before I can develop a coherent political philosophy or personal world view. Likewise, I am not proficient at musical technique, or yogic wisdom. I humbly seek to do whatever my skills allow at the time, trusting that I will continue to evolve so long as I stay humble.
In terms of prioritization: I am primarily a thinker, a visionary, a communicator with language more than any other medium at this time. I love music, and I want more than anything to be able to travel the world as a singer. It would be good to represent something while I travel and sing, to be a yoga teacher at every concert, and furthermore, to be a new media journalist or documentary filmmaker, to visit places of humanitarian or ecological significance, to continually post new ideas to the web.
I am not ready for all of these things, though I am confident they will all eventually unfurl. I am confident I will accomplish all that I dream simply because I keep on trying no matter how often I fail. And I feel I am making good progress right now.
However, what are the single goals I must concentrate on in the moment:
1. Yoga teacher certification
2. Writing beautiful lyrics and creating beautiful songs with Mark
3. Recording and producing those songs with Adam
4. Learning as much as possible about liberating personal and political philosophy
5. Participating in groups and movements that embody my personal philosophy
I must keep things simple and NEVER overbook myself. My current goals for June are many already:
1. Green Stripster CD
2. Green Stripster comic strip
3. 25 Radical Yoga podcasts, teach every morning at the Surreal Estate, and invite others in community to join
4. MyNameIsKai.com: populate with my writing, music, artwork, philosophy
5. Pupal.org: create a support website for students desiring a year off
6. Documentary interviews on Freegans and other related movements
7. Reading reading reading
Skills I hope to learn while working on these things: web design, illustration, movie editing. Lynda.com.
This is a lot of work. But I am on the right track.
