MAY DAY



Revolutions of the mind are more durable than revolutions on the streets. One is not necessarily reflected in the other. One is not necessarily synonymous with the other. The French Revolution evolved for a nearly century before France reached some political and social stability. The Bolshevik Revolution's ideals were quickly smothered by Soviet bureaucrats. The American Revolution's success is measured by its Constitution, not its battles.

 

Christianity and Islam were both revolutionary ideologies in their times, as was Judaism in its time. The Reformation in Europe was a revolution against Catholic aristocracy. It was based in the concept that literacy, combined with Biblical tradition, would breed individual salvation for the good of society. The Enlightenment was a revolution based in the idea that science would dispel the dark ignorance and violence of religion, displayed throughout the Reformation on both sides. Today, Secularism is a revolution against a trend in the U.S. to regress to religious fundamentalism in politics and government.

 

Guillotines and firing squads are no longer revolutionary. ISIS and Boko Haram have illustrated this amply. The violence of mobs and gangsters is regressive, not revolutionary. Nonviolent assertion of scientifically sound (informed/intelligent) ideals through protest and technology is revolutionary. This is the way to hearts and minds. This is a way which requires unselfish persistence by individuals who are deeply committed to their ethics.