Who are the best people to lead or guide our world ...Politicians, Parents, Academics, Philosophers, High Tech.. Or someone else?

So, this week for the @ecotrain question of the week, we are toning it down just a little! @ecoalex has promised no more Trump questions! This is good because it put me to the test on my theory that you are better off talking to your refrigerator than some people. I am learning, slowly perhaps, that my peace of mind is valuable and that my energy is better used on reasonable people!

That said, this isn't an easy question. I'm not exactly sure how I want to answer it. So, as I usually do, I will pick it apart piece by piece as I go. My first reaction was no one! I'm an anarchist, so I don't really believe in leaders, especially if they are given extra power.

I am reminded of the story of the Everett Massacre, which was a part of the IWW Free Speech Protests. They were protesting, and when the police came, they asked them, "who are the leaders here?" They responded in unison, "we are all leaders here!" As the name of the incident implies, it did not go well. I believe, though, this is how we will accomplish much, by coming together on equal footing.

I realize, though, that leaders will always emerge. In an anarchistic community, they will not have extra power, but some people just have that personality.

And yet …

Maybe we want to be a little more intentional about it. I think it is important to hear lots of different voices. Let's start with the list @ecoalex gave us.

• I don't think politicians should even be a thing, so we can eliminate that one right off the bat.
• The voices of parents are always wise to listen to. Parents are biologically driven to think about the future and ensuring a safe and healthy world. Then again, plenty of people without kids are also like that, and there also seem to be quite a few people who have children but don't care? It's bizarre to me. I am thinking of some politicians and big corporate CEOs here. I think they are just totally divorced from their souls.
• Academics. Oh boy. Um. There's such a variety here. Intelligence and intellectual discourse are incredibly important. I don't want to minimize intelligence. Especially since we are already half way to Idiocracy. However, smarts aren't everything, and I know a lot of academics with exceedingly little common sense. I also know that academic elitism is an awful problem. I encountered it big time in university. In general, if it isn't accessible to all, it isn't revolutionary. I think that is important to remember.
• Philosophers. Sweet Jesus, no. I love philosophers. I am one, really, but nothing would ever get done. The world needs us to push edges and keep everyone thinking and aware, so we should definitely be listened to, but too much of this would result in endless discourse and circular conversations and not much getting done.
• High tech. Again, um, no. We are in desperate need of really focusing on people and basic human emotions right now. After all this time, we seem to know very little about peopling effectively. I think we better stick with the basics for now.
• Someone else? I guess so. Like I said at the beginning, I think we desperately need to listen to a wide variety of voices and be led by a lot of different people, including people who don't consider themselves leaders. I'm really tempted to say children because children have such enormous hearts full of love and compassion. They are creative and not bound by dumb constraints of the dream of the adult world. They understand the importance of play and hugs. They most often aren't racist or sexist or any of the other ists or phobics. I guess in the end they are a big proportion because my final answer is …

The marginalized

We have to begin to put the most marginalized at the center. We need to lead from the middle. Trans black women, queer Muslims, disabled mothers, refugee children. We have to lead from there. I have actually been thinking about this a lot, and it's a centerpiece of a fiction book I'm writing. Only the marginalized know what they need. I promise you they've spent a lot of time thinking of creative solutions because their lives are depending on it. It's time for the privileged to sit our asses down, shut up, and listen to those being affected by layer upon layer of oppression. Because in the end I think that is what we really mean by leader. It is our leaders that we listen to. We lead from the smallest circle and go out from there.

Much love, y’all!

As always, all pics are mine or pixabay unless otherwise noted.

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