Solidarity and Gatekeepers

 Leaving Armagh City (the ancient ecclesiastical capital of Ireland) on that quiet autumn afternoon I sensed that I had really been listened to and began to think about possible openings for action for Transition in partnership with organisations such as the Catholic Church. When I got home I had a quick browse through my dictionary to check up the exact meaning of solidarity. I suppose the phrase that stood out for me is that solidarity gives a group of people credibility and the power to make change. When a group has this validation it opens up space and freedom for action to occur. Solidarity is built in society using the blocks of unity of agreement, cooperation, fellowship and shared support.It is cemented by mutual interdependence and through conversation that creates live connection between people. So a movement such as Transition wishing to build solidarity with traditional mainstream thinking and convey a message “of living in a world of finite resources with infinite possibility” not only has the task of creating a palatable message, but ought to inspire trust, kinship, fraternity, cooperation and friendship.

 

 Driving home through the mist coming softly over the mountains, I continued to muse further about solidarity and how it relates to this weeks theme of people and connections. The connection between myself and the head of the Catholic church in Ireland came through connecting with people, somebody whom he trusted thought what I had to say might be worth listening to. This connection was essential before the content of our meeting unfolded and enabled work to be done. Becoming powerfully connected develops a solidarity that creates an opening for compelling action to occur, often in the past inspiring mass campaigns for political change.

 

Going back over the conversation I remembered the cardinal asked me why did I bring this discussion to his door? It was a good question, and however inadequately it was answered at the time this was what I wanted to say. 

 

“You and I both wonder how we can nurture this tiny seed of solidarity and grow it into to the mighty oak tree it needs to become to enable us to make a difference in the world.  From my point of view to build a powerful connection with an organisation that has a sixth of the worlds population in its ranks, seems as good a place as any to start. Raising awareness amongst just a fraction of these numbers would begin to enable us all, to live harmoniously and well in a finite world with infinite possibilities, caring for the earth, caring for people and ensuring fair share in the world.

 

The cross fertilisation of new ideas and thinking, the gradual building of solidarity amongst all human beings will eventually guide us to make appropriate choices in this new age of decision making. What is true today is whatever decisions we humans finally make around, peak oil, climate change and building resilience, these are the choices that we will live with. Our children’s futures will be predetermined and handed down to them, and from them on to their children’s children and to the seventh generation.”

 

Later on that evening, wryly smiling to myself I thought no matter what eventually comes out of that particular conversation/connection, what is  important is the idea that the Catholic Church or any other mainstream traditional organisation engaged in religion, law, order, justice or politics might just  be considering the significance of solidarity, and also starting to engage in discourse with unconventional opinion. This may be merely whimsical thinking on behalf of this writer....Or there truly is the emergence of a new spirit abroad.

 

I suppose what I am saying all through this piece is the importance of connection amongst people. It was on the strength of connection that Transition in Ireland gained access to the gate keeper for a whole community. 

 

Separately and coincidentally Mark Watson mentions solidarity in his piece on Thursday1st December on the Transition Norwich blog in his coverage of the Lowestoft High Noon Rally. In this piece Mark describes how folk got up and spoke about the importance of solidarity and the equal importance of talking to people. So from very different parts of the UK and very different view points, writers and activists are individually arriving at the same conclusion; that connection is built through conversation, conversation builds solidarity, without the conversation there is nothing.

 

As for his Eminence? All that remains for me to do now is to convey the essence of my thoughts around solidarity to him (which are hardly original) slightly inoculated with Transition thinking.I hope and pray he hears me.

 

“When we know ourselves to be connected to all others, acting compassionately is simply the natural thing to do. ” 

― Rachel Naomi Remen