Spies to Undermine Movements: Love over Fear.

After I got an email, which was sent to a listserv, from a graduate student at the University of California at Berkeley with the subject: Students as Spies: The Deep Politics of U.S.-Colombian Relations, I wrote this (edited)message, with the very valuable input from a few satyagrahis, and sent it to some students and workers of the movement involved in the transformation of public education:

Namaste dear beloved rebels!

May this email find you anchored in truth and courage.

We know that there are people who have joined us for different reasons. My intent in writing this email is:

• to acknowledge the tough reality (of brothers and sisters who haven’t “seen the light” yet and they work as spies to undermine the movement);
• to learn from past student/workers movements;
• to question why some of us are joining this movement;
• to honor the millions of lives sacrificed for our generation to be at this conjuncture;
• and to encourage our passionate, dedicated, resilient, loving, courageous people to stick around with love in the face of fear and to treat all people as human beings.

In the past and in the present, we have seen how our comrades in Mexico, Colombia, many other parts of the World and in San Francisco (a couple of weeks ago, at the arrestees benefit party), have been victims of infiltration. I certainly don’t intend of making this a thread and, for this reason, won’t respond to any follow-up emails here.

In some way this email is directed to all the persons who think that to lie is ok; that to create stress among each other is fine; that to sell our soul to the crumbling empire won’t hurt our family and interests; that this “spy job” won’t tax your spirit. For those of you who think as such, I encourage you to look at the examples of some former CIA/FBI agents, who served as tools for genocide and oppression when they were young, but that now they are choosing to redeem themselves.

There is a long list of agents who have resigned “after they saw the light”. People like John R. Stockwell (War on Humans) or Philip Agee (at age 25 doing CIA missions in Latin America, including the massacre of hundreds of students in Mexico in 1968 -you can read the context and how the whole community was involved on part 1-) or John Perkins or this sister, and the list goes on and on… [not to mention Daniel Ellsberg (The Most Dangerous Man in America and the Pentagon Papers) or Howard Zinn or Joanna Macy who had a short-lived stint with the CIA too. So there is hope!]

This is the time to chose which side of history we wish to stand for. And if we pay attention, you don’t even need to talk to the John Stockwells/Joanna Macys ot the World. Just know, that there is a category of neurons, called mirror neurons, that are our best informants. Violence (physical, psychological, structural and emotional), hatred, secrecy, all increase our level of stress. Our organs will secrete hormones that will tax not only our spirit but also our body. Next time you are in “a mission” to disrupt or to lie or to hurt or to kill, pay attention to the reactions of your body and your mind.

When our beings experience understanding, equanimity, courage, trust, transparency and enthusiasm, we also release hormones. Then, pay attention to your sensations and feelings. That’s our movement, that’s our fearless contagious movement always putting love over fear (as expressed by former Black Panther Kathleen Cleaver -or should I say Kathleen _Clever_ due to her true intelligence?-). We are making a living not a killing.

A beloved wise sister, who gave me some feedback for this email, just reminded me of a conversation between Emerson and Thoreau (his student), when Emerson visited Thoreau in jail (who was arrested for doing civil disobedience) and asked, “Henry, what are you doing in there?” Thoreau replied, “Waldo, the question is what are _you_ doing _out_ there?”

This is an invitation to you agent, a precious opportunity to start your healing.

Which side are you going to pick? The totalitarianism of corporate capitalism death machine or the side of the alive engaging uprising of the Earth Community?

I hope you can join us for real, not after a few decades, but now. Just think/feel about it.

Also, this is an invitation for our people: please don’t waste your time and energy to figure out who are the infiltrators. Just figure out what are they holding over you (including the education industrial complex and secret agencies all together) and renounce it for complete freedom. Let’s learn how to stick around with love in the face of fear and let’s treat all people as human beings, with respect. That’s who we are. Their intention is to divide us with distrust and fear. Love can’t be divided.

¡Pa’lante mi gente! March4 is right there on the next corner! (by the way March4, looks like MarchA!)

I love you all, and yes, that includes all readers.

If you want to be a rebel, be kind. Human-kind, be both.
In radical love,
Planetizing the Movement of the Ahimsa (R)evolution from some corner of our round borderless country…
Pancho