On Not Changing the World

Global corporate capitalism has emerged as a dominant destructive force that drives the values of our dominant culture, making change toward equity and justice difficult. Most of us have internalized the culture of “more-faster-better” which privileges constant production and consumption over other forms of engagement. This emergent destructive system can’t be easily changed or fought with large-scale solutions. At the same time, another culture of connection and justice is rising. People are tapping into local power and reimagining and rebuilding their communities. In this paradoxical moment, we can consider how we might recognize our roles in both the dominant system and the new culture rising, and give up trying to save the world. We might do this by not trying to change the world but instead learning how to live in wholeness and peace, designing localized and collaborative systems that bring healing to each other and the earth. We don’t give up but we tune in to reconnection, discovering the work that is ours to do. My story of teaching an experiential course in the US-Mexico border region highlights the realities of how we might reconcile our roles in both the dominant economic system and the new culture rising.