Journey to Action Beyond Binary Beliefs

national | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis Sunday February 24, 2008 17:27 by seosamh an chnoic

One person's progress from unemployable political activist to community development worker

I spent about 10 years involved in voluntary community initiatives like local publishing, charity concerts, youth concerts. My motivation at that time was intensely political and leftist. I believed that the economy was a machine run by the merciless logic of profit and that any involvement in it meant unacceptable compromise. Therefore, my own political principles meant that I marginalised myself from any formal involvement with it.

On the sidelines, from my Comfortable And Quite Elevated Chair of Ideological Analysis, it was crystal clear to me that Community Development was just a con-job. It was a ploy by The Elite to sap the revolutionary vigour of the people and co-opt potential revolutionaries.

Today I am employed as a Community Development Officer in a small town in the West of Ireland. What I only dreamed of doing years ago, I am now in a position to realistically achieve. I can put on events that support and affirm community involvement, I can encourage young people to engage in fulfilling, empowering activities, I can support local clubs and organisations, and help them access funding and training that improve the services they offer.

This transition was only possible after I embraced ‘open thinking’ and ditched my ideological thinking, which I now regard as a mental disease. Left, anti-establishment thinking, speaks in broad accusations against others, and takes on no responsibility itself. “The system is wrong. The ruling class are wrong. There are the elite and the oppressors.” This binary, defeatist thinking de-motivates the person from feeling that they can have any part or role to play in society, other than shout at the Oppressors.

With ‘open thinking’, you evaluate situations and events on a case by case basis, you may develop understandings about certain situations or people, but you never allow that to develop into blinding generalisations. You may still believe that vast portions of our economy and political system are run by and work mostly in the interests of the wealthy. However, you are no longer content to allow that to stop you from practically striving to live and do positive work within the current social arrangements.

Community Development CAN dis-empower people, give people the notion that change is happening, that there is investment in communities, while in fact the capitalist economy continues to devour civilised consciousness and culture unopposed. However, 'open thinking' allows you to recognise that real scope does exists within the sector to effect positive change in dis-advantaged communities, to provide worthy training and employment opportunities to people. Much depends on the community worker’s own capacities. I retain my dissatisfaction with certain of my government’s policies. But I have decided that I am a much happier more effective person creating change in my own life, and in the communities I work in.

Meanwhile, I confess to sitting on the fence about the thorny issues in Ireland like Rossport or Shannon. I have gone on the protests and can’t currently see how change is going to come about. But I feel I have grown up in realising that this dissatisfaction need not mean a self-imposed marginalisation, or giving up on being an pro-active productive citizen in other areas.