A Note from the Editor: Reclaiming Politics

Politics has always been a confusing territory for me--one I've never particularly liked. I like to garden, read, write, walk, bicycle, make music, share meals, and work together with others. I like to maintain a circle of friends, both near and far, who collectively shape our lives in ways that satisfy us and contribute to whatever greater good we perceive. I like to know that my voice counts, that I am part of a group, that I am respected as an individual.

All of these I find in my day-to-day life, which encompasses my intentional community at Lost Valley Educational Center, the Eugene-area circle of sustainability advocates and folk-music enthusiasts, and the extended community that forms through this magazine. None of these do I find within the conventionally-defined political sphere as characterized by national opinion polls and the dominant media (which, as you may have guessed, I avoid--my days are full enough already). Adversarial politics, large bureaucracies, and systems in which I feel I have no say leave me uninspired. I know many "activists" who are perpetually unhappy, or have burned out--who, recognizing the horrors and inequities in the world, have put more of themselves into fighting "against" than into fighting "for," and have ended up ungrounded and hopeless, taking on the characteristics of their adversaries rather than becoming inspiring examples of positive change. Learning from their difficult experiences, I try to put my energy where it will make a difference, instead of beating my head against brick walls.

At the same time, I admire those who find sustenance in the work of creating positive change within the larger public sphere while actively opposing exploitation and destruction. A look at contemporary social and ecological conditions would indicate that global transformations within our ways of living, self-organizing, and perhaps even thinking, are essential if our species is to thrive or even survive. We all need to take part in those transformations, and the fact that some "leaders" will be more publicly visible than others does not mean that the rest of us will be any less empowered.

Those transformations may mean a transition back to more bioregionally-based ways of meeting our needs and making decisions; if that's the case, then every one of us, from tinker, tailor, and candlestick maker to farmer, midwife, and baker, is going to be an indispensable political activist even if we never sign a petition, write a letter to Congress, or march on Washington, DC. If that bioregionalism is accompanied by a globalization of consciousness (which also seems necessary, since Region A's emissions poison Region B's air), then computer programmers, bureaucrats, and philosophers will play equally important political roles. Tools such as proportional representation and wisdom councils (read on) offer practical strategies for combining local community connection with global responsibility and true representation within our political systems.

As you consider the articles which follow, you may want to recall the questions we asked of potential contributors in preparation for this issue:

What kinds of political involvement are effective in bringing about the changes we wish to see? What is the relevance of national politics? International politics? Regional politics? Local politics?

What does "citizenship" mean?

What can grassroots movements accomplish? What can centralized political structures accomplish? What is the value of individual action?

Where do our "political selves" and our "ecological selves" meet? How does cultural change come about?

Will the November elections mean anything? How do you feel about politics? Can you foresee a future in which political systems truly serve people and the earth? If so, how can we contribute to that future? How is it present today? What is your role in it?

All of these questions, and more, are addressed within these pages by authors holding diverse, occasionally contradictory viewpoints. Section One, Politics at the Ballot Box, presents some of the issues and dilemmas US voters will have to wrestle with as election time nears. We're interested in any thoughts or feelings this section inspires in readers.

Section Two, Politics on the Ground, takes us into the world of grassroots change--of personal, local, and global activism. Every article is a reminder that we each can make a difference, through our humblest everyday decisions as well as through projects which end up touching people in our local community or half-way around the world.

Section Three, Politics: New Directions, suggests innovative and ancient structures and paradigms that may lead us to a political future in which we are all more empowered, and in which the non-human inhabitants of the earth not only sit at the political table, but are recognized for providing the table in the first place. The Legacy of Luna, the first book reviewed, is a natural follow-up to the final article, "Nature and Spirituality."

Although readership is growing, every subscriber and supporter still makes a difference in keeping this magazine afloat. In this low-budget, nonprofit operation, each of your subscription and membership checks is another vote for our continued existence and development. We especially thank the Rosewater Network, through whom we recently received a grant to send Talking Leaves to nearly 700 public and university libraries as well as to selected environmental and Native American groups. We welcome not only monetary support, but articles, artwork, photos, and letters--please keep them coming!