Dear Mandi – I get so frustrated with politicians and the older generation that just seems to be hoarding and trashing everything that is needed for future generations to survive. I feel powerless. What can I do? – Signed, frustrated and angry
I completely understand. It is so much more overwhelming for your generation than it was for mine. We were a bit more feral and left to go bush unsupervised in nature collectively. Your generation on the other hand, is able to explore the wilds of the digital landscape, and I can tell you that your wilderness is far more dangerous than ours was.
Our parents' generation, and some of us, are now in positions of power in the world. According to research, those with greater power than others tend to experience changes in their brain chemistry that mirror the effect of psychopaths. They begin to lose their capacity to empathise as well as they did previously if they don’t actively work to stay conscious of the impact of their actions.
So what do you do? I personally believe the most important thing is to make sure that you don’t lose your humanity in the act of questioning their methods. That you become better instead of the next iteration of the same thing. Or worse. This edition of Ask Mandi will be about the 12 C's of compassionate activism that doesn’t sink to the level of a shouting match. This magazine itself is a form of conscious, compassionate activism working to elevate youth voice.
The 12 C’s ideals are the framework we use to teach compassionate journalism. Journalism that is based on conscious big ‘S,’ Self-energy vs. unconscious little ‘s’ self-energy. Little ‘s’ is ego energy, or energy from fear. The Big ‘S’ is wairua, your energy of love. This magazine is called Create Happy magazine. Happiness is a byproduct of spending as much time as possible in big ‘S’ Self-energy. Depression and anxiety live in little ‘s’ self-energy. By cultivating these twelve qualities, you help to reduce the impact of depression and anxiety in your life. Winning.
A quick rundown of the 12’s.
Consciousness
Curiosity
Compassion
Charisma
Clarity
Connection
Courage
Competence
Confidence
Calm
Creativity
Centredness
Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and Sadhguru lived this sort of energy. The energy to create an impact on the world that is based on peace and love. Sure, you can get angry. But feel that feeling all the way through to the end of it, and seek wisdom on how to proceed from a place of love and compassion. Absolutely, If the greater powers are causing irreparable harm to someone, you must act. There is a principle of non-violent communication that is called the protective use of force. It is meant to be used to stop violence until calm communication and connection can be restored. But crucially, it isn’t done with an energy of malice. It’s done with an energy of love.
So my question is, how can you use these 12 C’s to create innovative responses to questionable uses of power? Because you would in many cases be using these skills as tools to magnetise people to you. They would seek to be surrounded by the energy of liberation.
Consciousness means being deeply aware and present in the moment. Identifying and experiencing emotions rising in you and feeling them all the way through instead of squashing them down. This gives you incredible internal power instead of sending you to unconscious places or depression and anxiety.
Be curious, not judgemental. Judgmental energy puts you on the level of those who bully. It’s a trap. Think about the last time someone was judgemental of you, did you want to continue engaging with them, or did you want to push them away? If you are trying to impact change, how helpful is it to have the other person – the one in greater levels of power – dismiss you? If you approach someone with judgmental energy, you feed their righteousness in dismissing you. Curiosity, on the other hand, sets you free to innovate. What could the need be in the person whose actions you disapprove of? What is your need? How can you stay curious and ensure all needs are met?
Clarity. Is what you are trying to change clear in your head? Is your message coherent?
Charisma. This comes from pursuing what you are most excited about, enthusiasm generates interest in you and what you are excited about.
Connection. The energy of disconnection breeds more disconnection, siloing and the separation of people down political lines with unscalable mountains between. The energy of connection helps you to see the humanity in the person whose views differ from your own. This creates a tunnel through the mountain to collective problem-solving.
Courage. It takes GREAT courage to stay conscious. To not run and hide when feelings become difficult. How do you hold yourself strong when things get hard? This one takes practice to develop.
Competence. This comes about from pushing out of your comfort zone, consistently working to improve your skills and master your craft.
Confidence. Neither arrogance nor submission, but the balance between. The place where you learn to stand in your own power. This really comes from developing the other nine qualities as deeply as you can. This is about holding strong for the ideal of ‘power with’ as opposed to ‘power over’ or ‘power under’ which is the normal mode of politics at the moment. Think of Gandhi or Martin Luther King Jr. They held confidence in a non-violent energy, and the impact of their work on human rights can be felt long after their death.
Calm. The ability to feel without losing your mind. Developing the skill set to remain calm in the face of challenges. This comes from learning to have your spirit in charge of your mind instead of the other way around. This takes mindfulness, often a form of meditation or martial arts training to truly cultivate. Our modern distraction filled high pressure world seems to really do a number on this skill, but it’s learnable if you choose to. And who wouldn’t prefer calm over stressed and distraught?
Creative. Protests are just one way of trying to invoke change. There are a multitude of other ways to make an impact. The more you gather others who can hold 12C energy around you, the greater your capacity for coming up with innovative new methods will grow.
Centred. The extremes can drain your energy as you fight against the current. How can you stay centred first in yourself and then find the most balanced way forward?
Cultivating the 12C energy in your life is not easy. And let's be honest, our current culture doesn’t live deeply from them. Change is in your control. But it doesn’t start with changing the world. It starts with becoming aware of when you are out of your 12 C energy and choosing to change that. To begin operating from a position of your greatest personal power. That is living by the 12C’s. From this position of power and helping others to live by it, you collectively can create a culture that is different from the one you inherited. A culture of compassion for others and the earth. It starts with you choosing to be courageous enough to stay conscious of your own choices.
It is all that matters in life. Because that level of unconsciousness is what causes the destruction of our world.