With a heart and mind in the peace of Christ, wisdom poured through inspiration in realization: the answer for a world without wars between nations, and without violence in our streets, lies not solely in our leaders. True power and the glory of God comes through the people in the land. And, if minds and hearts are aligned in the qualities of Christ (that is, of love, whether within or outside of a church) , the more gathered in unity of voice together (for love unites as one), the more world-changing good we will do.
If we want our message to ring out loud and clear, our words must be accompanied with nonviolent actions. If we use Jesus of Nazareth from The Bible as a moral measure, and review the incident of his outburst of anger in the temple courtyard written in Matthew 21:12-13 and John 2:13-17, we note it was the closest act of violence demonstrated by Jesus, ever. This Truth exists in the Apocrypha scriptures, too, there was no act reported of violence greater than this event by the hands of Jesus. From my writings in The Gospel of Joy, Winter Solstice Edition, it was:
...in the Jerusalem temple courtyards where people were selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and other people were sitting at tables and exchanging money. Seeing all of this, Jesus was said to have made a whip out of cords, and he drove all from the temple courts. The sheep and cattle! Drove them out with the whip! Go, go, go! Get out! And then he grabbed and overturned the money changers’ tables. He scattered their coins and yelled out to the merchants who were selling doves, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!”
And, in the conscious minds of today, the wise will observe in contemplation how this incident seemed to create undue unrest and chaos in comparison to other, peaceful, and alternative actions. Such as in 1517, when Martin Luther defiantly nailed the 95 Theses, otherwise known as the “Disputation on the Power and Efficacy of Indulgences” against the Catholic Church on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church; or the Salt March in Spring 1930 in India led by Mohandas Gandhi; or in 1961, when the Freedom Riders, including John Lewis, rode public buses across the South in the United States of America. All of these moments created ripples of reformation and social transformation; yet, none had the power that we hold today in the digital era.
The internet wasn’t founded until the mid-to-late 1900’s and social media platforms did not flourish until the 2000’s. Some of us remember the early days on AOL. In fact, I was online even before AOL, when I was a Freshman in High School, exploring a DOS-based BBS on one of my friend’s PCs (which I thought was super cool because we had an Apple IIE at home). The key we hold is the power of “We the People” through the reach of our digital group activities and communications and share of voice online. In the United States our freedom of speech is protected by the First Amendment of the Constitution; although, it is ever important to remember our words are a gift to use for prosperity and goodwill and in shifting our culture for freedom, equality, and happiness for all, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, and not for defamation, threats of harm or harassment, slander, or libel, against others without substantiated evidence and reason covered by law in the spirit of truth and justice.
In contemplation, I drew from the wisdom in the scriptures, and symbolism for the role of the money changers in the story of Jesus in the temple courtyard, and wrote, “All “We the People” must do is follow the money trails, and when they are not transparent, demand for itemization and the receipts. Find the places where cash and commodities are changing hands and between whom, then cut off the faucet at the head: stop doing business; remove financial support; publically denounce or disassociate; speak your heart and mind on social media platforms; write on online contact forms, leave reviews and feedback; and call phone numbers.
Let them know in the kindest words of truth possible (and certainly without threat or harm, as ascribed in The Golden Rule), the reason you are contacting and the consequence this has for them. If it becomes a deluge landslide from the people, they will act one way or another (even in nonaction and silence) and their true colors will be raised for all to see, revealing to the core their ethics and morality. You’ll know clearly where they stand in relation to your good conscience and beliefs.
Now, this does not take the place of voting in a democracy, or communicating with elected leaders, such as constituents being heard at forums and town halls, but it is an even broader global approach for mass social and nonviolent action for the purpose of holding governmental leaders, global for-profit businesses, and organizations accountable for their actions in our nations and in the world.
Some opposition-happy and divisive people may call this “cancel culture,”—and truth be told, no matter what the label, it is a symbol of a healthy society with social freedom. Similar to how American Actor and Children’s Television Show Host, LeVar Burton, spoke in a recent interview, “consequences are finally encompassing everybody in the society, whereas they haven’t been ever in this country,” more like a “Consequence Culture.” And, that, is actually good because it helps hold people and businesses accountable, which will help shift our culture towards where the majority, where “We the People,” want to go. In my humble opinion as an Apostle and Joy Alchemist, and online Anamchara, the destination for us to head towards is where science and spirit agree, and where the Worlds’ Religions are in harmony – in JOY (read more about the wisdom of joy online.)
If we think about major corporations, such as some with headquarters in Georgia who were spurred to speak out recently against the voting law passed, we see how the pressure of the people (eg, employees, contractors, unions, suppliers, influencers, authorities, professionals, purchasers, and consumers) resulted in a “Judgment Day” for those businesses. Each had to decide whether or not to take a stand and publically denounce (or be complicit in silence) in response to the outcry against them.
Another example is the companies who publically stated while under pressure that they would no longer do business with organizations owned by the 45th President of the United States after the Capitol Insurrection. Corporations have immense power and wield it in the best interests for their own existence, which at the most fundamental level is a stream of money and/or commodities in and out of the business; not to mention, their reputation in the world.
We have even greater power than these, for if we uplift our voices, the energy we raise in vibrations will become a force in the digital world. If the words and nonviolent social actions deal damage in reputation and financial loss, it will be decision time according to the best judgment of the business or entity of what to do in response to the torrential outpour from the people. Each business, brand, or entity is accountable for the decision of whether to listen and take heed to the messages being received; and act, or continue onward in silence and nonaction.
It will quickly be revealed where ethics, morals, and loyalties lie. The response may show the spiritual maturity of the decision-makers and leadership, including whether or not they are aligned with Christ-like qualities such as love, equality, healing, freedom, and truth; or, if they reside on the on the other side of history, in a trail of darkness. The key is nonviolent social action through communications and communities in a sustained and focused manner until change for the better is realized.
Just think about the power wielded against hedge funds and short sellers earlier this year when Redditors from the subredit, “r/WallStreetBets,” drove up stock values which caused financial loss for those who were betting against the companies’ successes. The power of communication, connection, and collaboration of the people in our digital age has more world-changing potential for good than it’s been given credit for to date. Just as this power can exert pressure, it also uplifts, so in words and actions don’t forget to support and leave glowing feedback, public statements, and online reviews for businesses and entities with whom you agree, along with the reasons why for prosperity. The choice of how much destruction or “building up” in love you do in the world is up to you.*
“Cancel culture” ended yesterday, today it’s time to call it what it is: judgment day; and we will see who shines with the light of Love and the Holy Spirit, and who doesn’t. It’s 100% guaranteed Christ-approved in the lineage of Jesus of Nazareth, no matter whether within our outside of a church: FTW**, because it is aligned with his Universal teachings of The Golden Rule and The Way of Love. And thus, will bring forth more of the power and glory of Christ into the world (so what are we waiting for?) Without further ado, as written in The Gospel of Joy, Winter Solstice Edition:
Let’s put love into action and complete the Good work that was given to us to do. All together now, may all Heaven and Nature sing unto the Earth. This is the way of joy. Let’s go!
*This principle is discussed in Joy Alchemy, in that the more one “builds up” and “uplifts” others with kindness, compassion, mercy, generosity, healing, blessings, and other fruits of the Spirit, the more of the same energy is received through grace and miracles in life. This aligns with the teachings of Jesus, and also works outside of the Christian tradition because the Spirit of Christ is one and the same. This source of this truth is within my own life and testimony, what Jesus started was completed in me, but by the time of completion I was no longer on the shores of Christianity, and still the promise came true, as published in The Gospel of Joy, Winter Solstice Edition.
**FTW = For The Win; for those of us cool kids who ever played video or computer games on the internet, with bonus points for anyone who played any online MMO MUD text-based RPGs back in the late ’90’s, like I did, too.
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