The Lenten season begins on Ash Wednesday, a day when Christians the world over enter a time of penance, and pledge themselves to change in their personal lives — never mind that these good intentions rarely last beyond a few days.
For Lent is exactly that: the prayers, penances and good works are meant to bring positive changes in our lives, even as during this time of year the climate slowly changes from winter into spring.
But does Lent ever move beyond the individual, and consider the social processes of change?
Almost all of us live in societies that are fractured beyond repair, and we feel helpless to improve them even marginally. Here then are some suggestions on how to think about social change today.
Not so long ago, modern societies operated under some form of “social contract,” whereby it was possible for the state (i.e. the government) to redistribute incomes and correct the inequalities generated by a capitalist economy.
The state then acted as a “counter-power,” doing this through a redistributive system of taxation, guided by a series of universal social rights.
“There is a growing asymmetry between politics, which continues to be played out on the outdated map of the nation-states”
No longer. Today’s governments, adhering to a neo-liberal policy, reduce social spending, privatize and mercantilize the public sector (the education system, for example), and impose austerity measures on the poor.
Secondly, there is a growing split between politics and power. Power is now global, but politics continues to be regrettably local.
In simpler words, there is a growing asymmetry between politics, which continues to be played out on the outdated map of the nation-states, and the shift of power towards financial spheres which operate globally.
Thirdly, globalization has meant that capital is increasingly mobile, and giant corporations are able to seek the cheapest labor wherever to lower their costs of production.
But labor has no such benefit. The relocation of industries has meant the industrialization of countries of the South while creating problems of unemployment in many countries of the North. So we have today a “globalization of inequality” — a constant lowering of wages, a loss of purchasing power, and worsening social conditions almost everywhere.
Is there really no alternative, as the neo-liberals are wont to proclaim?
Although the Soviet model of socialism collapsed decades ago, there have been cries that “Another world is possible”, especially after the crash of 2008 which left several capitalist economies in disarray.
If another world is indeed possible — and desirable — it will not be led by political parties and trade unions, as nations were in the 20th century. Rather, the social transformation will arise from processes of empowerment, which are collective, democratic, and inspired by local, grassroots communities.
“Care must be taken to accept and acknowledge the different and diverse identities in a world that grows every day more complex”
These are guided by values that allow for global and personal change, the one related to the other.
There are four major themes that are present in this movement toward social emancipation:
Firstly, one opts for a society that moves towards equality and social justice.
Today’s world has reached scandalous levels of inequality, as scholars like Thomas Piketty have all too clearly shown. It is imperative therefore to establish mechanisms for social redistribution such as fair taxation, elimination of offshore “tax havens,” minimum and maximum salaries, universal public services, etc.
And while the emphasis on redistributive justice should never be lost, care must be taken to accept and acknowledge the different and diverse identities in a world that grows every day more complex.
Secondly, the foundation of social change is democracy and citizen participation.
It is a sad truth today that many democracies are merely electoral, and not substantive. This means that the citizen voter cannot influence society except through voting once in five years, and beyond this, he has absolutely no say in how his city/country is being run.
This is one reason why there is widespread disillusion with democracy.
“There is a need to open processes of participation and self-government on the basis of social rights and the common good”
In part, this is due to the major influence of money in politics, and the rapid erosion of all ethical values. Here is one tangible area where “politics has been robbed of power,” and democratic choices rendered impotent.
In this situation, there is a need to open processes of participation and self-government on the basis of social rights and the common good. In such a democracy, representation is combined with spaces for participation where people can respond to collective problems.
Thirdly, there is an urgent need to respond to the ecological crisis facing our planet.
Modernity has inflicted an anthropocentric view upon us all, in that we believe that human beings are at the center and that nature is meant to be used and abused at their will.
This has also led to the misguided view that unlimited growth is possible, and when linked to capitalist accumulation and unrestrained consumerism, it becomes predatory economics.
By this we mean that in order to grow, even more, natural resources must be extracted from nature, to manufacture even more goods, consume even more electricity, and generate even more waste.
Is this not an invitation to social and ecological collapse?
This then is the challenge: to break with the dominant mindset which sees happiness solely in terms of possessions and the exploitation of nature. But it also requires a deep cultural change in society.
Lastly, any proposal for social transformation must be based on an economy at the service of the people, not on an accumulation of wealth.
Such an alternative requires (a) creating an economy in which work is organized around people’s real needs, and this is done by (b) guaranteeing a basic minimum income that supports a life of dignity, and (c) is adjusted to the limits imposed by the planet.
Social justice and environmental justice are inseparable.
Only a post-capitalist society based on cooperation, equality, and commitment to the environment can make an effective collective response to the challenges we face.
Indeed, another world is possible, even as more and more people traveling along different paths echo those words of Gandhi: “Become the change you wish to see.”
*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.
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