Recognizing Fascism & Finding Hope Amidst the Darkness
Savage Grace, Chapter 2
Five ‘realities’ that tell us that our society has descended into fascism.
The first is the death of conscience. In Donald Trump, America elected a sociopathic narcissist. “The ancient texts tell us that when cultures lose their ability to distinguish right from wrong, good from evil, the seeds of horrific collapse are already flowering.”
The second is the death of facts. Again, the ancient texts regarding Kali Yuga inform us that when our political and spiritual leaders manipulate shamelessly through lies, and people respond cynically or slavishly, the end of civilization is near.
The third is the death of any expectation of a sane and grounded leadership. We have been repeatedly exposed to scandals that show us the dereliction of the gurus, the horrific sexual crimes of Catholic priests protected by a supine Vatican, the unbridled greed of a sordid regiment of CEO’s, the depraved stupidity of celebrities imprisoned in mindless and brutal cults such as scientology, and revelations of newspaper barons using their enormous wealth to spread disinformation about crucial issues such as climate change . . . suggesting a massive failure of leadership on all levels and the corrosion, by greed and the lust for power, of all world institutions and elites. In such a situation, those of us who long for sane and grounded leadership find ourselves bereft and shattered . . . in the ancient Hindu texts regarding Kali Yuga, perhaps the most ominous sign of the end of civilization is that leaders with ethical responsibilities use their power only to enrich, dominate and destroy.
The fourth is the death of faith in humanity.
And the fifth is the death of the sacred.
Hope Amidst the Darkness
Rebecca Solnit, from her book Hope in the Dark
Most of the great victories continue to unfold, unfinished in the sense that they are not yet fully realized, but also in the sense that they continue to spread influence. A phenomenon like the civil rights movement creates a vocabulary and a toolbox for social change used around the globe, so that its effects far outstrip its goals and specific achievements – and failures.