Such an awe-inspiring action by those women. None of us know what we would be willing to do in such a setting, but I think it's fair to say that very few of us would have the courage to start the movement in front of a presumably ruthless truck driver. That having been said, they were likely energized by the presence of someone in the act of committing the crimes. Our fights are unfortunately, all too often so far removed from the people "at the controls."
Thanks, Mark ... The question of "what would I do if I were in that situation?" has always haunted me. We may be now in "that situation" and I still don't know what to do.
Imagine even 10 years ago - not one of us would have imagined how one very slowly evolving country could end up going backwards to the point where we're on the brink of another civil war and all because of a handful of rich narcissists and 10's of millions of enablers who have zero concept of what they are choosing to give up. It's so hard to imagine what we would do in part because we have no idea how bad it could get. Desperate people do the unthinkable, but so do highly evolved people - such as the six women.
All too true ... I never thought democracy was so fragile nor believed that people could actually prefer an autocratic leader. This getting wiser stuff is hard.
I’m reminded of January 2017, when I joined first the Women’s March and then a local group of activists who wanted to organize efforts to push back against what we saw coming down the road (and which did, in fact, come down the road).
Unfortunately, despite a lot of time and work on my part and on the parts of a few other women, the group dwindled as more and more people found reasons to fall away. “No time.” “Don’t know what I can do” (despite having many choices of how they could participate). A few of us kept going as long as we could, but eventually we hit too many brick walls.
Maybe those who fell away weren’t frightened enough. Maybe the actions they were asked to take didn’t feel as important as their normal, daily activities.
Or maybe people need to be threatened in a very dire, very direct way before taking action like the women of Cherán.
Some seeds sprout only when exposed to flood or flame.
Robin ... great points and all too common in many community action groups. One of my primary interests is how they are maintaining their action. It's been 13 years now ... not long enough to be overly confident, but mature enough to learn from ... or, at least, that's what I hope to find out. Thanks for your comment.
A great beginning to the Cheran story. I am so glad you closed by referring to our own political challenges and I agree with Andrew's comment (above). Thanks for your excellent work.
Following this story shows the power of purpose and when things go so poorly it's time to say enough. Which they did and with great fanfare and outcome. It's sad it had to come to this but the important thing imho is that they attacked the problem, full on. Great writing.
I hope you'll be writing more about these six women. It sounds like an amazing story.
One of the interesting things about our country is that it's actually a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy. In both the people elect people to lead the country. In a constitutional republic, the leaders must follow the rules as spelled out in the constitution. In a democracy, the leaders get to decide what's best for the people. It's an interesting, and important distinction, yet today most people talk about our country as if it's a democracy. Maybe that's what it has become....
Thanks, Heather, how they've formed, and maintained, so far, a communal democracy is a fascinating part of the story. It's a small town of 20,000 ... far different than a country of 320 milliion, however, I hope it holds useful lessons for our time.
One lesson that hopefully more than a few of us will learn is that unparalleled courage will leave an enduring legacy and inspiration, while the cowardice of enablers will leave only shame. The half-dozen women have shown all of us what they got. It's our opportunity to do the same.
One thing I realized from my time in Mexico was that when the only thing you can truly trust is your family, it changes everything. And we are sliding. Crime in Cherán has basically stopped. What minor crimes still happen are handled by the community and punished in the form of community service.
One cannot overstate that, but at least a large number of people are getting rich in the process. And then all the money trickles down like fairy dust to those who need it the most.
Joyce, this fills my heart.
That’s very inspiring, good luck with the research!
I am looking forward to learning more about these women and their movement. Thank you, Joyce, for shining a light. 💜
I'm looking forward to learning more also ... and sharing.
Such an awe-inspiring action by those women. None of us know what we would be willing to do in such a setting, but I think it's fair to say that very few of us would have the courage to start the movement in front of a presumably ruthless truck driver. That having been said, they were likely energized by the presence of someone in the act of committing the crimes. Our fights are unfortunately, all too often so far removed from the people "at the controls."
Thanks, Mark ... The question of "what would I do if I were in that situation?" has always haunted me. We may be now in "that situation" and I still don't know what to do.
Imagine even 10 years ago - not one of us would have imagined how one very slowly evolving country could end up going backwards to the point where we're on the brink of another civil war and all because of a handful of rich narcissists and 10's of millions of enablers who have zero concept of what they are choosing to give up. It's so hard to imagine what we would do in part because we have no idea how bad it could get. Desperate people do the unthinkable, but so do highly evolved people - such as the six women.
All too true ... I never thought democracy was so fragile nor believed that people could actually prefer an autocratic leader. This getting wiser stuff is hard.
LOL - Oh Yeah!
Great story, Joyce. I've shared it with my husband and on my author facebook page. I'm looking forward to the next episode.
I’m reminded of January 2017, when I joined first the Women’s March and then a local group of activists who wanted to organize efforts to push back against what we saw coming down the road (and which did, in fact, come down the road).
Unfortunately, despite a lot of time and work on my part and on the parts of a few other women, the group dwindled as more and more people found reasons to fall away. “No time.” “Don’t know what I can do” (despite having many choices of how they could participate). A few of us kept going as long as we could, but eventually we hit too many brick walls.
Maybe those who fell away weren’t frightened enough. Maybe the actions they were asked to take didn’t feel as important as their normal, daily activities.
Or maybe people need to be threatened in a very dire, very direct way before taking action like the women of Cherán.
Some seeds sprout only when exposed to flood or flame.
Robin ... great points and all too common in many community action groups. One of my primary interests is how they are maintaining their action. It's been 13 years now ... not long enough to be overly confident, but mature enough to learn from ... or, at least, that's what I hope to find out. Thanks for your comment.
What a gripping storey
A great beginning to the Cheran story. I am so glad you closed by referring to our own political challenges and I agree with Andrew's comment (above). Thanks for your excellent work.
🌽We are all planting the seeds of our future.
Thanks for all your support and hope you're back to 100%.
Definitely going to be following along with your journey in researching and writing about this story. Powerful.
Thank you, Kathryn!
Following this story shows the power of purpose and when things go so poorly it's time to say enough. Which they did and with great fanfare and outcome. It's sad it had to come to this but the important thing imho is that they attacked the problem, full on. Great writing.
Thanks, Jeanine ... always good to hear from someone who knows the territory!
I hope you'll be writing more about these six women. It sounds like an amazing story.
One of the interesting things about our country is that it's actually a Constitutional Republic, not a democracy. In both the people elect people to lead the country. In a constitutional republic, the leaders must follow the rules as spelled out in the constitution. In a democracy, the leaders get to decide what's best for the people. It's an interesting, and important distinction, yet today most people talk about our country as if it's a democracy. Maybe that's what it has become....
Very interesting and particularly relevant Heather.
Thanks, Heather, how they've formed, and maintained, so far, a communal democracy is a fascinating part of the story. It's a small town of 20,000 ... far different than a country of 320 milliion, however, I hope it holds useful lessons for our time.
One lesson that hopefully more than a few of us will learn is that unparalleled courage will leave an enduring legacy and inspiration, while the cowardice of enablers will leave only shame. The half-dozen women have shown all of us what they got. It's our opportunity to do the same.
Another takeaway for me from this story: I really, REALLY hope we don't allow the rule of law to deteriorate this far here in the US. It's sliding.
And the slide is continually greased by slimy enablers who are either terrified themselves or acting on the behalf of those who are.
One thing I realized from my time in Mexico was that when the only thing you can truly trust is your family, it changes everything. And we are sliding. Crime in Cherán has basically stopped. What minor crimes still happen are handled by the community and punished in the form of community service.
Community service as a form of punishment is so under-utilized. Unlike imprisonment, it has a good shot at being a win-win venture for everyone.
I'm looking forward to your reporting also Joyce - God speed!.
in our system of "punishment," we do a terrible job of building better citizens.
One cannot overstate that, but at least a large number of people are getting rich in the process. And then all the money trickles down like fairy dust to those who need it the most.
I hate it that it's always about the money.
I was just gonna hit the like "button," but I couldn't. I also hate the fact that it's always about the money.