Social Justice and Spiritual Activism for Cannabis:
Freeing Ourselves by Freeing the Sacred Herb
Let’s face it, we need a new paradigm in social justice activism, one that’s focused on supporting positive social change based on spiritual values, such as interconnectedness and collaboration. Militant opposition to external forces has burned out many a passionate activist, but those like Ghandi, who keep their focus on the spiritual, can maintain their commitments for the long haul. The human spirit seems designed to always seek a return to what feeds the soul, to what is internal and energizing. In light of that, it's helpful to explore a new activist paradigm that is based in spirituality. I would be so bold as to say that cannabis has been a beneficial influence to the spirituality of many current activists.
During recent human history, we’ve seen huge developments of technology, exhaustion of natural resources, and environmental degradation. We see hugely unequal distributions of wealth and opportunities, and unequal power and control in the military, politics and economics. What is a spiritually oriented activist truly concerned about social justice to do?
For many of us, we focus not only on addressing these crucial issues, but also on the evolution of human spiritual life. Human life has become isolated and lonely, as postmodern delusions have replaced the ancient ties between people and all elements of the cosmos. A beautiful way to focus your spiritual activism is on building alternatives to these destructive paradigms, and restoring spiritual elements to human life..
Many activists make regular use of cannabis, not only smoking the herb to enhance creativity, connectedness and collaboration, but also using the products of industrial hemp to replace paper that causes tree loss, and cannabis oil to fight all manner of dis-ease.
Yet there is a massive War on Drugs, with a long history aimed at oppressing both the awakening of humanity and the helpful uses of cannabis products and the spiritual and medicinal uses of marijuana. We literally fight for our spiritual and physical health, against a system determined to keep it down.Social justice activists for the liberation of cannabis focus on replacing attitudes of competition, coercion and oppression by fostering attitudes of collaboration, cooperation and coexistence. We align our activism with the principles of humanitarianism—to protect and improve not only our own lives but others lives as well. We fight for social justice for all aspects of cannabis use, for the benefit of both ourselves and humanity at large, thereby restoring a sense of collective life, as humans have lived all along.
Cannabis helps people to feel our interconnectedness, and oppression of it leads to an overwhelming sense of disconnectedness, isolation and loneliness. Therefore, our advocacy of cannabis must be expressed in our values, principles and direct action.
Human (r)evolution is about finding a way to change the nature of each human being, as well as our institutions, so that we manifest improvements in society as a whole. We know that happiness does not lie exclusively in changing the exterior details of life, it also involves changing our inner selves. We must be the change we wish to see in the world, so we begin with ourselves. And many of us begin to make those changes by using cannabis.
The War on Drugs is therefore a War on People, a War on our Humanity, and a War on our Interconnectedness with all Life. That makes it an unjust war, and it makes it a necessary target of our social justice activism and direct action. We must aim to overcome the suppression of our freedom and work to elevate our lives above the devastations of the War on Drugs, especially as it relates to cannabis. Cannabis can restore spirituality, physical health, and the ecosystems. It can literally save the world, if it is liberated from the shackles of the power brokers and robber barons.
Cannabis, by helping to activate our pineal glands, compels us to commit our lives to actual truth and nonviolence, and to act for the service of humanity. We seek to resist injustice and exploitation, and to work for the betterment of all people. The many incredible uses of cannabis have been demonstrated again and again, from industrial hemp to medical marijuana to cannabinoid oils and everything in between. Its really and truly a plant that can save the world.
The current paradigms in politics and economics foster attitudes that are hierarchical and pyramidic. They are power driven, profit driven, materialistic and competitive. They cannot solve the problems we confront, and in fact they exacerbate them.. This indicates that we need new paradigms that actually serve the needs of the twentifirst century. Activists for social justice focus on collaboration, the common good, and global concerns for justice and sustainability, which is much closer to what we need in a new paradigm.
Our leadership as social justice activists requires us to act collectively for the people, in order to effect positive change, for the individual, the community, society as a whole, and the Earth itself. In this light, all of us are potential leaders for social justice, if we work to accomplish these greater purposes.
Social justice activism springs from the needs of our souls, not from power and corruption. Our souls are capable of transcending all the bullshit and committing to the tasks at hand. Cannabis is obviously central to much of the healing that we can accomplish, and so we do well to focus on it. Using cannabis with respect and consciousness compels our growing awareness of the experiences and needs of others, and feeds our brainstorming of solutions by which we can accomplish our solutions.
Cannabis for many of us has greatly enhanced our spiritual lives, and led us to serious commitment to ways of thinking and behaving that honor the principles of interbeing and interconnectedness. It even ties in with Deep Ecology and Ecopsychology, which are more and more widely recognized as valid treatments for postmodern ennui. The more aware we are of the sacredness of the web of life, the more pro-social and active we become, because we feel responsible not only for ourselves but for everyone and all of it. This sense of responsibility is what cultivates our activities for peace and social justice, which lead to real social change.
I would be so bold as to say that for most community activists, our spirituality plays a vital role in our commitment to our activism, and for many of us, cannabis is a basic element of it. When we feel good and full of positive energy, this affects our entire existence. It increases our functionality on all levels, so that we can perform our activism at our peak of wellness. So the War on Drugs is even more unjust, because by depriving humanity of this medicinal herb, they are depriving us of our basic spirituality as humans. Spirituality is what gives rise to the compassion for others that compels our activism, which leads to the social change we work for. In order to work effectively for social change, which is really a battle against immoral and unethical forces, our higher selves must be active and functioning.
Spirituality plays a crucial role in activism for justice and social change. Cannabis is good medicine for activating our pineal glands, which are responsible for generating serotonin, regulating our sleeping and dreaming, and activating our creativity and imaginations. The oppression of cannabis therefore is in direct opposition to a healthy spiritual life, which is crucial to the commitment to coexistence and interconnectedness that compels social activism. This all makes it clear why its honorable for activists interested in social justice to fight for the liberation of cannabis in all its forms. In this sense, activism becomes a path to awakening, by defending and freeing the plant that awakened us in the first place and compelled our commitment to action.
