We’re taught that adaptive learning happens only when we’re young and that merely technical knowledge is acquired as adults. This is a pernicious trap, because although conventional thinking is that we reach an endpoint for learning, we should never stop growing in wisdom. It is the journey of continual growth and learning that can make life truly exciting and engaging. Indeed, a primary constituent piece of spiritual activism includes thinking more critically, reading more, and attending more classes. Many social and political interests hinge their power on ensuring that the masses stay uninformed and uncurious. According to the non-partisan Pew Research Center, nearly a quarter of American adults did not read a book—in whole or in part—during 2017.1 While such a statistic is disgraceful on its face, it nonetheless speaks to a larger issue within contemporary society: Too many avoid deep learning in favor of easy-to-digest soundbites and superficial analysis.
To be sure, if we were to read headlines or passively watch the television newscast rather than research, engage, and ask questions of authority, or if we were to be guided solely by emotion rather than thought, we would not be able to distinguish between falsehoods and truths. The more society wallows in ignorance, encouraging ideological purity rather than critical thinking, aiming for predictability rather than evolution or progress, the more those who seek destruction gain. To stave off their feckless attacks, each of us needs to become more intellectually rigorous and candid with ourselves and our community. These times demand it.
On the activism side of the equation, leadership becomes stale if every situation looks the same as the last, if every experience leaves the same impression. Each new cause allows for a fresh perspective on the state of the world. And rather than wait for the opportune moment to learn, we should live each moment with fresh eyes and open minds; our best selves are actualized in this manner.
Indeed, one of the radical ways by which we engage in world affairs is by learning to regress to an earlier phase in our lives. It may seem counterintuitive, but returning to a time in our lives when our brain was supple and ready to absorb any and all new information no matter how mundane or revelatory helps. Shunryu Suzuki, one of the first major proponents of Zen Buddhist philosophy for the American populace, pointedly explained one critical method to open one’s mind intellectually and compassionately. He wrote:
In Japan we have the phrase soshin, which means ‘beginner’s mind.’ The goal of [Zen] practice is always to keep our beginner’s mind…In the beginner’s mind there is no thought, ‘I have attained something.’ All self-centered thoughts limit our vast mind. When we have no thought of achievement, no thought of self, we are true beginners. Then we can really learn something. The beginner’s mind is the mind of compassion. When our mind is compassionate, it is boundless.2
At the core of our spiritual practice is the ability to live with boundless awe and wonder. This is not about the mere entertainment of the world around us, but about the survival and protection of the oppressed. The urgency to cultivate an evolved consciousness for these complex times means that we must continually engage with learning as an ethos for the success of our activism work. It is here where a spiritual revolution is not only needed but warranted.
Years ago, I published an op-ed in a major news source in religious support of gay marriage and in general support of the LGBT population well before my community and most of the country were ready. I got slammed much harder than anything I could have imagined. It had lasting repercussions. I knew I still would have made the same choice, but it hurt nonetheless. After dealing with the blow-back, I tried to step back and listen with a spirit of learning: What is being said that is reasonable that I can learn from? How can I make these types of arguments more effectively in the future? How can I push for change while also ensuring I survive with my community relationships and role intact, as I continue to do the work?
And at times, it is also pertinent to un-learn. It is possible that our knowledge can act as a cudgel against our better judgment and stifle creativity. Being aware that we are to be ever humble in our pursuit for a better world guards against the temptation of using information as a divisive tool.
And indeed, when social justice activism is pursued in a forthright manner, it is incredibly challenging and incredibly invigorating. Part of what makes the experience exciting is the necessity to view every single cause and every single challenge as an opportunity for spiritual growth. Such acts require the ability to step back and learn from others. It is not about a solipsistic need for more trivial knowledge (that is, the accumulation of facts), but for wisdom to handle new situations, overcome trying times, and ensure that those who feel vulnerable have allies. As soon as we are triggered into negative emotions, we channel those back towards learning and growth. We ask ourselves the big questions: How am I going to navigate this new challenge in my inner world? What traits will I need to fulfill my potential? What strategies do I need to alter my outer world for the better? These approaches to learning challenge and fill us with boundless excitement for the future of community and the world.
Exercise 1: Engage in a visual meditation on something simple that you find positive and pleasant (a flower, a pond, a work of art). Study its details and fill yourself with wonder for this simple object. How do you relate to this piece of art or this piece of nature? How does it make you feel?
Exercise 2: When having a conversation with someone (whether ally or opponent), view them as having a diamond inside them, while you hold a flashlight to look inside and find it. Take interest in their words and their being. Continue to ask respectful open questions full of curiosity about who they are. How does learning what they have to say motivate you to go back out into the world? Have you made a new friend? Have some of your own beliefs shifted?