What Is the Source?

The source is…

“the main cause of humanity’s suffering
or of a particular struggle we face.”

Humanity struggles with many issues including violence, neglect, hunger, poverty, trauma, addiction, and many more.  While many organizations target each of these challenges as discrete issues, they are all connected as spokes on the shared wheel of human misery.  It does not matter how many firefighters we have if we do not stop the arsonists starting the fires.  It does not matter how much money we save if we are funneling our savings into a failing system that no amount of money can satiate.  It does not matter if you treat a skin rash with ointment if it is simply a symptom of an underlying disease, as it can manifest somewhere else on the body or even be a sign of the body’s imminent death.

This is what we mean by “addressing the source.”  We could focus on many issues that plague our communities, and all this work has merit.  But we believe that the best use of time, energy, and resources is to focus on what is causing all of the issues rather than being reactive and dealing with the consequences of the “source.”  We barely have enough to support ourselves to the extent we need, and so we want to be precise, prudent, and efficient with all of our resources so as to affect the greatest amount of positive change as possible.  We would like to avoid becoming an engine with pistons firing at different times, and instead be like a laser converging its energy on a single point of focus.  

We still encourage people and members of this group to support causes they are passionate about, but at this group we cannot afford to lose sight of the source of our shared misery.  We also ask members to remember the idea of an opportunity cost: if we make one choice we give up the opportunity to select another.  Systems of oppression benefit by us focusing on each of our individual struggles and passions, and we must consider which causes are more pressing than others.  Ask yourself, would your cause even exist if we address the source of that issue?  What would you need to happen to actually stop the issue from existing?  Will that issue become even more dire if an event transpires or a particular group gains control of the levers of power?  We understand this idea may generate cognitive dissonance.  We want to make clear we are not saying that any of these causes are not important to address; we just want to focus on their source.  We wish to unite all of that passion and love into a singular unstoppable force against the seemingly immovable object of injustice and exploitation under which we are being crushed.

How Do We Identify the Source?

While each issue may vary and have different causes, there are generally trends and common sources for many issues.  Here are the most common “sources” that we currently face:

1.    Imperialism / colonialism / capitalism / toxic individualism

2.    White supremacy / white nationalism / racism

3.    Beliefs without evidence / religion / theocracy

4.    Lack of equity / empathy / accountability for all

5.    Ultracrepidarianism and malignant hubris

It can be a difficult thing to find the source without resorting to an infinite regress; of course, human suffering would not exist without humans, but this is a pedantic and bad-faith argument rather than a helpful one.  We want to trace the source of the issue back to the primary cause, and no further.  Usually, this focus will end in a particular system, group, philosophy, environmental factor, or human trait that can be addressed with enough time, energy, resources, education, organization and persistent and consistent advocacy for change.

This practice of identifying the source of issues can be very challenging.  It requires us to unpack our biases, personal preferences, allegiances to family, friends, communities, and society, and to examine any beliefs that we hold even if they have always seemingly served us.  Not everyone is able to come face to face with their complicities in harm, their weaknesses, acknowledge the limitations of what they truly know and understand, and to commit to growth and change and feeling short-term discomfort in favor of a long-term egalitarian society.  Rights and equity are not a zero-sum game; when more people win, we all win.  Likewise, the true health and integrity of a nation and people is measured by how it treats the least privileged and most marginalized among them.  Not everyone is immediately ready to overcome their cognitive dissonance with the tenets and principles we practice in this group.  We encourage people who feel skeptical of or attacked by this organization to read and fill out all the literature and workbooks.  They are written and scaffolded in a way to help anyone understand their beliefs, how well they actually meet their needs as things stand, and to provide solutions that can make things better.  When interacting with the group we encourage you to practice the values of empathy, an understanding that no one knows everything and it is possible you (or we) may be wrong, being honest about inequities in society (even if we benefit from them) and applying the principles of logic and reasoning rather than faith and denial.  Ask yourself if you would trust the same level of evidence that you accept for your beliefs from the “opposing side” of any particular issue.  Beliefs based in evidence and truth can withstand any level of scrutiny or criticism, or can be revised and updated with better information.  If this is not the case for your beliefs, do some more research, ask questions, revise your position, or even concede if you are wrong.  We assure you that our organization will do the same in conversations with others because we want to eliminate double standards and hypocrisy.  We may stumble in this work, but that is part of growing and learning, and we are committed to following the same standards we hold for others.

Procedure to address the source

These questions can be asked to help you identify the key systematic, systemic, or environmental factor(s) that are responsible for the suffering of humanity or for a particular issue.

  1. Does this issue often show up with similar or the same issues wherever it exists?

  2. Does this issue affect the same groups of people consistently, and/or is there a much higher representation of groups who are harmed by this issue?

  3. Which groups want to act on this issue and on what side of the issue are they on?  Are they people who have privilege, power, influence, and wealth?  Or are they people who are marginalized by the issue?

    1. If the people with privilege, power, influence, and wealth are upset, chances are it is a threat to their comfort with their place at or towards the top of a hierarchy of a system of oppression.

    2. If the people who are marginalized by the issue are upset, chances are it is because they are being harmed and want more equitable treatment.

  4. Are there systematic (laws or purposeful practices) or systemic (side effects of these laws and practices) barriers in place for the people who are affected to correct it?

  5. Would this issue be solved by a broader solution regarding how society operates, funds, and distributes resources?

  6. What do the people or groups affected by this issue need to fix it? 

    1. Do they have access? 

    2. If not, why do they not have access?

  7. Are there groups that can perpetuate the issue simply by not acting? 

    1. Are these groups benefitting by not acting? 

    2. Are these groups even acting to exacerbate the issue?  This does not need to be because they benefit on this issue, but can benefit them in other ways.