Passive Activism — Notions Towards Balance (Living For Beauty)
The term ‘passive activism’ came about in a time of struggle with the ways and forms that the surrounding society provided.
It obviously describes a paradox, as much as it stands for an approach and way of being: it suggests an insight and steadiness of mind, so that life’s ups and downs may be witnessed and navigated.
At the time, and originally due to chronic illness, I had spent long periods in nature.
Sometimes with a task, often being idle, as I found that for me the most organic way to be outside was to be quiet and observe.
This process brought forth a clarity and it kind of set the basis for a way of perceiving that became central to me.
To be more exact, it became articulate and unfolded, and I noticed that it was there since early childhood.
I sense that as a human being I live and work not for myself, but as part of all what we call 'nature', thus I contribute to nature as a whole.
In other words, I am aware that every action I engage in (and that includes thinking), influences and is influenced by everything.
Even simpler: I am in everything and everything is in me.
Concerning life in all its perceived diversity there is a sensation of kinship, paired with a sense of wonderment.
With that, naturally, organically, comes a sensation of wanting to protect, to foster and to serve.
To sense and acknowledge that my activity participates in an act of exploitation or harm (of myself or of another), that it keeps generating complicity and ignorance, that it perpetuates suffering, or hinders unfolding, is neither bearable for a long time, nor is it acceptable.
As there is a wish to honor and celebrate life, there is a wish to contribute to what could be called the common good.
To me, this notion integrates the physical, emotional and spiritual well-being of the world I encounter.
Also, I perceive this common good as not exclusive to the human species, neither do I accord physical, emotional and spiritual well-being exclusively to humans.
That means that I see the term ‘community’ as inclusive of plants, animals, mountains, rivers…
I do not believe in the well-being of people, or in their persistence, without the well-being of the greater context they are an integral part of.
Recognition and acknowledgment, care and respect for the living and seemingly non-living world appear as guiding notions, also for sharing this text.
Alertness and awareness reappear as guiding principles and feel mandatory, as they feel wonder-full.
This is how passive activism unfolds.
In a way, it is about being who you are: the dancer, the dance and the dancing.
This dance naturally may look very different with different people, and I surely would not want to establish any new '-ism', or encourage any certain manner of living, other than to listen to and follow your heart.
In my case, and for quite some time, the sort of overall name I gave to my sharing and wanderings was The Natural Circus.
Not unlike a wandering monk or a pilgrim, or at times a traveling researcher, I roamed in and out of cultural contexts and natural environments.
Not unlike a bee with pollen on its legs, I shared information and experiences in manifold ways.
Also, the Natural Circus was my form of resistance.
It was a conscious and necessary inquiry and consequent retreat from ways of thought and operation that, to my understanding, did not honor the well-being of all life.
It was (and is in a way) an alert way of non-cooperation/participation; an ongoing strike, that at the same time manifests and points at alternatives and transcendence.
I had formulated the original outline of the Natural Circus like this:
The Natural Circus wants to celebrate the beauty of the ephemeral, of ‘being in the moment’, the wonderful possibility to perceive and communicate poetic experiences.
It is this realm where we touch upon the fundamentals of how life unfolds, of how ecosystems develop and interact: it all emerges out of the moment.
This understanding is synonymous to life's mystery, as much as it points to our common origin.
As a 'project', The Natural Circus interrelates encounters and exchange with places and spaces, with poets and storytellers of all kind, communicating the ever-changing poetry of life.
The Natural Circus intends to support a shift of paradigm in our way of perceiving and thinking, from a worldview based on separation to an understanding of interdependence, interconnectivity and constant transformation.
The realization that fundamentally there is no distinction between ourselves, the other and the so-called environment is at the heart of sustainable or natural cultures:
It ultimately is the world that is being perceived and loved as Self.”
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If my ways and work speak to you and you would like to support, please feel free to do so -> here.
I do think it is time to be courageous, and I think it is time to implement new ways, ways that are wholesome and beneficial for the entirety and that do not replicate conventional dynamics, beliefs, structures or dependencies.
I hope my website gives you an insight into what I do and what I stand for.
Any financial support will be used for necessary living expenses and support me in my ways and sharing.
Your help might be a small or big monthly contribution, or a small or big one time gift.
Please know that any support is greatly appreciated.
All my best wishes.
Warmly,
Lars Schmidt