Protesters Instill Fear in Leaders

There have been many demonstrations and protests during the last few months, spreading from Wall Street around the USA and to many other countries. People are unhappy with their government, the wars, the lies, the corruption, the unemployment issues, the economy, the abuse of natural resources…the list can be continued ad nauseam. What must be noted though is that people are standing up and demanding to be heard; they are rebelling against the status quo and it is a remarkable sign of the times:

You may be the last generation which has the possibility to rebel. And if you don’t rebel, there may be no more chances: humanity can be reduced to a robotlike existence. So rebel while there is still time! I don’t think there is much time left, maybe just this last part of the century, these coming twenty or twenty-five years. If humanity can rebel in these next twenty-five years, this is the last opportunity; otherwise people will be utterly unable to, their unconscious will dominate them. Up to now, the society has only been able to pollute your conscious mind – through education, through the church, through propaganda – but only your conscious mind; your unconscious is still free.

Osho, The Book of Wisdom, Ch 4, Q 1

The latest protest to take place was Down-Under. Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Opposition Leader Tony Abbott had appeared on Australia Day (considered Invasion Day by many Aboriginal people) at a ceremony for the inaugural national emergency medals at The Lobby restaurant in Canberra.

The location is very close to the controversial Aboriginal Tent Embassy set up in 1972, a semi-permanent gathering of activists complete with signs and tents, who say they represent the political rights of Australian Aborigines, always a very sensitive issue for Australians. The government does not acknowledge it as an official embassy but is the only Aboriginal site in Australia recognised nationally as a site representing political struggle for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

At some point the present activists found out about the event and approximately 200 protesters moved as one and trapped Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott inside, banging on the three glass sides of the restaurant chanting ‘shame’ and ‘racist’. One wonders why the medal event was held in such close proximity in the first place, but I regress. Organizers of the event called for help and about 50 police (among them a riot squad) were called in.

As you can see in this footage, both politicians appear to be cool and calm. The first one to show nervousness is Tony Abbott who rhetorically worries that the windows could be smashed in, while Julia Gillard remains fairly composed albeit with a stiff upper lip. However, the moment the police starts clearing a passage to push them out of the restaurant, fear erupts and among some jostling there’s a deploreable show of running away from the unarmed protesters. The only good thing to say about the police action is that at least they didn’t use tasers and pepper spray as they are wont to do in the USA.

This incident is a typical example how elected government officials avoid taking responsibility by listening to the populace who demand to be heard. Instead of letting herself being bundled up by security, dragged away and shoved unceremoniously into a car, couldn’t the Prime Minister have stood outside and spoken with the protesters? This would have been an unprecedented courageous move and surely the protesters would have shown respect. Why all this fear? After all, they are ultimately her constituents, these are the people she is supposed to be working for to keep the country economically sound, to protect the rights and well-being of the citizens. Running away like this is gutless and pathetic.

We cannot continue to live in fear and allow to be dominated by those only hungry for power. We must act with consciousness and awareness, and that is the true meaning of rebellion:

But there is still hope for humanity. The hope is not that religious people will become politicians, or that religious people will start taking an interest in politics, no. But religious people can become, should become, rebellious against all political stupidity. There is the hope. The religious person should not remain just contented with his blissfulness and allow all these idiots to go on doing harm to innocent humanity.

To me this is the only compassion:
To rebel against the whole history of humanity.
The religious person should rebel.

Osho, From Darkness to Light, Ch 21 Q 1

Bhagawati, Osho News