The greatest Virtue is to follow the Tao and Tao alone
The Tao is elusive and intangible
Oh, it is intangible and elusive, and yet within is image
Oh, it is elusive and intangible, and yet is within is form
Oh, it is dim and dark, and yet within is essence
This essence is very real, and therein lies faith
From the very beginning until now its name has never been forgotten
This I perceive the creation
How do I know the ways of creation?
Because I know this
For those of you who don't know my religious predilections, I am more or less a Taoist. I spent a fair amount of time over the past five or so years looking at different religions, and the Tao Ti Ching made more sense than most. I have to admit that I like the New Testament - especially the Sermon on the Mount - but then I realized that most churches view this as optional.
I have been doing a great deal of thinking about the left side of the blogsphere this week, largely as a result of the attacks from the right. These attacks got me thinking; what would happen if Kos went away? That's when I realized something very important:
Markos doesn't matter.
This isn't about him. The right could smear him until the cows come home, find incriminating pictures of him and a whole host of other problems/character flaws/indiscretions, destroy his character and shame him into silence. And it doesn't matter.
The left side of the blogsphere is bigger than any one person. It is "intangible and elusive, yet within is image." It is "elusive and intangible, and yet within is form". Think of all the blogs that have come into prominence over the last year. We all have our respective favorites that we contribute to in one-way or another. I read a host of economic blogs that I find informative and well reasoned. Others have political blogs, legal blogs, personal blogs and the like. The form rises and falls, never assuming the same shape from day to day. It ebbs and flows, yet retains form. However, that form is ever changing.
This is what the right doesn't understand. I have read many people state the right is far more rigid in its hierarchy; they crave order and organize far more effectively than the left. I think this is true. This is the lens they view the world through. This is why they are going after Kos - they view him as our leader. But they are wrong. No one is our leader. And yet, everybody is our leader. We live in paradox.
They view the success of YearlyKos as a grave threat for several reasons. One - they (the right) have never done anything like it. And it is something they should be good at. Organization is the right's forte, not the left. But the left beat them to the punch. And we did it well - actually, we did it really damn well. Gina Cooper deserves much credit for this. I am privy to some of the back-story, and there were times when the future was in doubt. But she had faith. And her faith carried it through.
Secondly, we weren't a group of crazy radicals; we were thoughtful, intelligent well-thought out people who came together for a higher purpose. Everyone that I met was intelligent, engaging and very smart. I have never been a part of a community like this, and I like it. And I crave more.
Third - we got their attention. The media were there. Important politicians were there. Important people were there - talking and discussing things with everyday people. We started a dialog that I hope continues.
Fourth - notice what didn't happen? There were no riots, no police, no hookers, no drug busts, no anything - just a diverse group of people who wanted to make things better. How radical indeed.
The community we created scares the hell out of the right. But they have no idea how to attack it. So they go after Kos because this is the only tactic they know - attack the person. Fine. Bring him down. But I can guarantee you two things.
We all have his back because we have each other's back.
It's gonna be a hell of a fight.
But if you do being him down- we'll still be here. In one form or the other, we are here - to stay. And we're growing stronger.