“To be truly Radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing.”  Raymond Williams

“Radical simply means grasping things at the root.”  Angela Davis

“A conservative is one who admires radicals centuries after they are dead.”  Leo Rosten

“America has never been moved to perfect our desire for greater democracy without radical thinking and radical voices being at the helm of any such quest.”  Harry Belafonte

“A radical inner transformation and rise to a new level of consciousness might be the only real hope we have in the current global crisis brought on by the dominance of the Western mechanistic paradigm.”  Stanislav Grof

The word radical often gets a bad rap.  It’s often dismissed as something or someone too extreme to be taken seriously.  And yet we are facing such radical changes in the climate, in artificial intelligence, and in politics that radical solutions may be required.  I have always found that the solution has to be as extreme as the problem.  Before you write me off as a left wing nut case and quit reading, you may want to entertain how I am applying the word in this post.

For context, it may be helpful to note that I have written previous posts on the need for radical solutions such as radical interdependence and radical acceptance: https://rickbellingham.com/2022/09/20/from-independence-to-interdependence/, https://rickbellingham.com/2014/06/11/interdependence/, https://rickbellingham.com/2017/11/21/the-constitution-as-culture-audit/, https://rickbellingham.com/2016/03/31/awareness-with-acceptance/. 

A quick summary: 

• In a world that is radically competitive and independent, we need solutions that are radically interdependent – solutions that bring people together, find common ground, and foster collaborative work for sustainable change.
• In a world that is radically intolerant of differences, we need to cultivate a culture of radical acceptance – one in which differences are valued, opposing points of view are understood, and people of all orientations, ethnicities, capabilities, and identities are welcomed into our communities.

I am discovering, however, that radical acceptance and interdependence may not be enough to confront the challenges we are facing.  We may need to develop a Radical Humility to deal with the radical righteousness, hubris, arrogance, narcissism and machoism that is currently dominating our social, economic, and political cultures. 

So what does radical Humility look like?  Let me share a couple of contemporary stories that may help us recognize radical humility when we see it or experience it. 

Let’s start with good old Ted Lasso.  In a recent article in the New York Times (https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/30/opinion/ted-lasso-holy-fool.html), Tish Harrison Warren highlights Ted as a person who uses humor to call us back to humility.  In the series, Ted plays the role of a “holy fool,” someone who flouts social conventions and embraces humility in ways that are so out of sync with the wider world that he invites ridicule while he models what a kinder gentler world might look like.  Ted shows how the “foolishness” of a holy fool can actually provide a different perspective and challenge what is commonly held to be normal or successful.  In her essay, Harrison Warren suggests that Ted is an icon for radical humility.  Ted’s disarming humility makes him a champion for transformation and redemption.  The kind of champion we need in this world. 

The recent White House correspondent’s dinner is another example of radical humility.  This annual event embraces the idea that court jesters provide a valuable function in a functioning democracy.  At the dinner, comedians are invited to poke fun at power while politicians roast themselves and others. In this case, Joe Biden not only took a few shots at the Disney-DeSantis war, but also made jokes about his own age and style.  He demonstrated the dignity of self-effacement.  Unlike the previous person in the White House who boycotted this event (boy being the operative word), Biden was able to laugh at himself and acknowledge his limitations and shortcomings.  It was refreshing to see the President of the United States having some fun and demonstrating humility instead of hubris. 

In my work with organizations, I have found that leaders who invite critical comments are the ones who usually get the best results.  When Jim Manzi was the President of  Lotus Development Corporation, he formed a soul committee whose sole responsibility was to point out the gaps between the organization’s stated values and the day-to-day behaviors of its managers – including himself.  Those gaps were discussed openly and honestly in executive team conferences and in all-employee meetings.  Where gaps were determined to represent a risk to the corporate culture, an action team would be formed to make recommendations for alignment.  It required a humble attitude on the part of leaders to create that kind of transparent work environment. 

So, why am I proposing the adjective “radical” instead of just advocating for more humility?

First, I love the quote by Raymond Williams, “To be truly radical is to make hope possible rather than despair convincing.”  I think we need a radical humility to counter the raging despair that so much of the world is experiencing right now. 

Second, I agree with Angela Davis that radical simply means “grasping things at the root.”  The root of our problems is that we are denying the human causes for many of our problems – especially our over-sized egos, our super-sized appetites for power, and our over-inflated   righteousness.  Remember, it was Ralph Nader’s ego in 2000 that triggered the negative spiral we are spinning in now. 

Third, we can’t continue with our complacency and our delusions for another century.  We need to act now on the problems plaguing us. 

Fourth, as the late Harry Belafonte eloquently said,  “America has never been moved to perfect our desire for greater democracy without radical thinking and radical voices being at the helm of any such quest.”  Our half-baked and continuously-delayed solutions won’t solve the climate crisis or the need to regulate out of control technologies or other challenges on the world stage.

And fifth, and perhaps most importantly, I fully agree with Stanislav Grof when he says,

“A radical inner transformation and rise to a new level of consciousness might be the only real hope we have in the current global crisis brought on by the dominance of the Western mechanistic paradigm.”   I might add militaristic, materialistic and misogynistic paradigms to the mechanistic one to round out the point.  But inner transformation and heightened consciousness are clearly in order. 

Given the facts that 1) our lives represent an infinitesimal fraction of earth’s history, 2) uncertainty is the only real certainty, 3) our lives our impermanent and, 4) we know so little about so much, it seems like radical humility would be easy.  In light of those facts, it’s strange that we are still able to feel so arrogant, superior, narcissistic, righteous and full of ourselves.  Why is that?  My guess is that we often let our imaginations about who we are run wild in the pitiful pursuit of self-delusion or self-aggrandizement. 

On the plus side, in the not-for-profit leaders I work with locally, I see an inspiring level of humility.  These leaders not only work courageously to preserve our pristine environment, provide bike trails, ensure clean water, protect our rivers, develop our youth, and improve our communities, they also put service if front of self.  They are more interested in results than rewards and recognition.  They demonstrate that humility is a strength, not a weakness. There is hope.

Speaking of which, I’m hoping more leaders in the world will see the value of humility over hubris, of service over self, of humor over haughtiness.  I’m hoping we can all open up to the possibilities that can only be achieved through the radical changes required to deal with the ravages of ruinous egos, righteous beliefs and predatory policies.  I’m hoping that radical humility will replace rigid hierarchy as the dominant paradigm.  In concert with radical interdependence and radical acceptance, we may have a chance of convincing ourselves of the possibility that hope may triumph over  despair.  May it be so.