Preface - Extended

Look around. See how many people spend their lives racing to get more money, climb the corporate ladder, or become "Instagram famous"? But there's a different movement growing worldwide — one that believes everyone deserves enough to live on, feel safe, and chase their dreams while helping others along the way. This growing community of compassionate people works to reduce suffering, fight unfairness, and bring more joy into the world.

Here's the big picture: We can't fix society's problems without working on ourselves, and we can't change ourselves without dealing with the broken systems all around us. These systems create what we call a "Top-Down System," where people constantly try to climb social ladders, looking down on those they think are "beneath" them while blindly following those they see as "above." This creates a toxic cycle that damages everyone involved.

But there's hope. People everywhere are working to break this pattern by helping others in concrete ways:

They're getting food and shelter to people who need it most. They're standing up for human rights when they see injustice. They're fighting to protect our environment from destruction. They're working to stop conflicts before they turn violent. They're creating new ways for people to work together as equals. They're trying to reduce suffering and share power more fairly throughout society.

All these efforts aim to build what we call a "Bottom-Up System" based on looking out for each other instead of just looking out for ourselves. Think of it like upgrading your phone's operating system — keeping the features that work well while fixing the bugs that cause problems.

Some individuals and communities are already testing these ideas in their own lives. If these efforts connect, unite, and grow, they could balance our current top-down system while keeping its useful parts.

What makes this different is that change comes from everyday people working together, not just waiting for politicians or CEOs to fix things. This means we need both new laws and personal growth — looking hard at our own desires to control others or our habit of just going along with what powerful people want. As the writer James Baldwin put it, "We can all become better than we are. I know we can. But the price is enormous, and people are not yet willing to pay it."

That price includes doing some tough things:

  • Really looking at ourselves honestly

  • Owning up to our mistakes

  • Being willing to change our minds and habits

  • Helping others grow and change too

Sure, it's easier to scroll through TikTok or binge Netflix than face uncomfortable truths about ourselves and society. But real change only happens when we do this challenging work. The good news? We don't have to do it alone. As more people demand a say in decisions that affect their lives, we can build something better together.

This might sound like a dream world, but sometimes imagining a better future is the first practical step toward making it real. Even small changes in how we treat ourselves and others can create ripple effects that lead to bigger positive changes.

Here's the thing though — right now, no activist group is specifically focused on systemic reform, fighting against patterns of domination and submission in society, and helping people unlearn or control these behaviors in their relationships. This website aims to help fill that gap.

+++++

I've spent my life fighting against selfishness, greed, war, and unfairness while pushing for real change in society. Though I've worked on many different issues over the years, this basic goal has always stayed the same.

I try to live the way I hope others will live while accepting that everyone has to find their own path. I keep working on becoming the best person I can be. And I help create new ways for people to work together as equals and support each other.

But I've got to be honest — sometimes I've done these things just to feed my own ego. Often, I didn't even realize I was doing it.

I'm sharing these honest discoveries about myself hoping you might find them interesting or relevant to your own life. Maybe they'll even inspire you to look more deeply at yourself too.

I'm not alone in this. When I ask people how they want to improve themselves, most say the same thing: "I want to judge others less and be less arrogant."

Usually, I keep my self-centered tendencies in check and don't let them shape how I act. I generally work well with others and show respect. But sometimes, I've wrongly tried to control things on my own.

I try not to believe I’m morally superior to others. Sure, I might be better at certain things, but that doesn't make me a better person. We might disagree politically, but if I lived your life, I might think just like you do. Still, I haven't completely overcome how society programmed me to judge others harshly.

I’ve wanted to be seen as "great," just like my mother always said I would be. I’ve worried too much about what others thought of me. There’s often this undercurrent of irrational thinking. My gut reactions are often defensive. I struggle when people are hostile toward me.

When working with community groups, I often decided what I thought was best and pushed others to follow my lead instead of trusting the group to figure things out together.

I lived in voluntary poverty for years and unfairly looked down on middle-class people for being too materialistic.

I’ve had a strong tendency to reject authority, which often made me refuse to compromise when I should have. But other times, I gave in when I shouldn't have, like not speaking up because I didn't want to lose friends.

But I’m learning and growing.

I gained more respect for the middle class when I started driving taxis part-time, earned good money, enjoyed more of life's pleasures, and learned to appreciate certain comforts.

I now better understand that some authority structures are necessary, even if we don't like them.

I still believe in my basic ideals and work toward them, but I no longer expect some huge transformation that will create a completely "new" world. Instead, we can improve things step by step while moving toward fundamental reforms.

I'm training myself to have healthier automatic reactions by reminding myself how I can do better.

Still, life's big questions aren't easy to answer: When should you fight and when should you stay quiet? When should you speak up and when should you keep silent? When should you stick to your beliefs and when should you go along with the group? This website will try to help you think through these questions with life-minded allies.

Love alone isn't enough. Building relationships based on mutual respect takes real work.

If we face reality head-on, we could create more compassionate alternatives. Really confronting our problems and their root causes would help us build better relationships and take more effective action.

My Journey and Goals

Throughout my life, I've focused on four main goals:

  • Finding and sharing truth, fighting for justice, and creating beauty

  • Connecting personal growth with political change

  • Helping everyday people have more power over their lives

  • Keeping powerful people and institutions in check

While my methods have changed over time, I've always tried to meet real needs in ways that lead to deeper changes in society.

This work has involved many different issues: civil rights, stopping wars, giving students more say in their education, protecting mental patients' rights, improving public transportation, creating food and housing co-ops (where people work together and share ownership), building cultural centers, and fighting poverty by helping ensure everyone has enough money to live on. 

My fellow activists and I hoped our local projects would eventually grow into nationwide movements. This happened a few times, though briefly. I also got involved with several national organizations: Congress for Racial Equality, Alliance for Democracy, Progressive Challenge, Love Army, Barack Obama's 2008 campaign, and the Iraq Peace Team.

To help figure out how we activists could be more effective, I organized strategy workshops from 2004 to 2019. I did lots of research, shared draft proposals, interviewed people, created online surveys, published three books to get feedback, tested different ways people could support each other, and talked with advisors and fellow activists.

I research questions that matter to me, find new resources, and share what I learn on this website. I present ideas for discussion, hoping others will create even better tools that could help more people.

So far, people have responded positively, and many have made important contributions. I keep talking with friends and colleagues about these ideas while working to make this site as helpful as possible.

I feel it's my duty to:

  • Foster respect for everyone's basic equality

  • Help people work together better

  • Encourage compassionate action

  • Help individuals and communities build stronger partnerships

  • Reduce unnecessary hierarchies where possible

  • Support people's right to determine their own path and find personal fulfillment (which for some includes spiritual growth)

  • Strengthen freedom and democracy throughout society

Writing helps me think more clearly. With help from colleagues, I'll keep adding to this digital book and improving it. It's deeply satisfying work.t. 

My beliefs have changed a lot while writing this book. I'm still learning every day. Many people have helped with this project, which I'm very grateful for, but I'm responsible for the final edits.

I welcome your feedback and am always open to new ideas. If you have suggestions, want to help, or would like to share public words of support, please use the Comment form below.

--Wade Lee Hudson, 1/29/25

COMMENTS


From: Ian Faloon
Subject: Right On
Message: Hey Wade,
I think this is a great turn. I read the Denial of Death 3 consecutive times upon first finding it. It has definitely changed my perspective on my own ego-machinations and my purpose in life. The thing I find most fascinating about it is that it leads to Kierkegaard, which ultimately leads to G-d, but Becker is too much of the generation that was rebelling against old religious strictures to let himself go there fully.
Another important book in my own evolution is The Perennial Philosophy by Aldous Huxley, which I believe should be required reading in high schools. Some of the core principles of all spiritual traditions from all over the world can be summarized succinctly by the concepts of honesty, humility, and forgiveness, with the latter probably being the most difficult to achieve routinely. So kudos to you for always re-evaluating because another ancient piece of spiritual wisdom is that enlightenment is an ongoing process that takes at least one life to attain.
All my best
Ian Faloon

++++++

Hi Wade, I read the new Preface and believe it reflects the new direction you have decided to take. In that sense it is very good. As you likely remember, I was never a strong fan of your theory that 'domination' was the root cause for the bulk of Society's issues. It is an issue, and your new Preface reflects that very well.

Larry Walker

NEXT: Introduction

Comment

Use this form to submit a comment.