Ecosymbolism Philosophy In 

Protagonism & Action

The Fifth Movement of the Dance

Dialogue allowed us to hear.

Knowledge allowed us to understand.

The Turning Point required a decision.

The Beginning opened the unknown and, within it, the promise of the possibility of hope.

But possibility alone does not create change.

At some point, we must become protagonists.

From Possibility to Action

To become a protagonist does not mean becoming the loudest person in the room.

It does not mean demanding attention, imposing ourselves upon others or believing that everything must revolve around us.

Protagonism means participation.

It means accepting responsibility for the part that belongs to us and doing something with what we have learned.

An idea that remains forever inside the mind cannot travel very far.

Knowledge that is never communicated may disappear with the person who possesses it.

A solution that is never attempted remains only a possibility.

At some point, thought must encounter action.

The Responsibility to Participate

We cannot control everything that happens around us.

We cannot determine every outcome.

We cannot force another person to think as we do.

But we can decide what we contribute.

We can speak.

We can listen.

We can create.

We can teach.

We can learn.

We can build.

We can correct.

We can help.

We can question.

We can attempt.

Sometimes the contribution is enormous.

Sometimes it is almost invisible.

Its importance does not necessarily depend upon its size.

Actions Are Symbols

Words communicate our intentions.

Actions reveal them.

What we choose to do becomes visible to others, and therefore an action can become a symbol.

Someone observes it.

Someone responds to it.

Someone may imitate it, reject it, question it or improve upon it.

An action can therefore produce an echo just as an idea can.

This is how individual participation can enter the larger Dance.

Protagonism Is Not Domination

There is an important distinction between participating and dominating.

A person who constantly demands the center of attention may actually hear very little.

The person who listens, observes and understands before acting may ultimately have greater influence.

True protagonism does not require us to silence other voices.

It requires us to develop our own contribution while remaining capable of receiving the contributions of others.

We do not evolve by everybody speaking at the same time.

We evolve through exchange.

The Courage to Continue

Beginning something does not guarantee that we will finish it.

Once we act, reality begins answering us.

Some things work.

Others fail.

Sometimes we discover that the original idea needs to change.

Sometimes we discover that we were wrong.

Sometimes the first failure reveals the information needed for the next attempt.

This is where protagonism requires persistence.

Not blind persistence.

Not repeating the same mistake forever.

But the willingness to observe, correct, adapt and try again.

Participation Creates New Knowledge

Every action produces information.

Once we attempt something, we know something that we could not know while merely imagining it.

Experience returns information to us.

We observe the result.

We communicate it.

Others may add their own experience.

Knowledge grows.

And the circle begins moving again.

This is why protagonism is not an isolated act.

It becomes part of the echo.

What We Do Matters

We are not required to accomplish everything.

We are not required to be perfect.

But once we choose to participate, how we participate matters.

Good intentions alone do not guarantee good results.

Effort without learning can repeat the same mistakes.

Confidence without knowledge can become arrogance.

Participation without responsibility can become noise.

To contribute meaningfully, we must continue developing our abilities, questioning ourselves and learning from those who know more than we do.

It is not enough simply to enter the orchestra.

We must learn how to play.

And that brings us to the next movement of the Dance:

Merit.