Embrace the middle level of intellectual influence

This is a reprint from something I wrote a few years ago.

Real change is occurring at the level that writer Jason Cockrell refers to as the middle level of intellectual influence, also called the middle class of politics. This level encompasses leaders who are contributing to their communities as academic professors, small business owners, authors, columnists, local politicians, event organizers, major bloggers, managers, or pastors. These leaders have enormous influence in their communities and are thus true agents of cultural change.

I received permission from Jason Cockrell to reprint one of his recent essays.

The world will become a better place over the next forty years, and you can help. (I removed some political content)

(snip)

The first step is to understand how societies change in the long term. Major philosophical revolutions do not occur in the span of one election cycle (snip). Real freedom will come slowly, but it will come.

The news media give a lot of attention to the highest class of political influence, the figureheads, and the lowest class of political influence, the general voters. In between, though, is something quite interesting. Who are the MIDDLE class in politics? They are as follows: Academic professors, small business owners, authors, columnists, local politicians, event organizers, major bloggers, managers, pastors, etc. These people are extremely important, because they ultimately decide where the country is headed. In particular, they decide which ideas, stemming from the figureheads, will actually filter down to the masses. A person like Barack Obama or Ron Paul can put out all sorts of ideas. The middle class will decide whether they accept or reject those ideas, and the middle class will pass them on to the general public. So it is among the middle class that debates are really won or lost.

You have the power to change the world for the better if you can gain control of the middle level of intellectual influence (snip). Ask yourself if you are doing all you can to expand your OWN influence. Here are some examples:

• Have you attended one or more of your county conventions for any major political party? Do you know if there are leadership positions such as treasurer, secretary, or chairman open in your county party?
• Are you writing editorials or columns for your local paper? Did you know that most local papers will print articles sent in by random people as long as they are respectful, well-written, and relevant?
• If you are a college student, are you involved in student organizations on campus? Are you applying to be a resident assistant? Do you know whether there are positions open in your student government?
• If you are employed, are you actively pursuing promotion opportunities that could lead to a management position some day? Have you thought about starting your own business?
• Do you have good public speaking skills? Have you given presentations to students or coworkers? Is there a public speaking class offered at your local college?

(Snip) The time has come to "disperse." We must transform the landscape of this country. (snip) Remember that there is no such thing as an external, alien "society." Society is each and every one of us. There are no ideas except the ideas of people, no businesses or governments or clubs or parties except of people.

I will end with three quotations by three very interesting people that I think are crucial to understanding what we must do now.

"It's up to you now to spread this message around the country. This is an American cause; it's a cause of freedom. There's something going on in this country, and it's big." -- Ron Paul.

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." -- Margaret Mead.

"This is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." -- Winston Churchill.