Any revolutionary change must be preceded by a passive

Host: The living room was quiet, the soft hum of a passing car outside barely reaching the window. Inside, the warmth of the room contrasted with the colder night outside. Jack sat at the desk, flipping through a journal, his gaze distant, while Jeeny sat nearby, a book resting in her lap. She watched him for a moment before speaking, sensing the weight of his thoughts.

Jeeny: (breaking the silence, her voice calm but thoughtful) “You know, Saul Alinsky once said, ‘Any revolutionary change must be preceded by a passive, affirmative, non-challenging attitude toward change among the mass of our people. They must feel so frustrated, so defeated, so lost, so futureless in the prevailing system that they are willing to let go of the past and chance the future.’”

(She paused, her voice steady as she looked at Jack.) “What do you think he meant by that? About the need for frustration and a non-challenging attitude before true change can happen?”

Jack: (pausing, his voice reflective as he considered the words) “I think Alinsky is pointing out that revolutionary change doesn’t happen when everything is going well. It comes when people reach a point of deep frustration with the system, where they feel defeated by the status quo. The system has to become so clearly broken, so clearly unsustainable, that people are willing to let go of what they know and take the risk of embracing something entirely new.”

Jeeny: (nodding slowly, her voice thoughtful and steady) “Exactly. It’s like when the system is working for most people, there’s no real desire for change. People might not be happy, but they’re not ready to push for something drastic. But when they feel lost, when they feel like they have nothing to lose and everything to gain by changing the system, that’s when real transformation becomes possible.”

Jack: (smiling faintly, his voice lightening a bit) “It’s almost like change requires a certain level of desperation. People have to be pushed to the point where they realize that the old ways aren’t working and are no longer viable. Only then do they start to embrace the unknown, the new possibilities that come with change.”

Jeeny: (gently, her voice full of understanding) “Yes, and Alinsky is emphasizing that the process isn’t immediate. It’s not just about demanding change. It’s about creating the conditions where people are so disillusioned that they are open to the possibility of something different. It’s about building the momentum, the awareness, that the current system isn’t serving them.”

Jack: (thoughtfully, his voice quieter now) “It’s fascinating, isn’t it? How revolutionary change isn’t just about challenging the system head-on, but about creating the space for people to realize they can’t continue in the same way. It’s almost like a gradual awakening, a shift in mindset, before people are ready to make the leap.”

Jeeny: (smiling softly, her voice calm but insightful) “Exactly. And that’s where the real power lies — not in forceful resistance, but in the readiness of the people to make that choice for change. It’s about creating the right conditions for a shift to occur.”

Host: The room seemed to grow quieter now, the weight of Alinsky’s words hanging in the air. True change, as Alinsky saw it, wasn’t about immediate action or abrupt rebellion. It was about creating the right environment, the right level of frustration and disillusionment, where people could let go of the past and take the chance on something new. Jack and Jeeny shared a moment of understanding — that transformation often comes not from the loudest protests, but from the subtle shift in collective consciousness, when people are ready to embrace the future and leave the old ways behind.

Jack: (softly, with a sense of clarity) “I think I understand now. Real change happens when people are no longer willing to tolerate the brokenness of the system. When they’re ready to risk the unknown because the known is no longer an option.”

Jeeny: (nodding, her voice full of quiet conviction) “Exactly. It’s about the moment when people realize they can’t keep going as they are, and they decide to choose something different, even if it’s uncertain.”

Host: The night outside had deepened, but inside, the understanding that true transformation often begins in the quiet acceptance of a system’s failure — and the willingness to step into the unknown — settled like a quiet truth. Change, when it came, would be born not from the noise of rebellion, but from the collective realization that there was no other way forward.