Designing the Revolution

In this episode of The Spirit of Revolution, I begin a mini series looking at what revolutionary movements can learn from religious traditions — starting with Catholicism. This is not about belief, conversion, or theology as identity. It is about effectiveness. After Extinction Rebellion took off, journalists often asked me what climate or activist books I’d been reading. The honest answer was: hardly any. What mattered more was learning outside my political silo — including from capitalist strategy, evolutionary theory, and religious traditions that have grappled with power, morality, failure, and endurance for centuries. Here I introduce the idea of exaptation — taking elements from one system and using them in another — and explain why religious traditions are worth studying even (especially) if you are secular. I outline some of the core philosophical and political problems Catholic thinkers like Maurice Blondel and Henri de Lubac were wrestling with: - Action without certainty - The relationship between the material and the transcendent - Power, morality, and who decides - Why neat divisions between public/private or sacred/secular keep breaking down These are not abstract questions. They sit underneath how we organise, how we exercise power, and why movements either sustain themselves or collapse. This episode sets up the problem. In the next episodes, I’ll look more concretely at how Catholicism navigated a historical period very similar to the one we are entering now — and what we might be able to extract and use without reinventing the wheel. For my latest updates and to support my work, sign up to my email list at https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup You'll get a free copy of my books, like Common Sense for the 21st Century, and my film, The Troublemaker. Thousands are entering civil resistance around the world. Want to get involved? Email me at roger@rev21.earth Follow My Work ✅ Email List: https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup 📱 Telegram Chanel: https://t.me/rogerhallam 𝕏: https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21 💬 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEpZT560eBk4QO7dz2Y 🫂 https://www.facebook.com/rogerhallamcs21 📸 https://www.instagram.com/rogerhallamcs21/ 🧵 https://www.threads.net/@rogerhallamcs21 🦋 https://bsky.app/profile/rogerhallam.bsky.social 👾 https://mastodon.social/@rogerhallamcs21@threads.net 👯‍♀️ https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.hallam 🤓 https://www.reddit.com/r/rogerhallam/ 🤚 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hallam_(activist) #rogerhallam #climatecrisis #revolution

Explore the ingredients of successful political movements in times of crisis. Discover the need for local engagement and rapid mobilization as essential strategies. Learn about building people power through grassroots efforts, innovative campaigns, and community organizing. The discussion dives into practical steps like door-knocking, harnessing social media, and managing local dynamics. Delve into the idea of transforming political power from within communities, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and ambitious goals for real change.

In this episode of Spirit of Revolution, Roger continues the journey beyond the Citadel — not to replace one system of power with another, but to refuse a dominant power itself as the organising principle of life and resistance. Recorded from prison, this chapter explores why real liberation does not mean arriving at a new truth, ideology, or belief system. It means staying suspended, open, and in motion — refusing to build another Citadel, whether secular or religious. Roger argues that secularism and religion are not opposites, but two sides of the same coin: instruments of power that limit how we are allowed to see. True freedom begins when we step outside this frame and reclaim the power of imagination, interpretation, and collective meaning. This episode explores: - Why revolution fails when it replaces one power with another - The illusion of objectivity - How imagination defeats material force - The power of powerlessness in public space - Training the mind collectively for acts of resistance - Why culture and consciousness precede political change This is not a private spirituality or a new belief system. It is a public practice — one that reshapes how we organise, resist, and act together. Recorded by Roger Hallam from prison. Footage courtesy of Just Stop Oil and The Guardian. For Roger's latest updates and to support his work, sign up to his email list at 👉https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup You'll get a free copy of his book, Common Sense for the 21st Century, and his film, The Troublemaker. Thousands are entering civil resistance around the world. Want to get involved? Email the team at roger.hallam.uk@gmail.com. Follow Roger's work ✅ Email List: https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup 📱 Telegram Chanel: https://t.me/rogerhallam 𝕏: https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21 💬 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEpZT560eBk4QO7dz2Y 🫂 https://www.facebook.com/rogerhallamcs21 📸 https://www.instagram.com/rogerhallamcs21/ 🧵 https://www.threads.net/@rogerhallamcs21 🦋 https://bsky.app/profile/rogerhallam.bsky.social 👾 https://mastodon.social/@rogerhallamcs21@threads.net 👯‍♀️ https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.hallam 🤓 https://www.reddit.com/r/rogerhallam/ 🤚 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hallam_(activist) #rogerhallam #climatecrisis #juststopoil

Recorded from prison, this episode explores what Roger Hallam calls the Citadel: the dominant way we are taught to see the world, ourselves, and time — and how that way of seeing silently maintains power. This is not a political argument in the usual sense. It is a metaphysical one. Roger argues that real resistance does not begin with tactics or policies, but with breaking the frames that limit what we believe is possible. When we learn to refuse false choices, to step outside the questions power wants us to answer, the walls of the Citadel begin to crumble. This episode is about: - Power as agenda-setting, not persuasion - Why the deepest form of domination is how we are taught to see - The link between spiritual vision and mass civil resistance - How new ways of seeing create the conditions for social tipping points - Why the metaphysical comes before the political The Spirit of Revolution series explores the inner foundations of nonviolent resistance — the culture, rituals, emotions, and ways of seeing that have animated every successful movement for liberation. Recorded by Roger Hallam from prison. Footage courtesy of Just Stop Oil and The Guardian. 📖 Full transcripts and supporting texts available online 00:00 Intro 01:00 Introducing the Citadel of Secular Reason 10:00 New Ways of Seeing 23:50 Outro For Roger's latest updates and to support his work, sign up to his email list at 👉https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup You'll get a free copy of his book, Common Sense for the 21st Century, and his film, The Troublemaker. Thousands are entering civil resistance around the world. Want to get involved? Email the team at roger.hallam.uk@gmail.com. Follow Roger's work ✅ Email List: https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup 📱 Telegram Chanel: https://t.me/rogerhallam 𝕏: https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21 💬 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEpZT560eBk4QO7dz2Y 🫂 https://www.facebook.com/rogerhallamcs21 📸 https://www.instagram.com/rogerhallamcs21/ 🧵 https://www.threads.net/@rogerhallamcs21 🦋 https://bsky.app/profile/rogerhallam.bsky.social 👾 https://mastodon.social/@rogerhallamcs21@threads.net 👯‍♀️ https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.hallam 🤓 https://www.reddit.com/r/rogerhallam/ 🤚 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hallam_(activist) #rogerhallam #climatecrisis #juststopoil

He got five years in prison for a Zoom call. After serving 14 months, Roger Hallam reveals what prison taught him about freedom, God, and revolution. In this unfiltered talk filmed just weeks after his release, the Extinction Rebellion and Just Stop Oil co-founder explores: 🎬 Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:06 – “14 Months for a Zoom Call” 03:16 – The Tipping Point 05:33 – Climate Reality Check 09:20 – Extinction in Plain English 20:58 – Everything Can Be Taken… Except Your Being 26:50 – The Best Ten Days of Your Life 28:02 – Left Defeatism 30:55 – Religion as a Metaphor for Revolution 40:57 – Closer to God (Because of the Pain) For Roger's latest updates and to support his work, sign up to his email list at 👉https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup You'll get a free copy of his book, Common Sense for the 21st Century, and his film, The Troublemaker. Thousands are entering civil resistance around the world. Want to get involved? Email the team at roger.hallam.uk@gmail.com. Follow Roger's work ✅ Email List: https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup 📱 Telegram Chanel: https://t.me/rogerhallam 𝕏: https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21 💬 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEpZT560eBk4QO7dz2Y 🫂 https://www.facebook.com/rogerhallamcs21 📸 https://www.instagram.com/rogerhallamcs21/ 🧵 https://www.threads.net/@rogerhallamcs21 🦋 https://bsky.app/profile/rogerhallam.bsky.social 👾 https://mastodon.social/@rogerhallamcs21@threads.net 👯‍♀️ https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.hallam 🤓 https://www.reddit.com/r/rogerhallam/ 🤚 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hallam_(activist) #rogerhallam #climatecrisis #juststopoil

This is my first full talk after being released from prison. Here's what I learnt inside, why civil disobedience matters more than ever, and why materialism on its own has failed to move people. I go into the climate science (yes, billions dead), why prison isn’t what you think it is, and why faith and transcendence still hold the key to revolution. Some people hate prison. Some people love it. I’m one of them. Watch and make up your own mind. ⏱️ Timestamps 0:00 – Opening & The Uses of Adversity 5:30 – Materialism: Why the Climate Crisis Demands Civil Disobedience 22:00 – Postmodernism: Prison as Subjective Experience 36:00 – Stories from Prison & Post-Traumatic Growth 45:00 – Religion, Faith & The Power of Mass Movements For Roger's latest updates and to support his work, sign up to his email list at 👉https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup You'll get a free copy of his book, Common Sense for the 21st Century, and his film, The Troublemaker. Thousands are entering civil resistance around the world. Want to get involved? Email the team at roger.hallam.uk@gmail.com. Follow Roger's work ✅ Email List: https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup 📱 Telegram Chanel: https://t.me/rogerhallam 𝕏: https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21 💬 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEpZT560eBk4QO7dz2Y 🫂 https://www.facebook.com/rogerhallamcs21 📸 https://www.instagram.com/rogerhallamcs21/ 🧵 https://www.threads.net/@rogerhallamcs21 🦋 https://bsky.app/profile/rogerhallam.bsky.social 👾 https://mastodon.social/@rogerhallamcs21@threads.net 👯‍♀️ https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.hallam 🤓 https://www.reddit.com/r/rogerhallam/ 🤚 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hallam_(activist) References The Imitation of Christ by Thomas à Kempis. (c.1418). Chapter 12: “On the Uses of Adversity.” IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). (2023). AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023. Geneva: IPCC. Lenton, T.M. et al. (2019). “Climate tipping points — too risky to bet against.” Nature, 575, 592–595. World Bank. (2018). Groundswell: Preparing for Internal Climate Migration. Washington, DC: World Bank. Munich Re. (2024). Climate Change and Systemic Risk: Global Insurance Outlook. Appendix A. The Guardian. (2024). “Global GDP faces 50% collapse from climate risk, say insurers.” (Headline coverage of the Munich Re report). Rahmstorf, S. et al. (2015). “Exceptional twentieth-century slowdown in Atlantic Ocean overturning circulation.” Nature Climate Change, 5, 475–480. Post-traumatic growth: Tedeschi, R.G. & Calhoun, L.G. (2004). “Posttraumatic Growth: Conceptual Foundations and Empirical Evidence.” Psychological Inquiry, 15(1), 1–18. Children’s March, Birmingham, Alabama. (1963). Civil Rights Movement Archive. https://www.crmvet.org Havel, V. (1985). The Power of the Powerless. Eastern European dissident writings, influential in 1989 uprisings. Liberation Theology: Boff, L. & Boff, C. (1987). Introducing Liberation Theology. Maryknoll: Orbis Books. Barth, K. (1932–1967). Church Dogmatics. (esp. Barth’s writings after World War I). #rogerhallam #climatecrisis #juststopoil

How do we find the courage to act when it feels like the world is crumbling around us? In this powerful talk, Roger shares their journey from fear to resilience, the failures of modern activism, and why we must reclaim a deeper sense of purpose in our resistance. It’s not about winning or losing—it’s about doing what’s right, simply because it’s right. Join us as we explore the revolutionary power of non-action, the importance of cultural transformation, and why assemblies and training are key to building a movement capable of real change. 👉 Sign up for a mini-assembly: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/mini-assemblies 📢 Share this video to inspire others! For Roger's latest updates and to support his work, sign up to his email list at 👉https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup You'll get a free copy of his book, Common Sense for the 21st Century, and his film, The Troublemaker. Thousands are entering civil resistance around the world. Want to get involved? Email the team at roger.hallam.uk@gmail.com. Follow Roger's work ✅ Email List: https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup 📱 Telegram Chanel: https://t.me/rogerhallam 𝕏: https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21 💬 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEpZT560eBk4QO7dz2Y 🫂 https://www.facebook.com/rogerhallamcs21 📸 https://www.instagram.com/rogerhallamcs21/ 🧵 https://www.threads.net/@rogerhallamcs21 🦋 https://bsky.app/profile/rogerhallam.bsky.social 👾 https://mastodon.social/@rogerhallamcs21@threads.net 👯‍♀️ https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.hallam 🤓 https://www.reddit.com/r/rogerhallam/ 🤚 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hallam_(activist) #rogerhallam #climatecrisis #juststopoil

In this episode, Roger reflects on the profound role of ritual in life, community, and the fight for justice. From the subtlety of pouring tea in Japan to the unexpected humanity of a lunch break during a civil rights protest, Roger explores how rituals create space for connection, play, and meaning—especially in times of struggle. Ritual shields us from life's raw edges, offering moments of calm and grounding even in the harshest circumstances, like a prison cell. It reminds us that resistance isn’t just about grand gestures but also about the small, sacred acts that bind us together and prepare us for the challenges ahead. For more, see the book The Disappearance of Rituals - https://uk.bookshop.org/a/9187/9781509542765 For Roger's latest updates and to support his work, sign up to his email list at 👉https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup You'll get a free copy of his book, Common Sense for the 21st Century, and his film, The Troublemaker. Thousands are entering civil resistance around the world. Want to get involved? Email the team at roger.hallam.uk@gmail.com. Follow Roger's work ✅ Email List: https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup 📱 Telegram Chanel: https://t.me/rogerhallam 𝕏: https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21 💬 https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEpZT560eBk4QO7dz2Y 🫂 https://www.facebook.com/rogerhallamcs21 📸 https://www.instagram.com/rogerhallamcs21/ 🧵 https://www.threads.net/@rogerhallamcs21 🦋 https://bsky.app/profile/rogerhallam.bsky.social 👾 https://mastodon.social/@rogerhallamcs21@threads.net 👯‍♀️ https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.hallam 🤓 https://www.reddit.com/r/rogerhallam/ 🤚 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hallam_(activist) #rogerhallam #climatecrisis #juststopoil

The discussion grapples with the potential impact of Trump's re-election, suggesting it could ignite a powerful movement towards love and cooperation. It emphasizes creating grassroots assemblies to unite people for social change. Personal stories showcase how genuine human connections can transform extreme beliefs like fascism. The urgency for proactive political alternatives is underscored, drawing from global movements and urging collective engagement in transformative strategies.

In this podcast, I explore the deep and often confusing relationship between suffering, resilience, and transformation. We live in a world where the rational, calm approach to life doesn’t seem to be working – in fact, it’s taking us to the edge. So, what happens when we embrace vulnerability instead of avoiding it? How can suffering, something most of us wish to escape, actually become a source of strength? I reflect on the paradox that lies at the heart of the struggle for change: suffering, when confronted with humility and empathy, can lead not only to personal transcendence but to collective power. Whether it’s the resilience found in the aftermath of conflict, or the strength that emerges when we face the suffering of others, there’s more at play than we might realise. This podcast dives into how the very vulnerability we seek to avoid is the key to true revolution, both within ourselves and in the world around us. Join me in unpacking the lessons hidden in pain, and how they can fuel the fire for a transformative change that will carry us into a new world. For Roger's latest updates and to support his work, sign up to his email list at 👉https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup You'll get a free copy of his book, Common Sense for the 21st Century, and his film, The Troublemaker. 🚶No More Marches🚶 Thousands are entering civil resistance around the world. Want to get involved? Email ring2021@protonmail.com or register for an open zoom call: https://juststopoil.org/open-zoom/ Follow my work ✅ Email List: https://rogerhallam.com/#/portal/signup Twitter: https://twitter.com/RogerHallamCS21 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/roger.hallam.7 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rogerhallamcs21/ Whatsapp: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VaEpZT560eBk4QO7dz2Y Telegram: https://t.me/rogerhallam TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@roger.hallam Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/rogerhallam/ Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Hallam_(activist) #rogerhallam #climatecrisis #juststopoil