The Unwoke Mind Virus: A Threat to Conscious Humanity

Unwoke Mind Virus and the Spiritual Malady Undermining Social Progress

The “Unwoke Mind Virus”: Fear, Resentment, and the Moral Imperative of Change

Introduction

In recent years, the term “woke mind virus” has been wielded by certain conservative figures – Elon Musk among them – to denounce progressive social movements as a kind of societal contagion. Musk has gone so far as to label diversity and inclusion efforts as symptoms of a “woke mind virus” threatening “civilization and humanity”timesofindia.indiatimes.com. But what if the true affliction undermining society is the opposite of “wokeness”? Consider the Unwoke Mind Virus – a plague of fear, resentment, and willful ignorance that resists social progress. This counter-concept flips the script: instead of viewing empathy and awareness as a “virus,” it identifies the real spiritual sickness as the stubborn refusal to wake up to truth and change.

This op-ed explores the Unwoke Mind Virus as a societal and spiritual malady. Drawing on insights from Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), we examine how resentment and fear drive this condition, requiring nothing less than a spiritual transformation – “a personality change sufficient to bring about recovery”marrinc.org. We’ll identify archetypes of this unwokeness (the Bigot and the Piously Hypocritical), and contrast them with “the Way of Consideration” – a path of open-mindedness and empathy. We then delve into the true history of the term “woke,” showing how its original meaning – to be awake to injustice – has led to healthier, more inclusive communities. Ironically, “woke” has been misappropriated and turned into a political cudgel by those afflicted with the unwoke virus, in an effort to undermine diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and stall social

progressindependent.co.ukgoverning.com. Finally, we argue that embracing “wokeness” – in the sense of moral and social awareness – is not only beneficial, but essential. Change is inevitable and necessary for society’s survival; history shows that those who resist it risk irrelevance or collapse. As H.G. Wells warned, “Adapt or perish, now as ever, is Nature’s inexorable imperative.”libquotes.com

Resentment and Fear: The Spiritual Sickness at Heart

In the lexicon of Alcoholics Anonymous, “resentment is the number one offender” that poisons the spiritanonpress.org. For recovering alcoholics, clinging to grudges and bitterness can be fatal – it “destroys more alcoholics than anything else”anonpress.org. By extension, resentment is a core feature of the Unwoke Mind Virus: a seething, reactionary anger against changing social norms and perceived slights. This resentment festers as what AA would call a “spiritual disease”, warping one’s outlook and causing moral blindnessanonpress.org. Indeed, those in the grip of unwokeness are “spiritually sick”anonpress.org – they feel perpetually aggrieved, viewing the push for equality or new ideas as personal attacks rather than opportunities for growth.

Fear is the close cousin of resentment. AA literature observes that selfishness and self-centeredness are fueled by fear: “Driven by a hundred forms of fear, self-delusion, self-seeking, and self-pity, we step on the toes of our fellows and they retaliate.”anonpress.org. In the context of the Unwoke Mind Virus, fear manifests as a dread of losing dominance or comfort. It is fear that underlies the panic over “PC culture” or demographic change – fear that one’s long-held certainties will be upended. Fear of change drives reactionaries to lash out. As AA teaches, this fear triggers “self-delusion” and “self-pity”anonpress.org, distorting perceptions of reality. A person “driven” by fear and ego cannot see clearly; they may even imagine themselves the victim (self-pity) while inflicting harm on others.

Together, resentment and fear form a spiritual malady that must be overcome if we are to heal.

AA wisdom holds that when this “spiritual malady is overcome, we straighten out mentally and physically”anonpress.org – in other words, curing the inside (our beliefs and attitudes) repairs the outside (our actions and society). The Unwoke Mind Virus, at its root, is a sickness of the spirit. Like an addiction, it traps individuals in negative cycles, “blocking” them from the sunlight of the spirit – from empathy, growth, and connection. And as with an addiction, denial is a hallmark: many afflicted refuse to see their intolerance as a problem at all. Breaking free requires rigorous self-honesty and a leap of faith into a new way of thinking. In AA, recovery requires one to surrender their old ideas and embrace a new ethos through a spiritual experience or awakening. Likewise, escaping the clutches of unwokeness demands a profound change of heart – a moral awakening where fear and resentment are cast out by love, humility, and courage. Before exploring what that awakening looks like, let us first shine a light on two common manifestations of the Unwoke Mind Virus: the Bigot and the Pious Hypocrite.

Archetypes of the Unwoke: The Bigot and the Pious Hypocrite

When conducting a moral inventory of society’s ills, we can identify archetypal characters infected by the Unwoke Mind Virus. Borrowing from an AA-style inventory of personal defects, consider two faces of unwokeness: the Bigot and the Piously Unyielding. These archetypes personify how resentment and fear play out in attitudes and behavior.

The Bigot: This archetype is defined by “strong conviction or prejudice” and an intolerant devotion to their own opinionsfile-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc. The Bigot obstinately refuses to acknowledge facts that challenge their beliefs – a classic case of “contempt prior to investigation,” as the AA spiritual appendix famously warnsaa.org. This phrase (originally from Herbert Spencer) describes an attitude that “bars all information” and “keeps a man in everlasting ignorance”aa.org. The Bigot lives behind these mental bars. Whether it’s racism, homophobia, or other forms of prejudice, they pre-judge entire groups and ideas without ever truly listening or learning. Their intolerance is rigid: the Bigot “never changes”file-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc – much like an alcoholic stubbornly clinging to the bottle even as life falls apart. In fact, AA co-founder Bill W. noted that an alcoholic “can only be defeated by an attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial”aa.org. The same holds for the Bigot: their belligerent denial of others’ humanity is exactly what defeats their own humanity. Fueled by fear of the “other” and resentment of any societal shifts, the Bigot is spiritually and emotionally stuck. They often espouse “me and mine first” as their creed, seeing equality as a threat to their status. Any suggestion that they examine their biases is met with hostility. This archetype might be heard saying, “I already know all I need to know – don’t confuse me with facts.” Such is the Bigot’s contempt prior to investigation, the hallmark of the unwoke mind.

The Pious Hypocrite: Not all who spread the Unwoke Mind Virus do so with open hate; some do it under the guise of virtuous piety. This archetype “professes virtue” and moral righteousness in words, but exhibits hypocrisy in deedsfile-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc. They loudly champion “traditional values” or religious purity, yet use these as a cudgel against others rather than a mirror on themselves. In psychological terms, the Pious Hypocrite engages in blame and scapegoating. As described in an AA inventory, this type “blames others for acts of their own,” making a “hypocritical display of virtue” to avoid self-examinationfile-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tcfile-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc. For example, a public figure might decry the “moral decay” in society – pointing to LGBTQ+ people or anti-racist educators as culprits – while conveniently ignoring injustices like poverty, racism, or even their own ethical lapses. The Piously Unwoke often insist they are upholding duty or faith, but as one definition puts it, their actions are “wrong in themselves, but prompted by a false conception of duty”file-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc. In other words, they convince themselves that their intolerance or exclusion of others is righteous. This mindset was exemplified by officials who, in the name of “protecting children,” banned books about racial equality or LGBTQ families – all the while ignoring the real harms of censorship and bigotry. The Pious Hypocrite’s unwokeness is thus couched in self-righteousness. They may appear outwardly respectable, even “high-minded,” but lack true humility or charityfile-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc. Their sense of morality is rigid and externalized – dictated by dogma or echo chambers (“you always know who he talks to last”, as the saying goesfile-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc) – rather than an internal compass of empathy. Such a person “accepts [beliefs] without consideration”file-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc of new information or other viewpoints. In AA terms, they have not learned “willingness, honesty and open-mindedness,” which are “essentials of recovery” from any spiritual sicknessaa.org. Instead, their pretenses of piety mask a deep spiritual fear: fear of ambiguity, fear of losing authority, fear of facing their own flaws. This fear drives them to control and condemn others as a distraction from their own inner emptiness.

The Bigot and the Pious Hypocrite may seem like polar opposites – one openly hateful, the other sanctimoniously judgmental – but they are two sides of the same coin. Both are “intolerantly devoted” to falsehoods and resist honest reflection. Both are driven by fear. And importantly, both cause real harm in society: the Bigot by actively marginalizing and attacking targeted groups, and the Pious Hypocrite by lending a veneer of respectability to intolerance (for example, passing laws to erode diversity, equity, and inclusion under the guise of “values”). They infect others with these attitudes, spreading distrust and division. We see their influence in movements that rail against “wokeness” or “cancel culture” while displaying an almost obsessive contempt for any departure from status quo hierarchies.

How can we treat such a spiritual virus? The first step is recognizing it as such – a disease of the mind and spirit. We must then seek an antidote not of more hatred, but of understanding. In AA, the solution to resentment and fear is a radical change in perspective: a spiritual experience that fundamentally alters one’s approach to life. In the societal context, we might call this change of heart “waking up” – the very awakening that the term woke originally meant. But before discussing the cure, let’s further clarify what woke really means and why the unwoke fear it so much.

The Way of Consideration: A Spiritual Antidote

If bigotry and false piety are the disease, consideration is the cure. In recovery circles, there is talk of “the Way of Consideration” as a guiding principle diametrically opposed to the selfish, closed-minded stance of an alcoholic (or by analogy, an unwoke mind). Consideration here means a deliberate open-mindedness – taking all facts and perspectives into account before forming opinionsfile-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc. It is the humility to admit “I don’t know everything” and the willingness to truly listen. In the AA program, a person must cultivate “willingness, honesty and open-mindedness”aa.org to recover; they strive to replace pride and prejudice with tolerance and sincere consideration of others.

Applied to the Unwoke Mind Virus, the Way of Consideration involves a few key practices:

• Curiosity over Contempt: Rather than meeting new ideas with instant contempt, one pauses to investigate. This counters the “attitude of intolerance or belligerent denial” that blocks growthaa.org. For instance, if confronted with the concept of white privilege or transgender rights, an individual practicing consideration would seek to learn about others’ experiences instead of reflexively dismissing them. To consider is literally “to observe, examine, think about with care.” It means reading, listening, and reflecting – essentially empathy in action. One AA commentary notes that to consider is to engage with others through thought, dialogue, and even touch – it’s an active, compassionate interestfile-st6abw1f696uuvpjvpw2tc. Embracing this approach transforms fear into understanding.

  
  

• Self-reflection and Ownership: The Way of Consideration requires looking inward. Just as an alcoholic writes down their resentments and role in them, those afflicted by unwokeness must examine their own part in conflicts. Instead of blaming scapegoats, ask: “Why does this change or idea anger me? What am I afraid of?” Often, as AA’s process reveals, beneath anger lies hurt pride or fear. A bigot might discover their prejudice stems from ignorance or personal insecurity. A pious moralist might realize they’ve been projecting their inner struggles onto targeted groups. This kind of honest inventory is painful but freeing. It replaces the false righteousness of “I’m always right” with the humility of “I too have much to learn.” Such humility is the soil in which true spiritual growth takes root.

  
  

• Compassion and the Golden Rule: Consideration ultimately blossoms into compassion – the ability to see others as fellow human beings rather than symbols of threat. The unwoke mindset treats out-groups as caricatures or enemies; the enlightened mindset treats even opponents with basic dignity. Think of the adage “walk a mile in someone’s shoes.” Taking another’s perspective (a skill known as perspective-taking) has been shown to reduce automatic prejudicescientificamerican.com. Modern psychology confirms what spiritual teachings have long held: when we empathize with others, our fear and bias diminishscientificamerican.com. The Way of Consideration thus aligns with the Golden Rule found in all major faiths – “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” If you wouldn’t want your own marriage, family, or identity disrespected, you don’t support policies that demean others’. If you value your freedom to worship, you extend that freedom to those who worship differently (or not at all). This moral consistency is the antidote to hypocrisy.

  
  

• Willingness to Change: Ultimately, consideration opens the door to change, both personal and societal. AA literature emphasizes that “we had to have God’s help” to overcome selfishness and that only through a higher power (or higher principles) could a “new triumphant arch” be passed to freedomanonpress.organonpress.org. In secular terms, one must appeal to values higher than ego – truth, justice, love – to transcend old patterns. By considering new evidence and perspectives, we allow truth to replace misinformation. By considering others’ needs, we allow justice to replace inequality. And by considering our shared humanity, we allow love to replace fear. This is nothing short of a “personality change” or psychic change, the kind AA describes as necessary for recoverymarrinc.org. Indeed, the AA Big Book defines a “spiritual awakening” as “a personality change sufficient to bring about recovery”marrinc.org. Transposed to society: we need a collective awakening – a widespread change in mindset – sufficient to heal our divisions and move us forward.

  
  

Crucially, this change doesn’t usually happen overnight in a blinding epiphany; more often it is, as AA notes, of the “educational variety” – gradual and cumulativemarrinc.org. It comes from many conversations, experiences, and reflections that slowly erode prejudice and build understanding. Consider the person who once opposed same-sex marriage but changed their stance after a close friend or child came out – their heart softened through real relationship and information. Or communities that were initially hostile to immigrant neighbors but grew more welcoming after working side by side. These are spiritual experiences in their own right: instances of hearts opening and fear receding.

In summary, the Way of Consideration means choosing love over fear, facts over fiction, and humility over hubris. It is the antithesis of the Unwoke Mind Virus. Whereas the virus’s carriers sneer at “wokeness” and cling to old ideas, a considerate mind stays curious, humble, and adaptive. This is the mental immune system that can fight off the toxins of hatred and ignorance. It allows us to, in AA’s words, “honestly face our problems… without prejudice”marrinc.orgmarrinc.org. And it aligns perfectly with what being “woke” truly means at its best: being awake to the truth of others’ experiences and our own shortcomings. To further appreciate the value of this cure, we need to reclaim the narrative around “woke.” What does it really mean to be woke, and how did that concept become so maligned by the unwoke?

“Woke”: From Spiritual Awakening to Social Awareness

Long before “woke” became a buzzword and political football, it had profound meaning in Black American vernacular. To be woke meant to be awake – alert to the reality around you, especially the realities of injustice and oppression. The term has deep historical roots. Linguistically, it originates in African American Vernacular English (AAVE) as a variant of “awake” or “woken up.” By the mid-20th century, Black communities were using “stay woke” as a call to remain vigilant against racial injusticesindependent.co.uknpr.org.

One early documented use comes from the 1930s: blues musician Huddie Ledbetter (Lead Belly) recorded a song about the infamous “Scottsboro Boys” case – nine Black teenagers falsely accused of a crime in Alabama. In an accompanying commentary, Lead Belly warned Black travelers to “stay woke, keep their eyes open” in the face of racist dangernpr.org. This is believed to be the first audio recording of “woke” in this contextnpr.org. The phrase was both practical advice and a metaphor: stay alert to the workings of injustice. Such awareness could literally be life-saving in the Jim Crow era South. The Scottsboro case itself, as NPR notes, helped spur the early civil rights movementnpr.org. Thus from the start, “woke” was entwined with the struggle for racial justice.

The concept continued to percolate through the culture. In 1940, a Black union advocate stated, “We were asleep. But we will stay woke from now on,” referring to awakening to labor discriminationnaacp.org. The exhortation to “wake up” was also famously used by Marcus Garvey in the 1920s (e.g. “Wake up Ethiopia! Wake up Africa!”)naacp.org – again linking awakening with liberation. By 1962, the term “woke” had entered mainstream print via an essay by William Melvin Kelley titled “If You’re Woke, You Dig It.” Kelley, a Harlem-based Black writer, explained the word’s meaning to a wider (white) audience and even then noted how Black slang gets appropriated and distortednaacp.org. In essence, Kelley was cautioning that the language of Black consciousness could be co-opted – a prescient warning given what was to come.

Throughout the 1970s, 80s, and 90s, “stay woke” lived on quietly in Black communities, often as shorthand for political awareness. To be woke was to be “politically conscious and aware,” especially about racism and social injusticenpr.org. It was used admiringly for those who “get it.” For example, culturally, one might say a certain neighbor or artist was woke if they spoke truth about inequality. This was not considered an insult – it was a badge of honor meaning someone was enlightened or “hip” to the real issuesgoverning.comgoverning.com. As one commentator reminisced, “If they were woke, it meant they were cool, smart and, most importantly, worthy of emulation.”governing.comgoverning.com In other words, being woke was something young people aspired to – it meant you were morally awake and engaged.

The term gained broader popularity in the 2000s and 2010s through music and social media. In 2008, singer Erykah Badu dropped the phrase “I stay woke” in her song “Master Teacher,” embedding it in a neo-soul contextindependent.co.uk. Around the same time, the phrase started trending on Black Twitter and online communities, often hashtagged as #StayWoke. It surged during the birth of the Black Lives Matter movement in the mid-2010s, especially after the 2014 police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson. “Stay woke” became both a protest cry and a meme urging people to pay attention to systemic racism, police brutality, and beyondindependent.co.ukindependent.co.uk. By 2017, the Oxford English Dictionary had officially added “woke” with the definition: “aware or well-informed in a political or cultural sense, especially regarding issues of social justice.”independent.co.uk. In short, to be woke meant to have one’s eyes open to the realities of inequality – to be awake rather than blinded by privilege or prejudice.

This historical lineage reveals an irony: wokeness was never about hating America or rejecting civilization – it was about urging America to live up to its ideals by acknowledging hard truths. From Scottsboro to Ferguson, staying woke meant refusing to be lulled by comforting lies when painful reality (like racial injustice) screamed for attention. Far from a “virus,” it has been more like an antidote – inoculating society against complacency. Many positive changes in society were propelled by people who could be called woke in this sense: the activists who fought for civil rights, women’s suffrage, labor protections, environmental justice, LGBTQ+ rights, and more were all “awake” to injustices that the mainstream tried to ignore. Their efforts have undeniably contributed to healthier, more inclusive societies. For example, the civil rights movement dismantled overt segregation and led to laws guaranteeing voting rights – steps that made the U.S. a more just and free country for all. The women’s rights movement woke society up to gender discrimination, resulting in greater opportunities and legal equality for half the population. In recent years, those advocating woke causes like police reform or marriage equality have likewise pushed us closer to the promise of “liberty and justice for all.” One could argue that every great moral advance began with someone getting “woke” to a problem and inspiring others to see it too.

How “Woke” Became a Four-Letter Word

Given its positive origins and outcomes, how did “woke” become a term of derision in some circles? The answer lies in a deliberate process of misappropriation and weaponization. As awareness of social justice issues spread, especially post-2014, conservative political strategists and media personalities seized on the term “woke” and reshaped it into a pejorative catchall. Essentially, woke was hijacked. What once meant enlightened awareness was cynically rebranded to suggest moral posturing, oversensitivity, or even authoritarian social engineering.

By the late 2010s, and certainly by the early 2020s, right-wing pundits were using “woke” as a convenient umbrella to ridicule a wide range of progressive effortsnpr.org. Anything remotely related to diversity, equity, or inclusion could be tagged as “woke” and dismissed without engagement. Teaching honest history about racism in America? That’s “woke indoctrination.” Implementing a training on workplace harassment or bias? “Woke HR policies.” Acknowledging the preferred pronouns of a transgender student? “Woke gender ideology.” The word became, as NPR’s Domenico Montanaro observed, “something of a catchall to criticize anything on the progressive side of the political spectrum [conservatives] don’t like.”npr.org

Politicians found it especially useful as a rallying cry. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, for example, turned “anti-woke” fervor into a platform. “We will never, ever surrender to the woke mob,” DeSantis declared, even calling Florida “where woke goes to die.”npr.org. His administration passed the so-called “Stop W.O.K.E. Act” in 2022, which targeted how schools and workplaces could discuss race and gender – effectively undermining critical diversity education under the banner of fighting “wokeness”naacp.org. (Tellingly, the NAACP condemned this as an “effort by anti-Black racists to distort and redefine the term ‘Woke’”naacp.orgnaacp.org.)

Media outlets and influencers on the right followed suit. After 2016, there was a noticeable spike in mocking references to “the woke left” in everything from TV segments to op-eds. Donald Trump, despite musing that “half the people can’t even define [woke]”npr.org, used the term to lambast his opponents for “weakness” or “nonsense.” Late-night monologues and podcasts made “woke” the punchline, conflating it with absurd extremes. For instance, a single ill-considered college campus incident might be held up as proof that “woke-ism” had run amok and was ruining society. This straw man tactic built the impression that wokeness = irrational extremism.

Social media exaggeration played a role too. Viral stories – some true, many exaggerated or false – about “woke activists” doing outrageous things spread widely, stoking backlash. The nuance of seeking justice was lost amid memes of “woke lunacy.” Meanwhile, actual scholarly or ethical arguments for inclusion seldom got the same airtime. As a result, in certain echo chambers “woke” became synonymous with a caricature: an overzealous, cancel-happy, anti-free-speech fanatic.

This narrative was (and is) actively pushed by those who feel threatened by the changes that wokeness promotes. If you’re uncomfortable with examining systemic racism, it’s easier to label the topic “woke nonsense” than to engage with it. If greater diversity in positions of power feels like a loss of your own privilege, painting diversity initiatives as “woke hiring” or “woke quotas” provides cover for opposing them. In psychological terms, it’s a defense mechanism: projecting one’s anxieties onto the big bad villain called “Woke,” rather than admitting what one is afraid of (usually, change and loss of dominance).

Importantly, this hijacking of “woke” has had concrete aims: to undermine progressive reforms and discredit social justice movements. By turning “woke” into a laughable or ominous label, opponents of change make it easier to rally resistance. It’s no coincidence that as public support grew for things like Black Lives Matter or LGBTQ+ rights, there was a concerted counter-effort to make “wokeness” the enemy. Conservative media moguls and politicians effectively reframed the narrative so that being against “woke” meant you were for common sense, patriotism, and freedom. Conversely, being for anything described as woke meant you were radical, un-American, or part of some elite conspiracy. This reframing is evident when Elon Musk tweets that “the woke mind virus” must be defeated because, in his view, it’s “anti-merit and anti-science” and will prevent humanity from advancingtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Such claims recast people advocating inclusion or antiracism (woke people) as if they are malicious saboteurs of society. It’s a dramatic distortion – essentially a straw man that turns champions of change into existential threats. Musk even analogized the spread of wokeness to a zombie apocalypse, likening it to a fungus that takes over ant coloniestimesofindia.indiatimes.com. This lurid imagery shows how far the weaponization can go: woke = mindless infection.

The unfortunate result of this propaganda is a deeply polarized discourse. We’ve reached a point where “woke” has been “appropriated, co-opted and toxicized by the alt-right and right-wing speakers”independent.co.uk, to quote linguist Tony Thorne. He notes that those who once proudly called themselves woke have “had to abandon the word” because it’s been turned into a slurindependent.co.uk. It’s much like how terms such as “politically correct” or “social justice warrior (SJW)” were flipped from neutral/positive to negative. The substance – caring about inclusivity or justice – remains worthy, but the label gets tarnished. This is why many progressives now avoid the term, focusing instead on describing the actual values (empathy, equity, fairness) without using the word “woke” which invites misunderstandingindependent.co.uk.

Yet, as we will argue, wokeness itself – the core idea of being awake to injustice – is not the problem. The problem is the Unwoke Mind Virus: the resentment and fear that fuel the backlash. The anti-woke crusade often claims to protect society, but what is it really protecting? In many cases, it’s protecting outdated prejudices and inequalities. It’s telling on itself. When a politician says “woke history” to dismiss teaching about segregation, what they label as “woke” is simply accurate history. When school boards ban books for being “woke,” it often means those books center marginalized voices or inconvenient truths – things that challenge the traditional (white, straight, male-centric) narrative. The unwoke mind finds such challenges intolerable, so it must smear them as dangerous. This is how the virus of unwokeness spreads: through fear-mongering and distortion, sowing panic that wokeness will destroy society, when in fact wokeness aims to repair what is broken in society.

Academic analyses and civil rights groups have called out this trend. The NAACP in 2023 explicitly “affirm[ed] the term ‘Woke’ and its historical connection to Black liberation and social justice,” condemning the bad-faith misuse of the term by those seeking to block progressnaacp.orgnaacp.org. Scholars point out that the anti-woke rhetoric often “promotes fear” and even violence against those it demonizesnpr.org. Indeed, portraying your ideological opponents as a mindless “virus” dehumanizes them, potentially inciting fringe actors. Sadly, we have seen instances of violence apparently motivated by this climate (for example, attacks on racial justice protesters, or harassment of school officials over “CRT” – critical race theory – panics). Thus, the unwoke crusade can itself become dangerous to social cohesion.

Why Society Needs the Spirit of “Wokeness”

Lost in the din of the culture wars is a simple truth: what critics deride as “wokeness” is, at its heart, conscientiousness and compassion. These are virtues, not vices. Far from wrecking society, they are saving graces that move society forward. It is worth stepping back from the politicized rhetoric and asking: What do the core tenets of so-called “wokeness” actually promote?

They promote awareness – an honest acknowledgment of reality, even when uncomfortable. This is akin to the first step in any recovery program: admitting there is a problem. You cannot fix what you refuse to see. Wokeness says, “We have inequities; we have historical traumas still reverberating; let’s not pretend everything is fine for everyone.” That awareness is necessary for real solutions. For instance, recognizing racial bias in policing is the first step to correcting it and making communities safer for all. Recognizing how sexism has limited women’s opportunities allows us to create fairer workplaces which tap everyone’s talents. Pretending problems don’t exist (the unwoke approach) only allows them to fester and worsen.

Wokeness also promotes empathy and caring. It challenges people to care about others who are different from them – to see the humanity in those who have been marginalized. In essence, it widens the circle of moral concern. As one defender put it, “Awareness, caring and a commitment to making society better are what being woke [truly] means.”governing.com These values are cornerstones of any ethical society. Caring about whether one’s neighbor has equal rights, or whether a minority group faces discrimination, is not a weakness – it’s a profound strength. It builds social solidarity. When disasters strike or pandemics spread, societies high in empathy tend to fare better because people look out for one another. In peacetime, empathy drives volunteerism, community building, and innovation aimed at improving lives. Every major religion and humanist philosophy extols compassion; being “woke” in the genuine sense is nothing more than practicing compassion informed by knowledge of the world.

Being woke is also about integrity – aligning our actions with our professed ideals of justice. America, for example, claims liberty and justice for all; a woke mindset asks, “Are we living up to that? If not, how can we?” It is a form of social conscience. Far from “hating America,” this drive comes from wanting America (or any society) to be its best self. Critiquing flaws is an act of faith in the nation’s capacity to improve. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., often cited as someone who “awakened” America’s conscience, spoke of creating the “Beloved Community” – a society of equality and brotherhood. Those goals are clearly aligned with the spirit of wokeness. And King’s critiques of racism and militarism were met in his time with accusations not unlike “woke virus” talk; yet today we recognize his vision as part of what saved America’s soul. Similarly, modern movements for racial justice or LGBTQ+ equality are about extending the promises of democracy and dignity to those long denied them. This is morally constructive, not destructive.

Moreover, wokeness has practical benefits. Diverse, inclusive societies tend to be more stable and creative. Studies in business show that diverse teams (when inclusively managed) often outperform homogeneous ones, because they draw on a wider range of perspectives and talents. In communities, inclusion leads to less alienation and conflict – people who feel heard and respected are more likely to contribute positively rather than turn to antisocial behavior. Efforts derided as “woke” – like DEI programs in companies or schools – promote equal access and opportunity, which is both fair and economically smart (untapped potential is wasted potential)timesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Critics like Elon Musk complain that DEI is a “virus,” but the evidence shows DEI initiatives have “significant positive impacts” for historically marginalized groups and institutions overalltimesofindia.indiatimes.com. Ensuring a qualified woman or person of color isn’t passed over due to bias, for example, means you hire the best people. Teaching students accurate, multicultural history (“woke education”) produces more informed citizens, which our democracy needs. In short, the outcomes of genuine wokeness – equality under the law, reduced discrimination, broader empathy – are unequivocally beneficial by any measure of social health: lower violence, stronger economy, greater human fulfillment.

Another point often missed: change toward inclusivity doesn’t erase the past; it builds on the best parts of tradition by making them available to all. For instance, expanding marriage rights to same-sex couples didn’t destroy the institution of marriage – it renewed it by reaffirming the value of love and commitment, now for everyone. Removing Confederate statues or renaming buildings doesn’t “erase history” as critics charge; it writes a new chapter where we acknowledge history fully and choose to honor the heroes of justice rather than defenders of oppression. These changes come from awakened thinking and ultimately strengthen society’s moral foundations. Each step toward a more just society brings us closer to what many religious traditions call beloved community or right relationship.

It’s worth noting that the loudest voices against “wokeness” often portray it as joyless or punitive, focused only on guilt and tearing things down. But those immersed in social justice work will tell you it’s actually about hope and building up. The goal is a world where fewer people suffer needlessly, where children of all backgrounds can thrive without barriers. That vision is joyful. The work involves uplifting stories of solidarity and resilience (as well as confronting painful truths). In many ways, “woke culture” tries to inject more humanity into our systems – whether by advocating compassion in criminal justice (e.g., restorative justice instead of just punishment) or by insisting on the dignity of people with disabilities (so we design society to include them). These aren’t signs of decay; they are signs of moral progress.

To be clear, no movement is perfect. Are there excesses and mistakes made by some self-identified woke activists? Undoubtedly. Humans are fallible and sometimes zeal can overshoot. But focusing on fringe missteps or the most extreme rhetoric (which is what anti-woke crusaders do) is a way to avoid the core message, which remains valid. We shouldn’t throw out the baby (the push for justice) with the bathwater (the occasional overreach). If one college kid used “woke” terminology to justify censoring a speaker too aggressively, that doesn’t invalidate the broader push for inclusive dialogue. If a diversity trainer somewhere made an awkward generalization about white people, that’s unfortunate, but it doesn’t negate the reality of systemic racism they were trying to address. In short, the answer to any overzealousness in social justice movements is better social justice movements, not abandoning the cause. Critique and refinement from within are how any movement matures – and indeed many activists have course-corrected upon feedback. But the backlash that labels the entire quest for equity as a “mind virus” is disproportionate and disingenuous. It’s like burning down a house because you don’t like one of the pictures on the wall.

The bottom line: Wokeness, in its authentic form, is a state of moral and social awakening that our world desperately needs more of, not less. It is essentially a large-scale embodiment of the spiritual awakening AA talks about – a collective realization of our interdependence and a letting go of ego-driven isolation. The Unwoke Mind Virus recoils at this because it feels like loss – loss of privilege, loss of the familiar. But what it truly offers is gain: gain of a more just, kind, and adaptable society. To appreciate why adaptability is literally a matter of survival, we now turn to the broader picture of change in human societies.

Change Is Inevitable – and Necessary for Survival

Every living society is in a constant state of change. Change is the law of life, as John F. Kennedy once noted, warning that those who only look to the past “are certain to miss the future.” History is a graveyard of cultures and empires that failed to adapt. Conversely, those that embraced change – that learned and evolved – survived and often thrived. The same principle that guides biological evolution, adaptation, applies to social evolution. As author H.G. Wells famously put it: “Adapt or perish, now as ever, is Nature’s inexorable imperative.”libquotes.com Societies that refuse to adapt to new realities perish, in one way or another. This is not hyperbole; it’s a well-documented historical pattern.

Consider the stark example of the Norse settlers in Greenland a millennium ago. Anthropologists and historians like Jared Diamond have pointed out that the Viking colony in Greenland collapsed in the 15th century largely because it “was a conservative society resistant to change and sticking to old ways.”peacejoyaustin.medium.com The Norse clung to European farming and livestock practices that were ill-suited to Greenland’s environment, and they stubbornly refused to learn from the Indigenous Inuit who had adapted to the Arctic climate (for example, by hunting seals and whales for food and using fur clothing). The Vikings literally starved amid plenty because they “did not reconsider” their way of life or “learn from the Inuit,” even when their survival depended on itpeacejoyaustin.medium.com. They chose to maintain familiar customs – not eating certain local foods, wearing European-style clothes, building churches with precious wood – rather than adapt to the new land. In the end, their society collapsed, disappearing entirely, while the adaptable Inuit enduredpeacejoyaustin.medium.com. This cautionary tale is a vivid illustration of how resisting change can lead to self-destruction.

Jumping back further, think of Neanderthals versus early Homo sapiens. While the exact reasons Neanderthals died out are debated, one hypothesis is that Homo sapiens proved more adaptable in terms of tools, social organization, and perhaps openness to innovation. Our ancestors navigated the harsh swings of the Ice Age through creativity and cooperation, whereas the less adaptable Neanderthals could not keep up. Whether or not that’s strictly accurate anthropologically, it serves as a metaphor: a species (or society) that fails to adapt to changing conditions becomes extinct. Flexibility, whether cultural or genetic, is a survival trait.

Throughout recorded history we see the same pattern. Civilizations that rigidly stick to “the way things have always been” eventually hit a wall. Sometimes it’s environmental change (drought, resource depletion) that they refuse to adjust to; sometimes it’s contact with other cultures; sometimes internal social changes like economic inequality that go unaddressed. The Roman Empire’s fall, for example, can be partly attributed to its inability to reform its political and economic systems as they became unwieldy – instead, corruption and power struggles ossified the empire until it split and crumbled. The Tokugawa shogunate in Japan tried to isolate itself from the world and suppress any social change for over two centuries; by the 1850s, when faced with Western powers, that rigidity left Japan initially vulnerable and only a rapid modernization (the Meiji Restoration) saved the nation from colonization. In contrast, societies that pivot and reinvent aspects of themselves in time can avert disaster. One might look at how some Northern European nations in the 19th–20th centuries peacefully transitioned from monarchies dominated by aristocrats to social democracies with broad education and welfare – they adapted to the pressures of industrialization and avoided the bloody revolutions seen elsewhere.

What does this mean for us today? It means that clinging to outdated norms and social structures is not a viable strategy in a rapidly changing world. Humanity in the 21st century faces challenges and realities vastly different from those of our ancestors. Our social norms must evolve to meet current needs:

• Demographics and Diversity: We live in an age of mass migration and demographic shifts. Nations are more pluralistic than ever – different races, religions, cultures coexisting. Trying to impose a single cultural hierarchy (like white supremacy or nativist nationalism) in such an environment is a recipe for endless conflict. Either we adapt by creating norms of mutual respect and inclusion (wokeness, essentially), or we implode from internal strife. A diverse society cannot survive intact under a rigidly exclusivist order; it requires flexible, inclusive values.

  
  

• Knowledge and Values: We simply know more now about human rights, psychology, and the harm of certain old practices. Practices once seen as normal – e.g. child labor, marital rape, colonial conquest – are now understood to be deeply harmful and unethical. We cannot revert to those just because change is uncomfortable. To do so would be to court moral and social ruin. It’s notable that societies which continue to oppress large segments of their population (denying education to women, persecuting minorities, etc.) are often plagued by instability or stagnation. In contrast, those that expand rights and knowledge flourish more. Our values must update as we learn; resisting that is, frankly, resisting reality.

  
  

• Technology and Economy: We’ve moved from agrarian to industrial to information economies. This has upended how we work, communicate, and relate. Social norms around gender roles, education, and cooperation had to change accordingly. For example, the digital era rewards adaptability and lifelong learning – a society stuck in a 19th-century mindset of strict gender or class roles will fall behind in innovation and economic dynamism. The push for wider education access, gender equality in workplaces, and racial diversity in STEM fields is not just moral, but practical for prosperity. Those aren’t “woke plots,” they’re adaptations to make use of all human talent in a modern economy.

  
  

• Global Interdependence: We are no longer isolated tribes. Global problems like climate change, pandemics, or refugee crises demand collective action and empathy beyond our in-groups. Insular thinking (“care only about my nation or my kind”) is dangerously inadequate for these shared threats. Either we enlarge our circle of concern – essentially becoming more woke to our shared humanity – or we fail to coordinate and suffer catastrophic losses. For instance, tackling climate change requires believing scientific facts over comforting fictions and caring about people in distant lands who are affected. The unwoke response of denial and narrow self-interest will literally sink us (quite possibly under rising seas). As one sociopolitical analyst bluntly stated, “A society does not ever die from natural causes, but always from suicide or murder — and nearly always from the former.”elidourado.com In other words, societies kill themselves by failing to address their internal problems (suicide) or by provoking destructive conflicts (murder). Both of those often stem from an inflexibility to change course.

  
  

So when we hear slogans like “anti-woke” that essentially call for freezing society in some imagined past perfection, we should recognize it as a path to decay. Those who rail against change are, perhaps unwittingly, advocating for societal stagnation. And stagnation in a changing environment equals

decline. It’s akin to a company refusing to ever upgrade its technology or diversify its workforce – eventually, it loses competitive edge and collapses. On a civilizational scale, the stakes are life and death. No amount of nostalgia can stop the world from changing around us. As the saying goes, “change is inevitable, growth is optional.” We either choose growth (learning, adapting, evolving) – which is what true wokeness encourages – or we invite collapse.

Resisting necessary change leads to social decay. We see signs of this decay when segments of society cling obsessively to outmoded ideas: rising political violence, extremist ideologies, a breakdown in social trust. All these are symptoms of a system in distress, like warning lights on a dashboard. The solution is not to smash the warning lights (attack the woke messengers) but to fix the engine – i.e., do the hard work of reform and adaptation.

This moment in history demands an openness to transformation not unlike a spiritual awakening on the collective level. We might draw a parallel to what AA says about individuals: “Above everything, we must be rid of selfishness. We must, or it kills us.”anonpress.org For a society, above everything, we must be rid of the selfishness of clinging to unfair advantage or outdated prejudices – we must, or it will kill us. We cannot “play God” and pretend we can freeze time or pick and choose which people deserve dignity; that hubris will failanonpress.org. Instead, we need the humility to adapt and the courage to change. Only by doing so can we “pass through to freedom.”anonpress.org

Conclusion: Embracing the Awakening

The “Unwoke Mind Virus” – that toxic mix of fear, resentment, and denial – has had its time in our heads. It has led people to rail against imaginary threats while real problems fester. It has pitted neighbor against neighbor over fabricated culture wars. It has caused a dangerous drag on efforts to make our society more equitable and resilient. It’s time we cured this spiritual sickness by summoning our better angels and embracing the very qualities the unwoke have demonized.

It starts with each of us. We can inoculate ourselves against unwokeness by practicing rigorous honesty (about history, about others, about ourselves) and empathy. When we feel the tug of resentment or the sting of fear toward social change, we can pause and question it. Much like an alcoholic learns to pause and call a sponsor rather than take a drink when resentment surges, a citizen can pause and seek understanding rather than lash out at change. Ask: “What am I afraid of? Is this fear based in reality or prejudice? Can I learn more before I judge?” This small act of mindfulness is akin to taking a deep breath instead of reacting – it’s the first step in waking up.

On a community level, we must continue the hard conversations, even when “anti-woke” factions try to shut them down. Education is key: the more people truly know (about history, about others’ experiences, about science), the less they can be misled by demagogues. As the AA Big Book noted, “Willingness, honesty and open-mindedness are the essentials”aa.org – those qualities should be cultivated in our schools, our media, our politics. Encourage willingness to hear new ideas, reward honesty about our shortcomings, and celebrate open-minded exploration. Conversely, we should be unafraid to call out intolerance and belligerent denial for what they are – not strength, but weakness and fear. When a public figure rants about the evils of “wokeness,” we might look at what they are really resisting (often equality or accountability) and calmly point that out. We must not let the loud cries of the fearful drown out the voices of the hopeful.

Spiritually, the concept of a “personality change” through a “spiritual experience” offers a powerful template for societal renewalmarrinc.org. America and the world at large might be due for such a collective personality change – a reawakening to our shared values of justice, compassion, and truth. Think of periods in history that were great awakenings: the Enlightenment, the civil rights era, etc. They were times when societies turned a corner in consciousness. We may be on the cusp of another, if we choose it. And just as an addict often has to hit bottom and see the wreckage caused by their illness to find the willingness to change, perhaps the turmoil and division sown by the Unwoke Mind Virus are showing us that we’ve hit a kind of moral bottom. The way out is up – upward toward higher understanding – rather than digging deeper into anger and fear.

Let’s envision what a truly “woke” society (in the positive, original sense) could look like. It’s not a nightmare of censorship and conformity as some fearmongers claim. It’s actually a vibrant place where everyone has a voice and is heard. Classrooms discuss all parts of history, so we learn from the mistakes and triumphs of our ancestors. Workplaces value each employee, so productivity and creativity soar. Neighbors of different backgrounds celebrate each other’s cultures rather than hide them. Laws and policies are crafted with input from those most affected, leading to smarter solutions. Disagreements still happen – being woke doesn’t mean we all think the same – but those disagreements happen in an atmosphere of mutual respect, not dehumanization. Such a society is more adaptive to crises because people don’t spend precious energy fighting phantom culture wars; they unite to fight real threats (be it a virus, a hurricane, or an economic downturn). This is not utopian fantasy; it’s the logical outcome of a populace that has awakened morally and spiritually.

Of course, no society will ever be perfect. But perfection isn’t the goal – progress is. Wokeness, at its heart, is about progress: the belief that we can and should improve the way we treat each other. The counter-force – unwokeness – is about stasis: the insistence that any change from some bygone norm is decay. History emphatically sides with progress. Time and again, the arc of history bends towards justice, as Dr. King said, but not without pushback from those clinging to the past. We are living through one of those inflection points now. The question is, will we be dragged backward by fear, or march forward with hope?

To overcome the Unwoke Mind Virus, we as a society need to undergo the very process an individual might in spiritual rehab: acknowledge the problem (yes, racism/sexism/etc. exist and hurt us), surrender the ego (accept that our old ways might be wrong), seek guidance (from wisdom, experts, the marginalized voices), make amends (correct injustices), and commit to a new way of life (inclusive, compassionate, truth-based). This is essentially the twelve-step program for a nation’s soul. It’s not an overnight cure, but a journey of continuous growth.

In closing, let us reclaim and affirm what “woke” truly stands for: awakened eyes, open hearts, and a willingness to grow. It is the antidote to the spiritual poison of fear and resentment. It asks us, as individuals and as a people, to wake up from the slumber of indifference and self-centeredness. It asks us to see clearly – to see our fellow human beings as brothers and sisters, and to see ourselves honestly, with all our faults and potential. It asks us to move, to change, to become better. That is not a virus; that is the very process of healing and evolution.

The great abolitionist Frederick Douglass once said, “If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” The struggles we face today over “wokeness” versus “anti-wokeness” are part of the birth pangs of progress. We should not fear this struggle; we should fear the prospect of no progress. Like the caterpillar resisting transformation into a butterfly, the unwoke fight to remain in a familiar form – but change comes nonetheless. It is far wiser to embrace the metamorphosis consciously than to be broken by it. We can take comfort and inspiration in the fact that so many before us chose to wake up and lift up others, leaving us a better world. Now it is our turn to continue that legacy.

Let us choose awakening over ignorance, love over fear, and growth over decay. The Unwoke Mind Virus will wither in the light of understanding. And in that dawning light, we might finally see each other – and ourselves – for who we truly are: one human family, striving toward a more perfect union.

Sources:

• Alcoholics Anonymous, The Big Book – on resentment, fear, and spiritual experienceanonpress.organonpress.orgmarrinc.org

• NPR – History and meaning of “woke” in Black culturenpr.orgnpr.org

• NAACP – Resolution reaffirming “woke” as tied to Black liberation, condemning its distortionnaacp.orgnaacp.org

• The Independent – on the co-opting and weaponization of “woke” by the rightindependent.co.ukindependent.co.uk

• Times of India – Elon Musk’s “woke mind virus” tweets attacking DEI and resulting backlashtimesofindia.indiatimes.comtimesofindia.indiatimes.com

• Governing.com – “In Defense of Woke,” describing woke as awareness, caring, and social bettermentgoverning.comgoverning.com

• Scientific American – on the evolutionary roots of prejudice and how perspective-taking reduces biasscientificamerican.comscientificamerican.com

• Jared Diamond’s Collapse (via Medium) – example of Norse Greenland’s collapse due to resisting changepeacejoyaustin.medium.com

• H.G. Wells quote on adaptation as nature’s imperativelibquotes.com

🕊️ Prayer for the Awakened and the Awakening

By Rev. Paula Josephine Sadler

Divine Spirit of Truth and Illumination,

We come before You today in gratitude and humility.Thank You for the brave souls throughout history who dared to wake up—who saw injustice and spoke truth,who broke through silence with compassion,who felt the heartbeat of humanity beyond boundaries of color, creed, gender, and nation.

Pour now Your strength into the hearts of those who are awake.Let their courage never falter, though the path is steep.Let their love remain fierce, though the world mocks their light.Let them stand in knowing, rooted in justice, sheltered by grace.Bless the warriors of wisdom—past, present, and rising.

And God, we ask too for those who remain asleep—those wrapped in the fog of fear,those clinging to resentment,those numbed by propaganda and lulled by the illusion of superiority.

We do not condemn them—we call them back to themselves.We ask that You stir their souls, open their eyes,and shake the chains of spiritual narcolepsy from their minds.

May they feel the quiet ache of compassion awaken within.May they hear the voice of truth calling gently through their defenses.May they remember their sacred connection to all life.May they surrender the armor of ego and step into the Way of Consideration—where listening heals, where humility leads, where love is law.

We hold a vision, Holy One,of a world fully awake,where all hearts are open,where justice flows like water,where no one sleeps through another's suffering.

Let it begin with us. Let it begin now.

Amen.Ashé.And so it is.

✨ Affirmations

For the Awakened:🕊️ “I carry the light of all who came before me; I walk in the strength of every awakened soul. My awareness is a gift, my compassion is power, and I will not turn back.”

For Those Awakening:🌱 “I am willing to open my eyes. I am safe to question, to grow, and to feel. I release fear and step into the truth that connects all life.”

Bless us all as we awaken to Gods True Love. Awake! Awake! Awake! now from your slumber...