Flowers in the Barrel: Portugal’s Carnation Revolution and the Work of Our Time
In my adopted country of Portugal, April 25th is more than a date. It is a living memory — a reminder that the world we long for can crack open suddenly, when ordinary people choose to act together. (See this video for a quick summary: https://youtu.be/pVO-89_eTPo)
Fifty years ago, after decades of dictatorship, censorship, and endless colonial wars, a generation raised under repression chose another path. Soldiers and civilians alike refused the old script of fear. They stepped into the streets not with weapons, but with music, arms linked, and red carnations placed gently into the barrels of guns.
And in a single day, a dictatorship collapsed.
Today, as many countries move sharply to the right — with explicit authoritarianism gaining ground in places like Hungary, Venezuela, and beyond — Portugal’s Revolução dos Cravos reminds us: despair is not destiny. Small acts matter. Collective courage matters. Imagination matters.
The thread of dignity, love, and fierce refusal runs through us still.
We know this to be true
Authoritarianism thrives on despair.
Repressive systems want us to believe nothing can change — that resistance is useless, that no better future is possible. But the Carnation Revolution shows otherwise: change may seem impossible until it suddenly isn’t.Collective action is powerful.
In Portugal, resistance had been building quietly for years: workers striking, artists creating coded songs, families sharing forbidden books. On April 25th, all those small threads wove together. Together, they became unstoppable.
Portugal’s Carnation Revolution reminds us that even under brutal conditions, people can organize for freedom. Movements across history show how collective courage and nonviolent resistance can dismantle systems of oppression.
Connection and joy sustain and transform.
Isolation feeds despair. Community, creativity, and celebration feed hope. Music, dance, laughter, and shared meals are not luxuries — they are part of the foundation that sustains movements and mends weary hearts.Symbols and imagination nourish movements.
A flower in a gun barrel did not end the dictatorship alone — but it became a visible sign that another way was possible. The world needs beauty, joy, and vision as much as strategy and grit.
Songs, flowers, poems, marches — these signs of resistance help people remember who they are and what they long for. They keep imagination alive when propaganda tries to flatten it.Remember: the fall is only the beginning.
Toppling a dictatorship is not the end of the work. Real change depends on what comes next: repairing harm, rebuilding trust, and nurturing freedom with patience and skill. As in Portugal, building democracy is an ongoing journey.
Try It
1. Learn from movements for freedom.
Study histories of nonviolent resistance, collective action, and everyday courage. The world has been changed again and again by ordinary people daring to act together.
2. Nourish yourself through connection and joy.
Build relationships with others who care about dignity and justice. Seek out art, music, laughter, and practices that sustain your spirit for the long journey.
3. Pay attention to the signs and symbols of hope.
Look for the helpers, the stories, the songs, and the small acts that signal another world is possible. Share them. Celebrate them. Let them remind you what we’re working toward.
4. Prepare for the long, unfolding work.
The fall of a regime is only the beginning. The real work is building something better afterward. Stay rooted. Keep tending the world you want to grow.
Remember that you belong to a lineage of courage. Those who came before us also struggled, faltered, wept, and chose to keep going. Their victories — great and small — are a legacy we carry forward.You are whole, holy, and worthy,
Rev. Amy
See Also These Blog Posts
• You Belong Here – Exploring the Way You Can Make a Difference – Affirms each person’s unique role in collective healing and justice. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/02/you-belong-here-your-place-in-work-of.html
• Finding Meaning in a Troubled World – Looks at how spiritual practices and discernment can ground us in purpose and resilience in the face of injustice. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/02/finding-meaning-in-troubled-world-power.html
• Stories to Sustain Us: Building the World We Dream Of – Highlights the power of storytelling and history as tools of resistance and care. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/01/stories-to-sustain-us-building-world-we.html
https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/04/when-world-is-on-fire-why-spiritual.html
• No Hope: Keep Moving Despite Despair – Reflects on how commitment, love, anger, and care can sustain action when hope feels unreachable, and why our world urgently needs our engagement. https://abeltaine.blogspot.com/2025/04/no-hope-keep-moving-despite-despair.html
For Further Exploration
• Chaloupka, William. Everybody Knows: Cynicism in America – A thoughtful look at how cynicism can drain democratic movements and what it takes to reclaim agency. https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/E/bo5704058.html
• Stevenson, Bryan. Just Mercy – A moving account of how hope, love, and perseverance can challenge deeply rooted injustice. https://justmercy.eji.org
• Orwell, George. Homage to Catalonia – A first-hand account of collective resistance, complexity, and hope during the Spanish Civil War. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/112289/homage-to-catalonia-by-george-orwell/
• Democracy Now! – Independent news covering global movements for democracy and justice. https://www.democracynow.org
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