In a world of seemingly endless division, it’s easy to feel like the battle for social justice is fought on a thousand different fronts. But what if all these fronts—from economic inequality to racial tension—are driven by a single, hidden urge? My journey, from the communal rhythms of a tropical island in Papua New Guinea to the work of a community leader, led me to believe that this single force is mimetic desire. French philosopher René Girard argued that our desires are not our own; we desire what we see others desiring. This powerful, imitative drive shapes our culture and, when it goes wrong, becomes the root of profound injustice.
This understanding became the philosophical underpinning for the work of the Community Organisation Vector Group Charitable Trust, which I founded with a mission to actively build a more just and resilient society through social, youth, and community development.
The Scapegoat and the Path to Justice
Mimetic desire is the very engine of human society. It’s what allows for the spread of ideas and the formation of communities. But it contains a dark potential. When a community’s desires converge on the same object—be it wealth, status, or power—it ignites mimetic rivalry. This is more than simple competition; it’s a social contagion that can escalate into a state of all-against-all violence, or a mimetic crisis.
To resolve this crisis, societies have, throughout history, resorted to a primitive but effective mechanism: the scapegoat. A single individual or group, often the most vulnerable, is unconsciously chosen to be blamed for the community’s problems. The collective rage is projected onto this victim, whose expulsion or sacrifice restores a fragile, temporary peace. This violence, often sanctified by powerful cultural or religious narratives, is the very antithesis of social justice.
This understanding is central to the work of the Community Organisation Vector Group Charitable Trust. We believe that social, youth, and community development is a proactive strategy against the scapegoat mechanism. By building strong, resilient communities, fostering dialogue, and empowering young people, we are creating a robust social fabric that resists the impulse to blame and divide. This is the core of my research. In my paper, “How Might a Girardian (Scapegoat Theory) Reading of Zimri and Cozbi’s Assassination in Numbers 25 Challenge a Theology of Sacred Violence,” I examined how this ancient mechanism operates within a sacred text, and in doing so, provided an academic foundation for our Trust’s mission to challenge injustice at its root.
Inheriting a Vision of Justice
My father’s makeshift darkroom was my first lesson in this work. I would watch him in the red light, a space of quiet alchemy, as he worked his magic. He would take a negative, a hidden impression of a reality, and slowly, deliberately, a picture would appear. This process of seeing the unseen and revealing a hidden truth became my first lesson in justice. My father, my original mediator, didn’t just pass on a passion for photography; he passed on a way of seeing the world—a way of patiently developing a clear picture from a shadowy reality that now guides the development work of our Trust.
Forging a Just World, One Choice at a Time
This same impulse to see, and to build differently, has guided my other pursuits:
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Agroecology: My food forest obsession is about more than just gardening; it’s a form of food justice. It’s a personal project that mirrors the Trust’s values. I am consciously resisting the mimetic push toward industrial agriculture, a system that often exploits labor, degrades the environment, and creates unsustainable food chains. By imitating the resilience of a natural ecosystem, I am choosing a model that is inherently more just and regenerative for both people and the planet.
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Strategy for a New World: In the fight for social justice, strategy is often caught in the trap of mimetic rivalry. We see political parties and activist groups mirroring each other’s rhetoric, often descending into a cycle of recrimination. A truly just strategy, like that of our Trust, transcends this. It requires listening to marginalized voices, building bridges of empathy, and focusing on the underlying mimetic crises that fuel injustice. It’s a strategy of de-escalation and liberation, not of one-upmanship.
Ultimately, social justice is not just a fight against injustice; it is a conscious act of creation. It’s the conscious rejection of the mimetic desire for rivalry and blame. Instead, it’s a commitment to imitate a different set of values—the quiet patience of a darkroom developing a hidden truth, the resilient abundance of a forest providing for all, and the unwavering belief that a just world is not only possible but is a world we can, and must, choose to desire. This is the work that drives me and the Community Organisation Vector Group Charitable Trust.
