Two of the main threads in my life are metaphysics, especially how it can be used for my personal and spiritual growth, and politics, which has so much to do with creating (or destroying) the environment i live in every day . I've spent a lot of time and energy trying to reconcile my understanding of how they relate, and at this point i want to put out a few ideas.
For the most part i agree with the views of the left, but the energy is often just so hard to take. Victimhood, anger, blame, judgement, arrogance, condescension, hostility, and don't think that i haven't expressed, often and vehemently, all these energies myself. If i was a right winger or a businessman, no way i'm listening to people who are attacking me.
My view is that all this is coming from fear. At least in my own case, that's what i find.
The question, is this productive or counter productive. To meekly lie down and get used for a doormat, fuck that. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, but ultimately, to squeak and to blame are different.
In my own personal growth work i have found that it is far more effective to focus on the positive results i do want than to endlessly fight against my flaws, to be positive, rather than negative against negativity, and that's getting results for me. I've been reading peace pilgrim's Steps toward inner peace, and i'm finding it inspiring. This is a woman who walked 25,000 miles in 28 years, starting when she was 45 years old, to deliver the message of Peace across america, and i believe that many of the seeds she sowed have bourne fruit.
It seems to me that those who have spiritual beliefs have greater power in the political arena, indeed in everything they do. Would Civil rights, or the abolition of slavery, or Gandhi have happened without this. It is so unfortunate that so many people have reacted to the problems with Christianity and it's hypocrisy and abuses that they have thrown the baby of spirituality out with the bathwater of the corrupt church, and yet, without a spiritual fountain of strength, people are often left feeling small and helpless against the large forces of selfishness and greedy exploitation shown by those in power, in contrast to the strength one draws from having a spiritual root for the power to flow into you.
Just to be clear, i'm talking of real spiritual grounding such as the Quakers or Gandhi had, not some empty lip service. This only comes from practice. Yes, there are plenty of people whose version of spirituality includes not getting their hands dirty with politics, but sooner or later everyone on the path will take what they have learned and apply it to the service of making the world a better place for everyone, not just themselves.
I really think that all of us who are against Corporate Personhood, against GMOs, against economic injustice, against environmental pollution and environmental racism, against repressive government surveillance, etc,----i think we need to start being for things, and most especially, our energy needs to shift from all the negativity to a more engaging view of those whose actions are creating problems as misguided, wounded and wrong, but not evil, not demonize them, nor hate them, and i think that true effectiveness comes from a spiritual perspective.
Somewhere it says "Hatred does not cease by hatred, but by love alone. This is an old law, ancient and inexhaustible". I'm starting to believe that applies just as much to politics as to personal relationships.
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