Where to from here?
“People who seek Vengeance, destroy nations, while those who seek conciliation build nations. As I left my home, I realized I would remain a prisoner forever if I did not leave all the anger, hate and vengeance behind me.“ – Nelson Mandela
“We start out postulating sharp boundaries (between Democrats and Republicans or between them and us*) but are in fact dealing with sandcastles and those lose much of their structure when the sea of knowledge washes over them. They turn into hills, level even more, until we are back to where evolutionary theory always leads us: a gently sloping beach.” – Frans de Waal, Age of Empathy (*my insertion instead of apes and monkeys)
Obviously in the current climate, none of us should be spared the mandate of reflection. As cited many editions back, I accept that we, the populace, have become aware of how our “democracy” has been hijacked by politicians to serve them, not us. Now what?
The USA decided that the “outsider” DJT (the P.T. Barnum of our generation, as he said – “there’s a sucker born every minute!”) would possibly be a counterweight to the transgressions we felt from established Parties. How’s it working for us? Deceit, fabrication, larceny, unprecedented corruption, incompetent governance are so overtly exposed that one’s mind is left spinning with the title question, where to from here?
In all sincerity I ask this question. As Frans de Waal explained, the sea of knowledge washes away fabricated opinions. But how do we combat the fatuous assumption that information is knowledge, when we are beholden to sound bites and polarized news. Who is reading, yes, the ancients – say Plato, Seneca, Chaucer, Goethe, Shakespeare, Swift (not Taylor) etc. to familiarize themselves with the human condition, then strike a realization of how despite much technical evolution, we fundamentally do not change.
Power, greed, jealousy, distrust substantially overrule civility, humanity and generosity as an ostensibly public vehicle. However, we on a personal level know WE ARE BETTER THAN that media perception!
We feel that I.C.E are overreaching our mandate to rid the USA of criminal elements, we understand that Israel has overreached its right for self-defense by rendering Gaza a wasteland and its civilian population cannon fodder. We know where there’s smoke, there’s fire in the Epstein case. We feel uncomfortable when our President treats foreign guests with complete ignorance. However, it is also true that we are left with, whom to trust?
In essence we are still the Noble Savage, per Rousseau. We as individuals could never build a village, town or city without mutual interaction and trust.
As de Waal showed with his experiments, even apes when confronted with injustice rebel. Also, he showed that primates who assume privilege justify their behavior and are loath to change it. So we have not fallen that far from the tree. So…where to from here?
There is a definite need to stop judgement based on false or unsubstantiated information. When we see something is wrong, don’t cower but speak out. Leave blind following of a party or person on the curb and follow what your best self knows to be true.
Most of us are familiar with Yoga, so why not get familiar with Wabi-Sabi from Japan. Or the Amish acceptance of a fault in a quilt. Both acknowledge that “nothing stemming from us is perfect.” Therefore, through our imperfection let us have the hard conversations of how we, as the people, can regain the best of our mutual efforts.
History shows us people always think they are on the side of good, it takes a good shaking to snap them or a culture out of this. The Japanese, Germans found their way after much pain and suffering. Russia/Ukraine apart from errant leadership have no basis for estrangement. The United States, has lost much of its value, as reliable, honorable and friendly, BUT THAT’S NOT TRUE! It is a despicable Leadership that is promoting this.
Dear fellow readers, please help this nation to find its better self.
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