Aboriginal Innocence

I’m weary of listening to ‘rags to riches’ propaganda about people emigrating to the US
(from some authoritarian regime where there’s no entrepreneurial freedom),
and making it BIG here.

The choice does not boil down to the virtues of capitalism vs: the evils of socialism,
or the virtues of socialism vs: the evils of capitalism
except where ignorance is trying to pass for intelligence.

Virtue and evil in the simplistic scheme of things are difficult to distinguish because
the choice is rarely between distinct mindsets (say moderation and excess), but between
the excesses of a laissez-fair mentality and
the excesses of an authoritarian mentality.
Choose your poison. Choose your excess.

Every responsible parent knows the trap of being too liberal,
too laid back with their children.
Every responsible parent knows the trap of being too authoritarian,
too controlling with their children.

It’s a dance, a slow dance, a dance that evolves and changes
with changing times and needs.
To adopt a rigid standard by which to dance, by which to raise (raze?) ourselves,
demonstrates ignorance only.

But that seems to be what economists,
or at least pundits pretending to be economists, generally do.
They take a stand, when they need to go with the flow.
They go with the flow, when they need to take a stand.
Both tendencies demonstrate an irresponsible and lazy mentality.

Each moment is new. There’s a chance, each moment, to undo,
to redress the damage done from lackadaisical/authoritarian errors of moments past.
This moment has its own needs, which must be
intuited; not imposed, not ignored.

Isn’t it ironic that those who don the mask of the conservative
are often the most liberal. Hands off buddy, laissez-faire,
I do what I want, it’s a free country you know.

Isn’t it ironic that those who don the mask of the liberal
are often the most conservative, inviting government (parental-like authority)
to have its way, set things straight, make things fair.

Personally, I’m not keen on rags or riches;
or overbearing parents or children run-amuck.
Still, I’m happy to hear that choice is on the table
(to a certain extent) in this great nation.

The question of the decade (and every decade) is,
is great good, or is great terrible? (to echo J. K. Rowling)

Yes, we have choice in this country:
- to ignore truth and create illusions, bubbles of myopic opportunity; POP
- to ignore happiness, in the relentless pursuit of more and new and better (in the whacky wild West); BANG
- to ignore compassion, disregarding tomorrow by living an unsustainable lifestyle today; GASP
- to ignore life, by (fill in the blank); CRACKLE
- to ignore liberty, by (your turn to lead); PUNT

My hopes for this inauguration?

(intervention)
“You might have heard on Public TV of an interesting interventive method employed by an African tribe. When any member of this tribe is in emotional trouble, the whole tribe gathers in the center of the community. They form a circle around the troubled person then share everything they know that is positive about that person; every experience they’ve ever had. Apparently, the ritual can last for days.

“A form of group therapy. Yet, wouldn’t it be even more positive to examine the customs and traditions of the tribe that might have been contributing factors in causing the trouble in the first place? Praise is fine and can be very uplifting, especially if it’s genuine and timely. But how effective is it in retrospect, out of context, after the fact? What if it was a cultural tradition to acknowledge the positive in people on a daily basis? Wouldn’t that be better than reducing it to an interventive method?

“We are in the cultural habits of expecting more, of gaining advantage, of getting ahead, of ignoring and belittling. Then, when the proverbial shit hits the fan, we’ve established all sorts of emergency interventive methods that allow individuals to weather crises. ‘And the side effects are…’ hopeless addiction.

“It’s not just enlightened African tribes that are inclined to positive intervention. Look at our country’s emergency services. They’re magnificent. They’re elaborate. They’re positive. Yes, when the shit hits the fan, we’ve learned that it’s good to communicate in a balanced and positive way and to place any well-intended critique on hold for awhile. We learn, but often the hard way.

“The point, or the question is, when will we learn to do this on a on-going basis, not just as an interventive measure? I’m not suggesting that the small African tribe doesn’t already do this. I don’t know. What I’m suggesting is that if our large American tribe learned to do this, perhaps we could free ourselves from our addiction to positive emergency interventive methods.

“At this point, of course, such a revamping would not be very lucrative for the economy. I would submit that we’re not highly motivated to do the right thing. What remaining secure jobs we have, might not be so secure any more. Nevertheless, while we continue to do the wrong thing and pretend that it’s right, the need for intervention soars to new heights as do the assets of interventionists. As we slowly dismantle our interventionist mentality, we must not replace it with an isolationist one. (We must learn to get along and live together in order to move towards a state of nuclear unreadiness.)

(activism)
“Being active is necessary for health. Hyper activity or what I’m calling here activism is not necessary for health except in an interventive, emergency context. It is the other side of hardly working hard. The reason there is so much activism in our country is that we are in a constant state of emergency. If we lived balanced and positive lives in our little towns and in our homes and hearts everywhere, there would be little need for activism, for intervention, for emergency measures. We need to change our ways, reeducate ourselves, deprogram, unplug, for the need for activism to diminish.

(re-orienting)
“I am a very active person but not the activist I once was, for I do not devote my energy to emergency intervention so much as to transforming the dream of the interventively addicted culture we live in. I write, so as to free myself from both hyper and hypo activity that comes of hype, that I might simply act appropriately and minimize my contribution to the problem.

“This is not to suggest that activism is unnecessary. It is absolutely necessary. In the world we’ve made, it is part and parcel of the body-politic’s immune response. Wherever we’re wounded, you will find histamine and platelets and white blood cells; our crack emergency response team. But, activism of its own, will not transform the world we live in so much as enable it to cope with its problems. Over active immune responses result in auto-immune dis-ease.

“Activism is not a cure. It is closer to a symptom, much as manic-depression is a symptom. When we confuse a symptom with a cure, we get stuck in emergency mode.

“Must we glorify war? Must we glorify the emergency response? Can we find another way, a balanced way, to move beyond the ‘fight or flight’ response? Can we re-educate ourselves and transform the values of our culture? Can we learn balanced responses in non-critical situations so that transformation becomes our focus, not crises?

“Crises occur mostly when we do not allow for transformation, when we deny our natural and evolutionary growth; when the butterfly resists breaking free from its cocoon.

“Yes, we need to re-orient ourselves, as always. To allow west to meet east, male to meet female, right to meet left, up to meet down, in to meet out. But mostly, we need to remember the opportunity aspect of crisis, not only the danger element. If TV gives a clear reflection of our cultural inclinations, then everybody’s just looking for trouble. And trouble is spelled, $-A-L-E-$, as in profit margin (marginally prophetic).

(emerging)
“Politicians are activists. Lobbyists are activists. Every salesman, every advertiser is an activist. Obviously, human rights activists are activists. This is not to suggest that activists contribute to the problem more than the solution. Activists are people; in many instances, people with heart and courage.

“People with heart and courage, when of sound mind, are able to transform themselves, to free themselves of the narrow mind and so become part of the solution. At any given moment, as people with principle, each of us can transform the rule of gold into the golden rule through the conscientious exercising of our good will (the philosopher’s stone).

“Like the interventionists of both African and American tribes, activists are often very positive. They see the good in people. They also see the bad in policy, both personal and political. Clearly, activism is not a cure. It is a way of coping. Much like charity is not a cure, but a way of coping with the ills of inequity still.

“The cure for the ills of our culture will come, only when structural changes have been made; when reparations have been made. No, excuse me, that’s not quite right, allow me to correct myself. The cure will come only when structural changes have occurred and transformed our cultural habits/addictions; when the butterfly has emerged from its too comfortable/uncomfortable cocoon of complacency/violence; when the violence of seeking and keeping more than we need is pacified through return to the ways of simple sharing.

“We cannot force a culture of peace from without politically. Politically, we can simply point the right way or the wrong way. Outer culture reflects inner culture. If our inner culture is oppressive, our outer culture will follow suit.

“We need the Barak Obamas of the world to fight the good fight (if we must fight). But what is more, we need them to remind us of Dr. King’s message of hope and moral optimism, for the necessary changes will not come of political revolution, they will not come of war. They will come of spiritual evolution. They will come of the transformation of the heart and the uplifting of the will of the people.”

My hopes for this inauguration?

My hope is that President Obama will not only point the way politically, but spiritually as well.

Excerpts from “Wandering Jew; Remodeling the Wilderness”