I'm reading a book called Mindful Politics, a compilation of writings (essays, speeches, and poems) from many influential spiritualists who promote the concept that politics, "is really about how we live together as human beings." It recognizes the fact that, "all spiritual practices point to one simple but profound truth -- that only love leads to peace, and hatred never does," which is "as true for nations as it is for individuals."[1]
This book redeems politics for me because it reminds us that politics is not (and should never be) about the individual or one particular group; it is always about the whole, all of us. It “is both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one’s own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family,” and therefore we should embrace the love your neighbor truth that is foundational to all of the major world religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. [2]
I l.o.v.e this concept, especially since I am generally frustrated with my perception of politics - a potentially virtuous system that often gets defaced by selfish, self-righteous capitalistic persuasions and egocentric ambitions. Inwardly if I can revolutionize this anger fed reaction into something as simple as “being mindful of the whole,” I can respond outwardly in a way that is productive and sincere, a mustard seed beginning for world modification.
Realistically, “we can’t really change who others are and what they think. We can only work with our own heart and mind. But the transformative power of that is extraordinary.”[3] This transformative power that can potentially lead to peace stems from wisdom which, according to the Dalai Lama, is “the best part of human intelligence,” and which he defines as “the ability to decide between right and wrong.” He also says, “Whether we are able to achieve world peace or not, we have no choice but to work toward that goal.” [4]
I am very excited to hear politics discussed in this way for I often fear that the negativity that spews from my mouth and from the mouths of others is detrimental to the process of healing and renewal. I guess I believe that that is true in all arenas, not just the political one. Right now I feel very enthusiastic about the practice of mindful politics and feel inspired by the words of Dr. King, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Dalai Lama. I hope that I can continue to work at it and influence others to do so as well so that together we can rid ourselves of capitalistically motivated egotism and begin to cultivate some sort of altruistic political revolution, though I’m not sure what that looks like.
This book redeems politics for me because it reminds us that politics is not (and should never be) about the individual or one particular group; it is always about the whole, all of us. It “is both morally wrong and pragmatically unwise to pursue only one’s own happiness oblivious to the feelings and aspirations of all others who surround us as members of the same human family,” and therefore we should embrace the love your neighbor truth that is foundational to all of the major world religions: Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. [2]
I l.o.v.e this concept, especially since I am generally frustrated with my perception of politics - a potentially virtuous system that often gets defaced by selfish, self-righteous capitalistic persuasions and egocentric ambitions. Inwardly if I can revolutionize this anger fed reaction into something as simple as “being mindful of the whole,” I can respond outwardly in a way that is productive and sincere, a mustard seed beginning for world modification.
Realistically, “we can’t really change who others are and what they think. We can only work with our own heart and mind. But the transformative power of that is extraordinary.”[3] This transformative power that can potentially lead to peace stems from wisdom which, according to the Dalai Lama, is “the best part of human intelligence,” and which he defines as “the ability to decide between right and wrong.” He also says, “Whether we are able to achieve world peace or not, we have no choice but to work toward that goal.” [4]
I am very excited to hear politics discussed in this way for I often fear that the negativity that spews from my mouth and from the mouths of others is detrimental to the process of healing and renewal. I guess I believe that that is true in all arenas, not just the political one. Right now I feel very enthusiastic about the practice of mindful politics and feel inspired by the words of Dr. King, Thich Nhat Hanh, and the Dalai Lama. I hope that I can continue to work at it and influence others to do so as well so that together we can rid ourselves of capitalistically motivated egotism and begin to cultivate some sort of altruistic political revolution, though I’m not sure what that looks like.
There is so much more I want to say and so many ideas that I want to share, and I will as I continue my journey through this book.
3 comments:
Major thank you to Christine for lending me this book!!! You R.O.C.K. rock the stands! Everybody clap your hands..
I'm trying really hard not to write in it, so mind the sticky notes..
That sounds like such a good book; you have to take care of it so Christine will let us keep it long enough for me to read it, too. I love the idea of redeeming politics. At present everything about the word is reviled. Politicizing an issue or event has come to mean exploiting it for your own gain, but that is never what politics should be about. Every group of any size requires some organizing principles in order to maintain and improve that group. That's politics. So by its very nature a political endeavor should safe guard and enhance the collective. Sadly that is not the case at present, but we have the power to change it. Our political environment is created by us so all that is required to create change it is the desire to do so. The desire to resist all the destructive social inertia that poisons our current perception of government.
I used to think I regressed into nihilism when politics and bureaucracy loomed too large in my head. Now, I think nihilism is a protective blanket I return to. Like I don't have to care so much because it's all shit anyway. It never lasts, I do care.
Capitalism is the dominant philosophical theme of our day and as soon as we stop struggling with that truth we can deal with it. In the course of my public policy degree, one of the best books (written by the director, go figure) opened by saying bureaucracy is how large institutions get big things done. It was earth shattering for me. Now I feel like bureaucracy is the root to which we should return. Most of the giant gov't screw-ups of the moment from Katrina to the running of the war to the Justice Dept scandal are all failures of the simple system of bureaucratic execution. Like Moses said, the ordering by 1s of 10s of 100s of 1000s. Politics and dominant philosophies will flow around us, but the bureaucratic structures need to be stable in order to keep making incremental progress. And even in my nihilistic haze, incremental progress is the light at the end of the tunnel for humanity.
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