Come election time, politicians like to play the Fear card, whether it is fear of an “enemy” or bogeyman like Terrorist or Criminal (used to be the Communist) or at present, the faltering Economy. Ask yourself, both on an individual basis and as a society, if you can think of a time when you had enough – security, money or happiness. I’ve met very few people who ever answered in the affirmative, which means there’s never an ideal time to do the “right thing”, especially if it entails effort or sacrifice. As a meditation teacher, I have long encountered the same dynamic – lots of people very interested in meditating and convinced of its benefits, but never quite getting around to it.

The fact is that fear and dissatisfaction arise within each person. You can test out the accuracy of this by statement simply by looking into yourself. It follows that freedom from fear is a process that must also originate from within yourself – there are (essentially spiritual) ways for this to come about. A politician certainly cannot do it for you; even a priest, therapist or guru cannot do it for you, although they may provide valuable guidance.

The real question – not only at election time but always – is what is the purpose of life? What kind of world do we want to live in. At present, most of us make our choices through our political-economic system. Since the decline of Communism, the choice/ battle has been between different brands or degrees of Free Market Capitalism.

The Free Market purists/ extremists believe in a completely unfettered market. They implement policies which have become familiar over the last 30 years - tax cuts, social spending cuts, free trade, privatized services and deregulation. They tend to think that the only legitimate function of government is defence and law and order, hence that is where they spend their budget money. Critics of this system have argued that it is rigid, unstable, creates social hardships and accelerates the gap between rich and poor, which has certainly happened when it has been applied over a period of time. In 1973, the pay of corporate executives was 27 times that of the average worker; today it is nearly 400 times as high. The horrendous Depression of the 30s followed a free-for-all market economy and the current instability and recession (so far) is the result of the last 30 years of deregulation, begun by Thatcher and Reagan, and greatly accelerated by Bush, even as he took America into a misguided and expensive war, quickly dissipating the budget surplus Clinton left him.

The alternative to a totally free market is capitalism with controls wherein the government tries to mitigate hardship and move the country in specific direction e.g sustainable energy and care of the environment. The Right wing likes to characterize this as “free spending liberals” who will waste your money. In fact Bush and Harper have spent freely; there is a cost to fix the damage to the environment (much of it done by big business), but at the moment no one wants to pick up the tab so the problem worsens (and individuals pay for it through their personal health as well as out of their pockets since health care is increasingly privatized). There is also a social and economic cost to “no-cost” Free market policies and the present financial crisis is one of them, as are the increasing number of homeless and those unable to afford proper medical care.

Even if we prefer capitalism with a heart and a head, we the individual voters and spenders, have to step up to the plate. We have to show determination, discipline, good judgement and compassion if we are to create a truly different society. It was only last year that Al Gore was winning widespread acclaim for “An Inconvenient Truth”… so where is all that energy and enthusiasm now? Why are we not pressing our leaders on these issues or backing them if they are moving in the right direction?

Andy James

PS

The USA is spending over US$ 550 billion a year on its military, which is over 50% of its total budget and the highest in the world in absolute numbers and in percentage. Under Clinton, American military spending briefly dipped below 50% of total budget, but under Bush it has increased considerably. By comparison, the current “bogeymen”, China and Russia, spend $59 billion and $94 billion on military respectively. Canadians spend $18 billion annually.

The amount America has spent (and will spend) on the disastrous Iraqi military adventure is more than it would have taken to fulfill its Kyoto obligations, which Bush had protested would seriously affect the US economy. Guess what?... The economy is seriously affected (through Free Market capitalist greed and corruption), there are more Terrorists than before intervention and the environment and global warming situation worsens through neglect and all the extra pollutants that have been injected into the atmosphere through the Iraqi war – burning oil wells, explosions etc.

Last night, as I watched George W. Bush ask the American people to urgently hand him $700 billion to respond to the present financial “crisis”, two things came to mind. The first was his 9/11 speech. The tone and words were very similar - grave crisis…..danger…unusual circumstances…urgent response required. The trusty old fear card was being played yet again. Shortly thereafter, something else came to mind – Naomi Klein’s “The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism”. By coincidence or synchronicity, I had been lent the book and had begun reading it just 2 days ago.

Klein quotes Milton Friedman, guru of the Free Market ideology, which has dominated Western politics and economics since embraced by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan in the 80s: “Only a crisis – actual or perceived – produces real change. When that crisis occurs, the actions that are taken depend on the ideas that are lying around. That I believe, is our basic function: to develop alternatives to existing policies, to keep them alive and available until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable”. The strategy is that when people are shocked, dazed and confused, that is the best time to implement sweeping free-market policies, which would be difficult to un-do later. Klein gives many examples including 9/11 and Iraq (where the words ‘shock and awe’ were actually used), Katrina (where the rebuilding of the school system was turned over to private ‘charter schools’), and Thatcher’s Falkland War which she used to crush the unions. Friedman’s first opportunity to test his ideas was in the mid-70s, when he acted as adviser to Chilean dictator, General Augusto Pinochet. Hyper-inflation and Pinochet’s violent coup provided the shock, which was followed by a now familiar formula – tax cuts, free trade, privatized services, deregulation and cuts in social spending. To pacify his protesting subjects, Pinochet also used torture, with the most popular tool being actual electric shocks (sounds familiar? Abu Graib? “Rendering” to foreign countries?).

Friedman also advises a new administration to implement their free-trade ideas quickly to take advantage of their honeymoon period, “A new administration has some six to nine months in which to achieve major changes; if it does not seize the opportunity to act decisively during that period, it will not have another such opportunity”. George W certainly did this, even before 9/11 - withdrawing from international treaties like Kyoto, nuclear disarmament, and the World Court. He also appointed laissez-fair heads (often former corporate lobbyists) to regulatory departments like the environment etc. In Canada, Stephen Harper has imitated Bush’s play book in many ways – he has pulled the country to the right (way beyond the opinion polls) by implementing sweeping changes, even though he does not have the moral mandate since he is the leader of a minority government… at least it is a minority thus far… he has just called a Canadian election to coincide with the American one, obviously hoping the ride any conservative wave.

As far back as the 80s, I sensed that something had radically changed with the Reagan-Thatcher era, and began to write about it. What I would not have guessed at that time, was that the drive to implement free-trade ideology was so deliberately (and ruthlessly) planned and executed, together with the placement of individuals in key positions throughout society (I have written in the past about the conservative control of the media)…almost like a military campaign!

Getting back to the present “financial crisis”, it is astonishingly brazen that those (Bush, Wall Street etc) who have long argued that the market should be free to correct itself, even if it means job losses and lay offs for the ordinary worker, should now be arguing that it is urgent and essential that the government step in and help corporations, including those which have helped create the crisis. It always the same free market solution – give more money to the rich. Note that there will be little control over Bush and his buddies once he has the money (remember Iraq?) and note how Bush is attempting to use scare tactics to rush the legislation through before adequate discussion and review. How many times do we have to fall victim to these same scare and fear tactics before we wake up and call for real change?

My blog “Making the Shift” has struck a chord with many readers and perhaps deserves some elaboration.

In that blog, I wrote, “The spiritual transformation necessary is not merely a retreat into religious belief and dogma (a widespread reaction which as actually increasing conflict), but is rather an enlightenment process. As our innate Light grows, it illuminates the dark, showing the world as it is rather than as we hoped, feared or taught to believe. That same Light is present in each of us (though not necessarily recognized) and is the source of wisdom, love and oneness.”

At present and many times in the past, people expected their leaders, especially spiritual and religious, to show them the way forward. In our times, we need a way towards greater compassion and cooperation since we face global problems which require global response. Individual, national and sectarian response is great, but likely not enough within the necessary time frame. Unfortunately, many of our most vocal and influential religious leaders and movements (often Christian and Muslim) have become the source of division and conflict, insisting on exclusive access to and interpretation of “god”, “truth” and “right” and willing to go to war with “the enemy”. Osama bin Laden and George W. Bush use almost the same logic and terminology, except who is the “enemy/ devil” is predictably switched around in their respective minds.

By way of simplistic illustration, we can use the popular saying and analogy, “All spiritual paths lead to the same top of the mountain”. I absolutely agree. However, if our religious leaders do not describe a path to the very top of the mountain or insist that where we generally are now (considerably below the summit) is the actual summit or that there are no maps further up, then we will be locked into conflict as we are now, with everyone insisting that their way (scattered around the base of the mountain) is the best place to be.

It may come as a surprise to many, but the mystic teachings of the majority Western, Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) are very similar to the (much older) Eastern wisdom traditions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Daoism and more. These traditions have been variously described as “Ageless Wisdom”, “Perennial Wisdom” or simply as “The Wisdom Traditions”. They teach that God/ The Divine/ The Self / The Absolute is not only some superhuman, universal entity that exists outside of yourself, but also exists within you and that it is possible for the consciousness of this Divinity to be awakened within you, leading to a shift in consciousness… of who you really are and your relationship to the “World” or Universe.

The vast majority of the global population is drawn to the Devotional/ Heart path, which is the basis of all the Western, Abrahamic religions and of Hindu Bhakti yoga. In the beginning of this path, God is outside of you and you use your devotional/ love feelings to move towards God, perhaps letting go of your personal/ egotistical priorities. Eventually (or not), you realize that “God” is actually inside you as well.

The other major spiritual alternative to the Heart/ Devotional Path is the Head/ Wisdom path, although this path, possibly more direct, is less travelled than the Heart path. In this path, the aspirant/ traveler pays attention to each step and each moment, discarding all that is false or illusionary….often becoming an “outcast” or “deviant”. Like a light wrapped in many layers, as each layer is discarded, the light grows brighter until it actually is in its total brilliance.. The opportunity to discard the False is Now! It is Simple but not necessarily Easy.

As a global society, we cannot move to Cooperation and Compassion if we keep buying into the politics of hate, fear and division every election cycle.  Unfortunately, as it stands today (Sep16, 2008), the right wing in the USA and Canada (the traditional hate-and-fear / Us vs Them parties) are doing very well in the polls for the upcoming elections.  McCain, in spite of his age, his bumbling and his links to Bush’s disastrous military and economic policies, is neck-and-neck with the historically unique Obama.  He is so desperate to be president, he is using Bush’s dirty tricks machine (led by Karl Rove) – the same people who destroyed him when he ran against Bush for the presidential nomination.  In Canada, Stephen Harper, has also (lap dog like) adopted Bush’s alienating global policies as well as his bullying tactics and controlled “talking points”. Harper has aggressively pulled Canada to the Right, even though he has only a minority of votes.  Apparently, many Canadians see his bullying and manipulation as “leadership” and “strength” as Harper is ahead of the Liberals by a whopping 16%, approaching majority government status. I have no doubt McCain and Harper have strong views but are they the right views?  Where is policy and discussion in all of this? What are the implications of more extreme right wing policies in North America for the next 4 years?

            Recently in Toronto, Gary Sachs, economist, UN special adviser and celebrity author (endorsed by Bono, Angelina Jolie, Matt Damon etc) of The End of Poverty, expressed similar concerns: “The Bush and Harper administrations have let down the rest of the world in thinking through a longer-term strategy for helping the poor…Canada and the United States have gone on a military approach to the world’s problems… If you bomb villages from the air, rather than helping them grow food and build roads on the ground, you don’t win these battles….These issues of poverty, climate change, global instability.. are issues of our planet, and they are issues that should be in front of us in our election campaigns, but they are not… I am worried about our capacity to kill each other faster than we can understand each other”.

Sachs’ analysis is very insightful and he correctly points out that the real issues are not being discussed.  I have written at length on these subjects in “Ageless Wisdom Spirituality” and in various articles (see The Articles section of my website, especially my review of Homer Dixon’s The Upside of Down), but here is a brief summary of possible reasons why the political process is stuck:

1. Our consumer society and political process are geared towards the short term.  Working for longer term solutions (environment, energy, poverty etc) may mean saving rather not spending now, which has become compulsive for many.
2. We don’t like change and the changes which are necessary to meet our global challenges are so fundamental that most politicians are afraid to be honest because they will lose votes to someone else promising a quick (illusionary) fix.
3. Society is now so complex that most voters (and probably most politicians) don’t really understand what’s going on.  What we do know about the present Free Market however, is that through all the ups and downs, the gap between the rich and poor is increasing and fewer people are controlling more resources!  We also know it depends on ever greater consumption (in an era of scarce resources) and because it is now a global system, is becoming more volatile – the failure of any substantial link in the chain, can bring down the whole system.
4. The Free Market only counts monetary costs.  Other costs like the effects of pollution, global warming etc on infrastructure and health are borne by individuals like you and me – either directly through our own pocket or indirectly through taxes.  So when the governments says it can give you a few dollars back in tax cuts because it is trimming services, think about how much extra those services will cost in the long term.
5. The Free Market encourages individual action, not cooperation for the good of society at large.  Unfortunately, many of the problems that face us, for example water or energy shortages, cannot be tackled individually.
6. Lastly, in fighting an “enemy”, whether internal or external, the most aggressive action isn’t always the most suitable and can actually make a situation worse.  A prime example: Immediately after 9/11, the whole world including the Muslim countries supported the US and there was a real opportunity to move towards global cooperation on many fronts, not only terrorism.  Instead Bush childishly wanted revenge and to “bring it on”.  There were no terrorists in Iraq before the invasion (because Saddam was a dictator, like Bush’s ally, The Saudis) and now there are thousands with the opportunity to kill Americans in their own backyards.  Canada is facing a similar situation in Afghanistan.   In the meanwhile, Bush doesn’t care that millions are illegally crossing the US’s southern border. Are we all safer now?  Will be ever be?

Over my first four blogs, we have touched on the relative lack of leadership and vision in this time of global crisis, widespread media distortion and manipulation by the power elite, the effect of the Free Market and monopolistic corporations, the impact of Technology, and the fact that all these dynamics and more combine to make us feel powerless, overwhelmed, confused and stressed, sometimes to the extent of physical and mental illness. Shockingly, nearly half the world’s population ( 3 billion people) have much more obvious and basic problems – the lack of power, accessible drinking water, the basic necessities of life including food and often on top of that, physical danger.

What can we do? There is a growing chorus of eminent spiritual and community leaders (notably the Dalai Lama), scientists, environmentalists etc urgently calling for more compassion and cooperation in order to meet our various global challenges and build a more equitable and sustainable society. Although this sounds fluffily idealistic, it is a fact that now, perhaps for the first time in history, we do have the technology and resources to do it, but what we lack is the Collective Will. Polls show that North Americans say they care about the planet, but they don’t want to make any real changes, especially if they cost money. As we have seen, the established powers do their best to confuse issues and keep consumers and voters preoccupied so that they can continue to increase their own profits and control.

I strongly feel that Humanity is in crisis. “Humanity”, however, is each and every one of us. The external crisis is not something apart from us. Our attitudes, words and actions contribute to society even as society impacts us. Indeed, if we have the courage to look, we will probably see that “external” social crises and dynamics are paralleled within ourselves. Is the supreme purpose of Humanity (and our individual lives) to buy and consume ever more goods and services at whatever the cost to ourselves, others and the planet? Will more possessions ever lead to happiness and fulfillment?

There will be no real change unless individuals at all levels of society undertake to transform or shift their consciousness… seeing themselves and their relationship to the world in a radically different way. At the same time, it is important to collect together and channel this new arising consciousness into practical and effective social action. I have spent the last 24 years on the first part, as a teacher of mind-body spirituality. Within the last 10 years, I have been increasingly drawn to help bring the spiritual insights and experience of individuals into the public arena. In addition to my personal initiatives, I have been working with fellow members of The Forge (www.TheForge.org), a trans-traditional spiritual organization, and especially on The Forge’s Call to Global Spiritual Citizenship project (www.globalspiritualcitizenship.com)

The spiritual transformation necessary is not merely a retreat into religious belief and dogma (a widespread reaction which is actually increasing conflict), but is rather an enlightenment process. As our innate Light grows, it illuminates the dark, showing the world as it is rather than as we hoped, feared or taught to believe. That same Light is present in each of us (though not necessarily recognized) and is the source of wisdom, love and oneness. It is not something our Ego can grasp or control.

Different traditions have different ways of trying to uncover this Light, which is far different from book or intellectual knowledge. Perhaps the simplest and most direct way is to pay attention (without any expectation or belief) to what is actually happening Now - coming to awareness of “what is” and who we really are, beyond names, labels and forms. As I have pointed out in my books, this way is simple, but not simplistic or easy, since it requires us to let go of our attachments. The Buddha identified “holding on” or “grasping” as the source of all our suffering. I am encouraged by the popularity of Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now”, which describes this spiritual approach.