I’ve spent a lot of time in the US over the past 15 years. New York is my absolute favourite city. Full of diversity and the spirit of some of the most brilliant humans alive, as well as those who have come before them. Some my best friends, and best people I know in general (generous, kind, compassionate, loving, wise) call themselves American. The USA is a truly amazing country which has given us so much genius in so many fields.
What is most striking when you visit the US are the multitudes of extremes, as well as materialism in all its glory. In a way, it’s quite amazing that so many extremely different kinds of people with such extremely different beliefs manage to somehow live side by side. And, so too, the selection of material goods is both mesmerising and impressive.
But it also always felt a little precarious to me.
Sadly, capitalism, in spite of all that it has brought us, has attempted to fill the gap where inner peace belongs. It has also lead to extreme inequity. People seek to fill themselves up with stuff. We feel frustrated and angry because of perceived daily injustices. We’ve learned and believe that our value comes not from inside ourselves, but from external approval. We’ve learned that what we have is who we are. Status symbols equal personal value. Physical appearance does too. All too often even our families become extensions of our egos.
If we cannot manage our day-to-day personal situations with self-love and compassion, if we do not truly know that our worth and real happiness have nothing to do with external circumstance, we react and blame and clamor for control. And we’ve been conditioned to do this.
These election results are a manifestation of a spiritual crisis. Many of the people who voted Trump are desperate and fearful. They are lashing out in reaction to the injustices they have been taught by their culture they should feel. Who can blame them? People are not born racist or sexist or materialistic or violent. We learn it.
WE TEACH IT.
Eckhart Tolle calls this inherited collective human dysfunction.
This is a time for compassion. Although anger might seem natural right now, it is not helpful. It’s deeply sad that so many Americans are so dissatisfied, frustrated, miserable, and ignorant. It’s sad that they are so desperate they’ve turned to a madman to shake things up. It’s sad so many felt they didn’t have any real choices. And it’s sad that any of us feel that our ultimate happiness might lie in the hands of anyone else, even our leaders.
Let’s not forget, this is not just happening in America, but it is a reflection of the entire world. What happens within each of us individually is what happens in small groups of us, is what happens in our families, our countries, our planet.
We each individually start the ball rolling from within. And we each have the power to change things, regardless of who sits in the big chair with “power” stamped on the back. One might even go as far as to say it’s kind of irrelevant whose ass is dumped there.
The only way things usually get better is by first getting worse. Rock bottom is when the trampoline hits the ground.
Weeeeeeeeeeee! Let’s go!
Let us pray and meditate for global awakening, and never forget that what we focus on is what we draw nearer. I think we’ve all focused a bit much on whatshisface, don’t you?
Has anyone been paying attention to the moon lately? Or the sun, around which we both revolve and evolve? So tiny and insignificant we are. SO beautiful is this universe into which we will all dissolve and infinitely remain…
Thoughts?