Yesterday I wrote about the loving-kindness being my religion and today I am feeling the difficult of living by the principles of loving-kindness when it comes to the political process. Like many I have very strong opinions about politics and get upset at much I see as needing to change. This upset state of mind is only because of my thoughts, which I keep saying are not real – my thoughts are just a collection of words I give meaning to but that is all they are. My thoughts are not where the truth lies, neither is the truth the emotions that get stirred by my thoughts. This is all just human drama created by our minds.
Should this thought created drama be ignored? Should we ignore what we know are problems because they are just the workings of our mind? What is the truth? I wish I could give you a clear answer and find my own peace of mind but frankly that is difficult to do some times. What I can see and hear are usually true but even then my thoughts color most everything. So where does the truth lie?
What is clear from my viewpoint is:
That there is human suffering because some people were severely damaged from their upbringing
That greed is playing too big a force in commerce and in dictating policy in Washington DC
That our healthcare system is about profit making not about the compassionate care of those who are sick and in need
That our political system is broken and the game in Washington DC is becoming frustrating to a most of us
That unchecked commerce is a disaster as Mr. Bush proved by the huge deficit and mess he left
That Wall Street means more to those in power in Washington DC than us on Main Street
That the Middle Class is rapidly shrinking to those that have and the millions who do not
That putting people in prison only makes them worse and doesn’t break the cycle of abuse they grew up in
That the GOP has the same plans for the economy that made a mess of it and they only care about getting back into power
That President Obama has a very difficult job and the opposition party will do everything possible to make him fail
That our planet is being impacted by us and our damages will hurt future generations
That war is insanity and our leaders seem to think it is ok to go to war and rationalize killing other human beings by their campaigns of fear
That without government the US and the world would be in total chaos
That with the abundance in the world there is no reason anyone should go without food, a home and medical care
That no one has ever explained adequately why the third tower went down on 9/11 and no significant passenger plane parts were found at the Pentagon or the field in Pennsylvania
That it is time for us all to demand that politics become honest, concerned about the people and not longer the childish ego battle it is
That the Supreme Court should not be a political body but impartial legal court that stands for the highest clarity of the law
That those who want to eliminate Social Security and Medicare are wealthy enough to never use them and heartless enough to not care about those of us who will need them
That it is time for us all to get involved in governing out nation, in standing up for what we believe in, and in asking questions until they are answered to the satisfaction of all of us
These seem obvious to me, what seems obvious to you and how can we know where the truth is. I am sure we all have more to question, more to see, more to understand but it seems to me that we need to get involved in meaningful ways or the crazy ideas of the greedy and power hungry will run us into the ground.