It is true that everything starts at the top and works its way down. So, what are the practical implications of this statement? When we consider any area of human living, there is always an institution at the top that implements policies and establishes parameters to help guide us in our individual lives. We give our faith and trust to the leaders of these institutions to allow this to happen. If we understand that decisions are being made for us, we also allow these leaders a part of our personal power, in a sense, to create for us the necessary conditions to lead a relatively comfortable life that includes safety and productivity. If these leaders have our best interests at heart, there should be no problem. It has become very clear that, quite often, this is not the case. Let’s take another look at one of the most powerful institutions in the world today, the government of the United States.
Because I am a citizen of the U.S., I can only speak from the perspective of democracy and what that implies. The perspective of democratically led governments is based on the idea of equality and fairness as an underlying theme of all action and living. The ideals that democracies intend to implement are relatively new within the history of humanity, so it may be helpful to understand them as still “experimental” in their development. Nevertheless, much positive progress has been made and things are moving forward. It is believed that the American government will continue to work out the kinks, if you will, and eventually be successful in creating a system based on the idea of equality as a reality and that all governments of the world will begin to create a similar system at some point in the future. This inclusive approach to human living shall be seen as the standard throughout the world, and humanity can then be viewed as one group with a unified purpose. But we’re not quite there yet, so let’s take a look at what is currently happening in the government of the U.S. with a couple of observations:
Personal Power
If we agree to let our government handle things for us, we relinquish some of the control we have over our lives. This is not necessarily a bad thing, as it is not realistic to believe we can do absolutely everything ourselves. What unfortunately happens in this power dynamic is that we create a “blind trust” that government officials will handle things properly for us and always do the right thing. However, there are still many political leaders that will take advantage of the situation and promote their own self-interest. This obviously has created the result of us not having what we need in our daily lives. Remember that all things have two sides, however. Our responsibility lies in our willingness to remain aware of what is happening in our governmental institutions. This is how we educate ourselves. This is also the only way the above power dynamic can be successful. When we blindly allow others to make decisions for us, we set up that unfortunate state of victimhood through our refusal to be actively engaged in our own system. So, let’s take that part of our personal power back by choosing to pay attention to what is happening and vote accordingly.
Transition Toward Equality
Per our many discussions, the entire world is indeed experiencing the pains of this transition toward equality. We can see this in the political system of the U.S. as it involves our political parties. The extremes of both the democratic and republican parties have been well-defined. A recognition of the need to move into a center approach to policy is in the process of being acknowledged. A center approach will be more effective in its implementation, as this is where the majority of Americans exist in terms of their beliefs and thinking. A move toward an egalitarian system must involve honesty and practicality. The democrats seem to be doing a better job representing this level of awareness. The Republican Party currently finds itself in a precarious situation with its unwillingness to participate in necessary change. We can see this clearly in their actions and words on the national stage and within the individual state legislatures. These republican officials are once again taking the opportunity to restrict access to the voting box through the disenfranchisement of certain groups of the American electorate. What they are in fact acknowledging by these unfortunate actions is that they are unable to win elections because of their own policies. If you have to lie, cheat and steal in order to be in power, failure is inevitable. A refusal to let go of the past and adopt new and better policies that are more representative of current American society has caused a split within their own party. They have almost guaranteed themselves the reality of minority status. An alternate reality not based on truth has been created and adopted by a large portion of the American public. This is very unfortunate.
Covid-19
One of the biggest crises America is still facing is the pandemic itself. The good news is that we at least have an administration in place that is taking things seriously. Combating this virus is a major undertaking and will require patience and cooperation on the part of the American public. The increase in the production and distribution of appropriate vaccines will assure our success in defeating this menace. What I am unfortunately still seeing is an unwillingness by many to simply wear a mask in public. This is especially the case for our younger people. Unfortunately, when something, especially as serious as this, doesn’t touch someone personally, an attitude of apathy is created and the lack of caring for others surely follows. The greed of certain businesses and companies is literally killing people as well. This also needs to be acknowledged. We will eventually be successful, regardless of a lack of responsible behavior, but we could get there sooner if every person sees the reality we are facing.
As I have mentioned before, creating a reality not based on truth and equality cannot be sustained in the long term. We are slowly recognizing this simple fact. Can alternate realities and lies create a lot of damage in their wake? They most certainly can. Is the damage permanent? Not necessarily. We are still in the process of deciding what we intend to create.
All my love and support, stay safe and be well