Remember when politicians wanted more than anything to do what was right for the good of all people beyond their own personal power agendas, and Supreme Court justices were able to think fairly beyond partisan biases? Hmmm ... yeah, right, neither do I.
As much as I would like to see the abolishing of the 2010 Supreme Court Citizens United ruling that can sensibly be considered an aberration of the first amendment, the outcome of which has appalled Americans and others at the vulgarity and national embarrassment of millions and billions of dollars thrown at candidates and political campaigns with the express goal of maintaining iron-fisted rule -- I also realize that there is a sure-cure antidote to the craziness of it.
The antidote? Discernment. Your very own unadulterated, clear discernment and judge of character and wisdom to think for yourself beyond cultural conditioning and party rhetoric, and fear mongering. I call this Awakened Thinking. Awakened Thinking allows for discernment that goes beyond the automatic "programming" à la Pavlovian stimulus-response behavioral conditioning - the mechanical "un-thinking" thought pattern of believing everything you see and hear in low-level attack ads that express the basest condition of what can tenuously be called human.
Does anyone really believe the tripe that is put into these ads? Even the actual facts of incumbents' voting records must be seen in the context of the entirety of the legislation put forth in order to glean why they voted for or against a bill. In a digital age when anybody can say anything under the guise of author-ship, "facts" on the face of them are no longer to be trusted, and the election comes down to a handful of independent voters -- (AKA people who can't make up their mind even after umpteen debates) in a few gerrymandered districts - it's time we discover something genuine within ourselves to renew our enthusiasm for an effective electoral process.
Fortunately, vis-à-vis Citizens United we have evidence that throwing money at a candidate is not a foolproof path to success. Witness the reported $150 million Las Vegas casino billionaire flung at candidates to defeat President Obama's 2012 presidential re-election bid. Obviously, all that money didn't work. That's the good news for all of us. Break out the anti-dote! Discernment works.
Toda,y thinking people want authenticity. We're demanding it. The iconic image comes to mind of actor Peter Finch imploring people to stand up and yell from their window, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" in the 1976 Warner Bros movie, Network. We want leaders who actually exhibit high moral character and ethics that recognize that we are all in this world and in this country together.
And to paraphrase a rather common-sense yet profound statement of the late great design scientist Buckminster Fuller, if we're going to make it on spaceship Earth, it has to be all of us or none of us. If you want this you have to use the antidote. I say, skip the "mad as hell" approach. For best results, engage your own natural faculties of mind.
Awakened Thinking means activating the natural faculties of your very own mind.
So, how do we get to a state of mind to free ourselves of automatic conditioning that renders us sleepwalkers in the political process, under the illusion that we are awake?
Activate the antidote: discernment.
Engage your natural faculties of mind, like so.
Mind Faculty #1 Intent
When you view a candidate and his/her positions, ask yourself, what is their intent?
Is the candidate actually thoughtful or merely parroting poll-tested sound bites?
Does the candidate appear to actually be standing for something or strategically spouting the "desire du jour" of what campaign strategists think swing voters want?
Mind Faculty #2 Intuition
Use you Intuition. This is access to intelligence that is direct apprehension of knowledge that cuts through superficialities and appearances. All great geniuses, admired leaders and true humanitarians are known for engaging their Intuitive Faculty of mind.
With ballots written in "code" to manipulate the sway of votes and political talking points about as far from authenticity as you can get, it is up to you and me and every one of us, whether you vote or not, to start thinking for yourself beyond the obvious. Activate your Intuition.
Mind Faculty #3 Subtle Energy
Attune yourself to the Subtle Energy field of the candidate and of his/her campaign tactics. When a candidate thoughtlessly delivers a speech to "insiders" that later gets exposed and thrashed about on the Twittersphere, what does this say about their ability to effectively manage their campaign, let alone an entire country?
It is known in science that every body is comprised of and emanates Subtle Energy. This is something we tune into every time we enter a room of people and sense they are disgruntled or they are happy, authentic or unauthentic - before we even hear a word spoken. This is you Subtle Energy Faculty of mind in gear. Use it as you tune in to the bigger picture of a campaign.
Mind Faculty #4 Resonance
Resonance is easy to discern. You resonate with what a candidate stands for, or you don't. The Resonance Faculty of mind is paradoxical. You know something and you don't know how you know it. You just know it. A candidate emanates who they are. Use your faculty of Resonance to know it.
Whether you are a registered USA voter or not, you are likely engaging in conversations about politics and policies. Ask yourself as you speak and as you listen to others, what is the Resonance of the conversation? Does it feel "right" or not?
Mind Faculty # 5 Meditation
Meditation is not only a practice of sitting focused crossed legs and eyes closed. The Meditative Faculty is a natural aspect of mind. It enables us to experience being centered, to think clearly, focus and make wise choices because it is the state of clearing the static on the radio of your being. The signal strength is clear and you can tap into your own wisdom channel - beyond the noise of the culture, the media, the candidates. Engaging your Meditative Faculty of mind - awareness, clarity of mind, purity of being - is essential for using the antidote.
Wise discernment can only come from Awakened Thinking.
Who knows ... maybe when voters start waking up, politicians will, too.
So please do get out and vote, and be sure to bring the antidote. <>
Photo credits:
American Flag (c) 2012 Dianne Collins (the author's personal photo)
New World / Old World (c) 2009 Warren Cardinal, Lucid Crew