By Judith Gayle | Political Waves
It’s always been helpful to me to focus on the big picture. In order to fix a problem, one has to find the root cause. Journalistic questions of who and where fall back to the larger concerns of how and why, providing some rationale for the events we see around us. That’s been harder to track in the years since we lost touch with reality. Remember the fears around Y2K? It took ten years for them to fully ripen into chaos for the little guy, who had typically squirreled some cash under the mattress and filled the pantry with water and canned goods as hedge against disaster. Now, those who thrive on chaos are doing quite well for themselves, while the little guy has run out of both cash and supplies, and struggles to procure either.
As nervous as we were when 1999 rounded the corner into a new century, I’ll bet very few of us thought things would come to such a pass in 2011. Those who envisioned 2012 as a shifting of consciousness didn’t foresee questionable sanity in the nation, nor did we have a clue that the earth changes we’d expected would be denied by fully half of our United States Congress and their constituents. From a spiritual point of view, I’ve always felt as though I had a foot in both worlds; now, it feels as if I’ve also got a foot in each of America’s current realities. We’re living in the world where making the household budget meet the household needs requires a big dose of faith and a dollop of magic, while the world we keep hearing about thinks it’s time we did our share of sacrificing for the common good of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1% as Nobel prize-winning economist Joseph Stieglitz detailed in Vanity Fair.
This week No-Drama Obama threw his hat back into the ring, asking us to reelect him as progressive leader, a job that — despite remarkable accomplishments that historians will glowingly describe in years to come — some of us think he’s barely begun. The Goliath that has us pinned down at the moment needs a David with a bigger slingshot. The quandary is that few have the chops to run against him, and we’re staring down the results of knee-jerk disappointment in liberal solutions now. Tea Baggers (as Bill Maher says, I’ll quit calling them “Baggers” when they quit calling Health Care Reform “Obamacare”) were the result of that experiment, much as George W. Bush was the pay-off for attempting to install a third-party candidate in ’99.
Mark Morford aptly describes likely 2012 opposition candidates as ” … all birthers and paranoids, adulterous slugs and ditzball sociopaths, fringers and terrified Mormons, a bloody madhouse clown car of cutesy whiffleball glop.” Fun to watch and fine fodder for those who would rather the public lose itself in bread and circuses than attend to dangerous realities. I expect I don’t have to recount them for you, but they do provide a bit of stark illustration.
We have irradiated water being dumped into the ocean and so many dead whales and dolphins in the Gulf that the government has thrown a gag order on scientists. We’re contributing to a third war in Libya while the one in Afghanistan seems about ready to implode, and the one in Iraq refuses to give up the tit of US troops and funding. Our national infrastructure is not only in poor shape, it’s dangerously so, even as funds dry up for repairs that will cost billions each year far into the future. The corroded bridge that failed in Minnesota a few years ago was the canary in the coal mine, ignored, while only two of our 65 nuclear facilities are in compliance with federal fire regulations and many appear unready for future use. Synthetic biology created by Monsanto and its corporate allies is altering food source, perhaps forever, and we have a financial class whose only interest in keeping us alive is to bleed us from a thousand surcharges; this is called “business as usual.” That’s just the tip of our iceberg. Let’s hope this is the darkness before the dawn, because I refuse to believe I signed up for some home-grown version of Road Warrior.
An obstructionist minority party is holding up government funding for the final months of this year, squabbling over less than one half of one percent of the total budget in order to drive a stake through the heart of Planned Parenthood. As I write, abortion is the issue, but by the time you read this, it could all be moot if the Dems acquiesce to further budget cuts in order to save women’s health options. Both parties can then look like heroes to their base. Such is politics: a smattering of Kabuki here, a bit of real skin in the game there. Those few politicians who have a conscience must pay a heavy penalty for public service, but I don’t think there are many of them on the Hill. Once upon a time in this nation, as in the movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, corrupt politicians were expected to have the good grace to put a gun to their heads in shame when exposed. Now, they just issue a press release, lie their butts off and live to pay off hush-money another day.
Corruption is in the eye of the beholder, of course. Accusing the Dems of being ideological partisans, the Pubs continue to push us all toward the edge of their ideological cliff. Michelle Bachmann rallied her Baggers with an attack on the Blue Team this week, doing the near impossible — speaking out of both sides of her mouth at once. “It appears that they’ve decided that they’re going to take two feet and put them in the mud and not move one tiddlywink,” said the Minnesota Rep and possible 2012 candidate. “They’ve stated they want to shut down the government, and they want to blame it on you.” Whereupon the group, holding signs for shutdown, began to chant “Shut it down! Shut it down!”
Stranger than fiction? Of course. But don’t blame us, they would protest angrily. Don’t blame us when the troops go without pay or the national parks close or the White House continues to run with only Barack, Joe and the Secret Service rattling around the West Wing. The Dems brought this all upon themselves when they refused to meet the demands of the minority party.
Next we’ll be faced with raising the debt limit, which will cause a monumental clash between the Baggers and the reality of a diminishing dollar and a shaky global financial system. Then we will come to blows over Pub golden boy Paul Ryan’s budget proposal to kill government and strangle entitlements by eliminating 4 trillion dollars of funding in the next ten years. Starvation diet looming ahead. Nobel-winning economist, Paul Krugman, calls it ” … a strange combination of cruelty and insanely wishful thinking.” Deficit hawks acknowledge among themselves the truth that Ryan’s plan guarantees a tax hike on the lower- and middle-class in order to fund further proposed tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy. I suppose putting 300 million American’s to work at minimum wage WOULD fix the unemployment problem and make Ryan’s corporate masters happy. It would do little to fill the bellies of the nation, however, nor reestablish that broad-based middle-class system that brings stabilizing prosperity to all.
Some refer to this proposal as “Ryancare:” a system that would all but kill off Medicare and Medicaid, throwing the seniors on the trash heap. Talk about death panels! The same pundits conclude that the unprecedented attack on consumer protections and workers rights going on in this country is just a backwards glance at the days of the Robber Barons, but they don’t take into account the fact that there were no social guarantees during that period. The kinds of civil and worker rights we must fight to reestablish today were scarcely dreamed of at the turn of the last century. The blood and sweat of prior generations bought our ability to organize in trade unions, educate our young and protect our population. The prosperity briefly enjoyed by this nation only came when a broad middle- and working-class was able to depend on laws that established equality and fair-play.
The dismantling of those provisions has taken over thirty years of behind-the-curtain scheming. Always one to find the pony in the horseshit, I take some pleasure at the notion that early GOP strategists put forth a time-capsule with their name on it but did not live to see the day it would open to empower them. Their grand intellectuals are memories now, spoken of in hushed, respectful tones by a stunted GOP whose leadership exists only through the largess of the corporations and lobbyists they’ve come to serve. Ultimately, of course, they’re expendable, much as GOP Boss Boehner will be if he can’t get the Tea Party and the Old Timers on the same page. Those who live to serve the machine must produce or be discarded, along with the aging and disposable seniors who make up their base.
I wish I could pull my foot out of the world in which such heartlessness exists, but this split in consciousness cannot be fixed overnight, even as the planets move into alignment to prompt a confrontation. And it won’t be fixed AT ALL unless we can summon the same determination and courage previous generations brought to their responsibilities of citizenship and devotion to commonwealth. Looking for some comfort, I remind myself that we knew in November how April would look. This is the kind of political snarl we expected, so we need to find the necessary coping skills to bridge this challenge.
If you have a foot in these different worlds, you need to manage your balance carefully. In our own lives, we can be scrupulous with our thoughts and deeds, creative with solutions. In the world of politics, we need to defend our principles of equality and compassion in choosing which activist opportunities to support. In our spiritual lives, we can defuse our fears and use visualization to create opportunities to change the resonant signature of our life and times. In the silence — or music or poetry or whatever activity makes time fold for you — we will find the rest and encouragement that seems so elusive in this wobbling world.
In the big picture, a stilted old version of humanity is passing away because the universe can no longer support a culture of death. Perhaps violence cannot disappear without a last burst of violence. Perhaps it works that way with selfishness and greed too. Difficult as this period in our lives is, I can’t help but think we were made for this moment; we must trust that we were equipped for it as well. When we come at this from the heart, it’s ours to win.
Thanks for researching the Pholus link, Jude. It will be fun to explore it over time, and I’m going to start watching transits to it. The Canadian link was great and the music, too. Best to all. Kat
Having checked with Len to get it right, the centaur in question IS Pholus, i.e., small cause, big effect. You nailed it, River. Thanks to Michele for the Canadian update … and thanks, Jere, for the music. As has been said here, my gratitude for a heartfelt conversation and thoughtful commentary. Thank you all for playing.
..Gotta post some Flaming Lips ..this one’s hella fun!
Have a fine day all…
Jude, Kat and michelle, I feel honored and grateful to be part of this conversation today. I have been enriched by your insights and your processing of our reality about life on this planet in the political, social,astrological environment we find ourselves in. The thoughtfulness i have been part of today remind sme that this way of centeredness, peace and honesty just works,and I am so thankful to share that with others like yourselves.
michelle-my daughter married a Canadien and I found that link pertinent and will pass it to them. Each small part added to the others becomes greater–the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts–I always found that a fascinating mystery. Now we get to live it.
Is that small planet Pholus or Asbolus? The small start or cause with a large outcome or effect?
Love to all
Thank you, Jude. The walk was lovely, and I wish The Piglet well. Opie is maltese/poodle, we think, so we call him a “moodle.” He was a rescue dog from a puppy mill, and three years later is still a bit of a “special needs” friend. If I give him too much attention, he runs into his little house and watches until he can tolerate attention again. (Hey, wait a minute – that sounds like me!)
Walking through the forest today (I’m in the Pacific Northwest), I was thinking again about your article and Burning River’s post. I, too, am grateful to Burning River for her service and yours. Now, re-reading “Ours to Win” and your posts, as well, I am reminded of how the simple act of speaking out loud to trusted, discerning and kind friends can sometimes be all that is necessary to find balance.
I have only been engaged with Planet Waves since last November, and though I have had a long relationship with astrology, this is my first exposure to the smaller planets. What is the planet that is about small actions and large results? Is the conversation we are in right now relevant to that planet? The small action of getting into the present moment, for instance?
Your bridge to the issue of grief is also provocative, and I had not considered it in this context. Synchronisticaly, just this week, I began the process of including grief support to parents and children who have been seperated due to abuse or neglect (I work in the non-profit world.)
Regarding grief, as is often the case, there seem to be two things true at the same time – while not negating all the feelings associated with grief and the need to be with those feelings, grief is also the result of untrue beliefs, of stories of the past and stories of the future. Are you familiar with The Work of Byron Katie? (She wrote: “Loving What Is: four questions that can change your life.” http://www.thework.com) She says that any story that we are believing that is not true for ourselves causes stress, and, in fact, that if a belief is causing stress, upon inquiry, it will be found inevitibly to be untrue for ourselves. Again, this does not negate the process of grief as described by Kubler-Ross.
You also talked about the “speed” of time. I am sure it is an illusion of some sort. I have realized for myself (for moments) that time is a concept, that all there is is the infinite present, yet, the felt sense of speed, and increasing speed, is amazing. And it is linked with your remarks about death. There is birth and death in every moment, and yet, as Ernst Becker wrote in “The Denial of Death” we are always living with, and defending ourselves against, the reality that we are conscious beings who live in bodies that are going to die.
The most creative, and perhaps, the only response is to, as you eloquently said, to simplify, to stay creatively, thoughtfully present. You are also right, we are works in progress, unfolding, dying, birthing. Thank you for the conversation.
and in canada…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qItqs4HO6hc
You’re asking yourself all the right questions, KatLyons, and because you are, you’re way ahead of the game. I’ll offer you some simple suggestions that might help, but … you know … each of us is a work in progress and we find our own way. What works for me may not resonate for you.
I would suggest that you attempt to stay in the present, for starters; it’s not so frightening as projecting into an unknown future. That’s not as hard as it sounds. About mid-century, I noticed that prioritizing the bare essentials was required since time seemed to be slipping; getting shorter day by day. Now, attending the main responsibilities of the hour is about all we can manage so focusing on that simplifies things. It falls on each of us to decide what’s most important. It’s also critical to remember that this is a process we’re going through; we’re birthing something and, in the midst of it, we have no clear idea what to expect. That’s part of what Planet Waves provides us, as we make this journey together.
Perhaps some of what you’re feeling — as so many of us are — is grief. I remember reading, years ago, that we grieve the loss of a tooth, for instance, much as we’d grieve that of a limb or a relationship or the death of a loved one. It defines a change in our circumstance we are unwilling to embrace and so, we must adjust. We use grief to come to terms with that and, imho, the entire planet is in a grief curve in some fashion or other. The Kübler-Ross stages of grief are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance, and K-R said that not all need be expressed nor in any particular order. We can all find ourselves there, somewhere, or perhaps an amalgam of all of it.
In order to move through those stages and on to the next, it’s important not to stuff our feelings but allow them to express. We can’t invest ourselves in joy, for instance, if we’re holding on to the energy of terror. The two are not compatible. We magnetize circumstances to us and if we want to change our experience, we must change the magnate itself. For me, this is about allowing things to be the way they are — my “it is what it is” mantra, that neutralizes the energy — while holding an intention that my expression will change to meet my higher vision.
In reviewing the Kübler-Ross info, I found this passage:
A dying individual’s approach to death has been linked to the amount of meaning and purpose a person has found throughout his lifetime. A study of 160 people with less than three months to live showed that those who felt they understood their purpose in life or found special meaning, faced less fear and despair in the final weeks of their lives than those who had not. In this and similar studies, spirituality helped dying individuals deal with the depression stage more aggressively than those who were not spiritual.
While I don’t think we’re — literally — dying, there is a death-process going on and this gives us an affirmation about finding our authenticity, which helps define our creative purpose and adds layers of meaning to our existence. As usual, it’s the spiritual that comforts us most; because it’s the spiritual that we actually are. That’s what I call “coming Home.”
Burning River, you’re so right that each of us has our little piece and, all added together, we create an overlay of energy that can shift a situation. That’s also the reason each of us must take responsibility for what we add; we must be thought-full about how we effect one another. Thank you for your service, in NO, as well as with your commentary at PW. We are threaded together in a web of purpose, here. Thankfully.
I write the weekly essays as Judith Gayle — I’ve blogged as Jude on Political Waves for eight years. I answer to either. Enjoy your walk, KatLyons. Today I’ve found a good home for a stray pup that came to me and I’m stuck inside, awaiting the families arrival. The Piglet, as this little critter now answers to, will be missed by my household — especially Spanky, my mini-doxy who is in love with her. But I’m satisfied today that a worthy intention can take manifestation and Good is Always Glad to Happen!
Burning River, your lovely and thoughtful reponse jogged something in me, too. I remembered there really isn’t, in the absolute state of things, a group anyway. Every act, every decison is a personal, individual one, and even if I am joining others (en-masse), a group doesn’t act – only little, individual people. That being so, there is really nothng I CAN do but add my contribution – the next step in front of me, and every act is, in itself, small, is it not?
Small acts may have large consequences, though (what is the small planet that rules this?) So, finding ways to stay centered and at peace prior to action must certainly be a central value to consider – especially where matters of import at at stake. (I have used the I Ching and astrology for over 40 years for this purpose.)
Rest, joy, friends, meditation, flowers, dogs. It is a lovely spring day. I am going for a walk with my husband and our little dog, Opie, in a few minutes. AHHH.
Also – Judith – is that what you perfer to be called? I was thinking you wrote in the blogs as Jude, but may have been mistaken – if so, I apologize. Kat
Something in your post, Kat, jogged my memory back to standing in a medical shelter in Lake Charles, Louisiana, a few days after Hurricane Katrina had left and few days before Hurricane Rita would arrive at the doorstep again.
I was one of 300 nurses sent by the California Nurses Association to help with disaster relief. As a nurse, I had never been faced with a situation I felt inadequate for (that was grandiosity, I am sure there had been some, but I did not see them-and maybe that was a good thing sometimes). Anyway, as I was looking around the countryside, the shelters, hearing the stories, talking with the National Guard troops (by the way, the government was not allowing pictures of ANYTHING to be taken, not even the inside of the shelters…it was my first encounter with the police state that this country has become), for the first time in my life I saw and FELT how little I could do to “make a difference.”.
Standing at 3 A.M. in the center of hundreds of cots of very ill survivors, I began to feel the infinitesimally small contribution that I would be offering in the situation. But, in spite of this reality check, I didn’t feel like quitting, I had just become aware, I had gained a new perspective on life, actually. But still, was this REALLY all I can do? And the answer was yes, So. Just do that. Do what I was trained to do in the place I was and be peaceful.
I imagine there are a few others like myself who are seeing the enormity of the situation in front of us, and cannot even believe that anything we can do will make a difference. I have even heard that this characterizes part of the “younger” generations who are now trying to survive and live lives on this planet today. So I want to pass on what else I came to see and believe that dark morning in September of 2005. then I starte4d to really believe that IF EACH ONE OF “US” each little one of us would do our one true part (and there are so many parts—send money, pray, open your home or town to the homeless, get on a committee to plan for disaster relief in your town when it is hit by its potential “disaster”, write articles to help increase awareness of the readers (thanks, Judith), etc etc. There are so many different needs for so many different talents…) that IF each ONE would do our ONE “thing” everything, I really believe it; everything would really be taken care of.
As I look at the ones who are so anti-life today I begin to lose my vision. I want “to deal with” them. And then I realize I have to deal with “them” in me, and keep doing what I am here to do. Connect to like-minded lovers of people and our Earth Mother and do what I have trained myself to do–assist with healing on many levels. Do it with all my heart and strength, and then, stop. I do not have to, cannot, and will not do “your” work. I will trust that you will do that. And do it well. Daily I must come back to the peace of soul that Judith mentions in her overwhelmingly outstanding depiction of our moment in time today. Find the peace within, clear out my own darkness, do my part for today and stretch my hands out –to you.
Thank you all for reaching back.
Jude – Amazing, eloquent, thank you. I am beginning to feel the need – almost like a physical thirst, to hear these truths. Your words are passionate and heartbreaking, and, when I indulge in terror, terrifying. It is easy for me to feel overwhelmed and powerless in the face of the magnitude of our current conditions. At this moment, writing this post, if feel I am in a state of paralysis – almost like being caught in a web. I also feel in a weird state of shock, like I have been asleep in some way – the whole time thinking I was awake.
OK, what do know? I know the first step is usually to own my role as projector and projected. To own the problem – to see it as me – it is me. In what ways am I irrational? In what ways to I trap myself and others? In what ways do I exploit and use whatever power I have for my own benefit at the expense of others? Can I have compassion even for those my mind wants to call evil and insane (and may indeed be evil and insane) In what way am I, have I ever been, evil and insane? Sad to say, I can find examples.
This is not to say I should, or will, only look inward, but in my experience unless I do so first, I am unable to think clearly and take action that at least has some hope of being effective, healthy and healing.
I am not there yet. The best I can do right this moment is use this forum to write out my thoughts and try to think and feel my way to some form of balance, and to listen to the thoughts of feelings of like minded friends, such as those who share the gift of this forum. Thank you, Jude, and thank you, Eric, and thank you in advance for the words of those who will be responding to this brilliant post. I need you.
Here is Whitman’s challenge for consideration, as well:
Long, too long America,
Traveling roads all even and peaceful you learn’d from
joys and prosperity only,
But now, ah now, to learn from crises of anquish,
advancing, grappling with direst fate
and recoiling not,
And now to conceive and show to the world what your
children en-masse really are,
(For who except myself has yet conceiv’d what your children
en-masse really are?)