A moment in time I will never forget was in November 2016. I was at my parents house and the results of the US election came in. It was a very sad moment. It effected me for days afterwards.
I thought at the time that the shining light upon the hill was sure to dim with a narcissistic leader who thrives on chaos, bullying, venom and division. But what choice did the good people have? Not much at all with both sides equally corrupt in their own way. It was either between a Dalek or at least one horsemen of the apocalypse.
In any country, leaders are symptomatic of a greater energy at play. And so much has come to play out. Not just in America — populism is sweeping the world obliterating reason and creating disunity. And it essentially boils down to blaming others for problems that are collectively all of our own making.
I like to engage with the world with all the joys and the mind blowing raptures. But it’s hard at times when the world seems to be going completely potty.
Spirituality is where I find my centre. I call my philosophy a kind of emergent neutrality, essentially a Taoist sentiment, so I don’t have a rallying cry for one path or ambition for the world over another. But I do live in this dimension and feel the world’s merriments and frailties. We all do, do we not?
And surely all of us deep down want our fellow persons to be well in body and mind; to be able to express feelings and creativity in an environment that nurtures all. Isn’t that our greatest humanity, to have such things not just in words and thoughts but in our deeds?
America — please dig down deep, find your strength and keep that dimming light alive. Don’t let it go out. We need the warmth, the compassion, the heartfelt sensibility that it brings to the world.
Categories: Spirituality
James Wild 
The light has not gone out; nor will it.
I was relieved in November 2016, because I feel we narrowly avoided a steadily deteriorating path; one that is built on blame and holding others responsible for our lives. The respect afforded by treating one another as individuals and not members of a group is a good start to feeling the love we all desire. Like anything else worth having, love and peace are simply but tricky: We all want to ‘be one’, but there must not be one authority, one government or one law. Oneness is a choice made by a free individual. The sins of the past will not be made good by new labels, identity politics and more shame. Individuals can make powerful choices; groups can not.
There are two halves to America; roughly the same size; both are mostly good, and each is afraid of the other, because they fear for their freedom; neither really knows the other. President Trump is supported by one of our Americas, and most of the media by the other. We need to talk.
Unity can not be governed, nor decided upon, by nations and policies and committees, global or parochial; it can only be created afresh, moment to moment, by free people who choose in that freedom to see their fellow man or woman in a loving light.
Big global groups are just that: Big, global groups; no heart, no love, no choice. Let’s each of us be our own country, but if we must form a union, let it be one that allows us to be individuals that are free to use the power of choice that God gave us.
I think we have a good president, with a good heart. But we will need to come together, us both halves of America, and realize we have more in common than we think, and that we can lose our fear of being our individual selves; then our Union will be stronger than it ever was.
Thank you for your lovely and inspiring site.
God bless.
“populism is sweeping the world obliterating reason and unity.”
I agree, but disagree as to what that ‘populism’ is.
To me it is the move towards a hive mind, where anyone who doesn’t think or speak in the prescribed manner is attacked, ridiculed deplatformed, silenced or sacked.
The move towards radicals marshalling their forces against anyone with a diferering opinion and rather than discussing, learning or educating, simply bullying, intimidating adn using force to SILENCE difering opinions.
THAT is the real populism to be wary of.
We are here — the devout and bright. I do audio books. John Kerry’s life story shows how far we’ve come, baby! I stay on FaceBook for news of wildlife — a man who places cameras that capture bears about their business, a woman who rescues wild horses in Nevada, matches up grieving mares with orphaned foals. A few friends can post political stories and keep their serenity. I have to detach. Stuart has saved my life so many times. He predicted this! Gratitude for a lemon — remember that comment? I am working on a book about San Francisco 1972-2002. We did have love! We gloried in diversity! We worked hard and had fun. . . . Now I have lots to eat. I got embroidery supplies. I’m sewing and knitting with stash on hand. It’s time to get more mp3 uplift. . . . In “Affirmations” Stuart says not to go on all those trips with people, spending money and energy on causes that waste our life force and divert us from our true purpose. I could go screaming in the streets over George Floyd, but others are doing that. I think this country will come thru, or else the American dream will sprout in other countries, maybe Australia.