Sometimes they are difficult to tell one from the other. But
these days, so polarized are they that it isn’t quite so difficult. Nonetheless
to define or characterize them is not easy. There are high-minded, noble
partisans and there are the others, as diverse as human nature can be. If I
left it at that, I wouldn’t have an article to write, however, And for those
who stick with me on this, I assure you there’s point somewhere to be made.
Republicans tend to describe themselves as conservatives:
fiscal conservatives, traditional values, mainline religion, God and country
first, and finally, “hands off my stuff!” (my business, my
family, etc.) Democrats tend to be associated with plurality, diversity, acceptance
of alternative lifestyles, compassionate and desirous to help those in need.
Well, I know that just as in the rest of politics we could split hairs and argue
about these distinctions but I ask, if I must, for your forbearance for the
sake brevity and simplicity, lest whatever point I might have, be buried in the
“ifs, ands, and buts.”
Conservative, status quo and tradition has been on the run
since the very dawn of modernism. Perhaps it began with the Italian Renaissance
when men of genius and curiosity stepped out the darkness of medieval
consciousness and began boldly to explore the natural world of the human body, biology,
astronomy, non-religious philosophy, chemistry and much more. Hot on its heels
came the great Protestant revolution (beginning with Martin Luther) and
simultaneously the age of world exploration and conquest. The medieval era of
unchanging tradition and rigid social and religious castes and customs began to
crumble. Advances in knowledge, technology, arts, sciences, medicine and, of
course, war, gave birth to the hope for freedom with the appearance of the initially
weak but dynamic 13 colonies, now the United States of America.
Change and innovation by men and women of genius, courage,
and commitment have been upsetting conservative bastions of “this is how it’s
always been” in every generation since!
Still, orthodoxy and conservatism have always managed to
regain the reins of power even if new ideas and new forms of populist activism
temporarily wrested those reins away. Indeed, in the halls of power, this is
the reason most of typically see little difference between the blues and the
reds. Once in power, it’s “the same old, same old” song.
The reason the blues and the reds alternate in dominance
every so many years is that each has a piece of the trending puzzle of
consciousness and change. By definition, neither will ever in the course of
history win permanently and forever. From the point of view of consciousness
and metaphysical truths, Democrats represent the growing awareness, initiative
and energy of the common man, flinging off the shackles of caste and of the
past. We are living in the early stages of a long cycle (thousands of years)
during which human consciousness (slowly at first, and then with increasing
intensity) grows in the awareness of individuality, personal initiative, and an
internal yardstick of right action, increasingly independent from external or
traditional laws, customs, or forms.
Republicans represent the stability inherent in the calm
acceptance of the law (law of karma and right action). “The more things change,
the more they stay the same.” With experience and wisdom, a person who early in
life was a maverick finds that he becomes, later in life, a conservative. This
is for the simple reason that some people realize that basic truths of behavior
don’t really change. One might find, later in life, that the most valuable
things in life aren’t money or pleasure, but health and friendship—just to
describe one common realization.
A person who starts adult life as a stickler for the rules
and apt to pounce on those who don’t uphold the “ol-time religion” (whether
ethics, politics, caste, or religion) may, later in life, after some struggles
and disillusionment, relax and become more accepting of others’ realities and their
need to find their own way in life.
Our government today is in a great crises. What is to come will
affect not only the fortunes of this nation but of many nations, some of whom
share our predicament, and others who will be affected by it. We are bankrupt. The
momentum of habit, the existence of ignorance, and the paralysis of fear of
change, both in this country and abroad, have kept the masses from hearing the
little boy whimpering, “The emperor (dollar) has no clothes!”
The debt crises has galvanized some Republicans over
Obamacare for, among other reasons, the fear that it will create an exponential
increase in mandated federal entitlements at a time in history, regardless of Obamacare’s
long overdue status and intrinsic merits, when it could be the proverbial “straw”
which when added to our deficits and consequent debt will topple the dollar
into the dustbin and trigger a financial and commercial collapse never before
seen in the history of the world.
With so many economies of developed countries in equivalent
or worse shape, only blind, habitual, and fear-anchored “faith” in the dollar
holds the world’s fragile “fiat” fictionalized trading and lending activities in
an evanescent and virtual chimera.
Add to this a wide range of concerns about global warming,
declining energy and other natural resources, erosion of water, air and soil quality,
exponential increases in population, and the potential for pandemics or mega-cataclysms,
one can see why artists in the entertainment and creative arts have produced,
for decades now, an unending parade of futuristic movies and books depicting a
depleted, ugly and sterile earth, devoid of all but a handful of humans living
like beasts! Warning or reality?
Yet millions hope for a better world. Millions associate
themselves with trends, ideas, organizations and a culture of stewardship for
the earth and responsibility to be channels for the descent of an expanded
consciousness from above.
If the Republicans “win” it won’t be against Obamacare but “for”
the need to rein in government spending. This goal is now impossible, however. Voters
don’t have a clue, any more than their on-paper representatives. No one has the
moral authority or political power to stop the train wreck that is coming. The
only politically feasible option is to let the government careen out of control
and bottom out. Only then will the voters stop arguing about entitlements; the
military industrial–industrial complex be temporarily paralyzed; and the pork
barrel farm and industry subsidies will shrivel up like crops in a draught.
Just imagine, however, the consequences.
The power of big government will be permanently shaken,
though in time it will attempt to bestir itself to its former glory. But like
the zig-zagging chart of the Dow-Jones Industrials, which though it regains
some of its value, the overall trend is southward, or the mad beast who keeps
getting back up and shot again but finally succumbs, the long term trend of destiny
shines on the individual and on smaller groupings of people. Though I suspect a
dark period of “Big Brother” is yet to come, no matter how bleak the winter of
our discontent, the Spring of individual initiative is the real hope for a
better world.
Blue and Red will always have parts to play in the drama of
human affairs. We mustn’t fuss so overly much over their their ever-changing
ascendancies and seeming demise. Nor yet will the world end anytime soon.
Have faith not in the dollar of matter but in the gold of
Divine Love, Divine Will, and the Divine Presence which, as Jesus and the great
ones of east and west have always proclaimed is the “good news” and is the “truth
that shall make us free.” Meditation offers the most effective way that anyone,
anywhere, and anytime can use to find these pearls “of great price.” Move away from the city if you can. Grow your own food, but in all circumstances, associate with people of like-mind, and you will have a wealth more
precious than a king’s ransom.
Joy to you,
Swami Hrimananda!
