Hi, all. I've been whiling away my time being Madisonian, thinking of transformative government when President Obama moves in to the White House. Just some thoughts.
First, The Brief; then, the tome, full of examples and provisos.
Towards a Transformative Presidency (Brief)
[Examples and Provisos form the bulk of TTP(9) below in Greater Blog]
Preamble: These Principles are based on a firm conviction that we live in a Universe pervaded with balance, even if we cannot measure it; with tension, even if we cannot touch it; with paradox, even if we cannot know it. At its center is mystery, way beyond our understanding, but, in and out, that mystery is somehow grateful love: All things come from and are driven by this energy, defined by a unity above division.
As well, these Principles contain two fallacies as old as man’s time on this Earth: 1) the use of words, a fallible necessity, when dealing with almost-absolutes; and 2) the expression of the macrocosm through the microcosmic eyes of man, indeed, only one man, with all he knows and intuits, just whispers in the storms and calms of time.
MISSION: Over-riding everything else, the mission of a Transformative Presidency is to empower the American electorate, by the Oval Office's example, to empower itself as a truly democratic citizenry, working in harmony and tension for the mutual benefit of all.
UBER-PRINCIPLE: WE WORK TOWARDS ANY MOVEMENT OR DIRECTIONAL SHIFT THAT, THROUGH ATTITUDINAL HEALING, LEADS THE INDIVIDUAL OR COLLECTIVE TO AFFIRMATION AND GRATITUDE FOR OUR ONENESS AND MUTUALITY, AT EVERY LEVEL OF OUR EXISTENCE, EXCEPT, OF COURSE, WHEN WE CAN'T.
Principle 1: There is order in all things, except when there is not. Seek it in the midst of chaos. Chaos tenses order: they are immutably connected in the human condition. What we can do is observe this tension: from its nexus, new order evolves; we are capable of seeing it come, even in the Oval Office, then channeling it towards the mutual benefit of all, except, of course, when we can't.
Principle 2: There is balance in all things, except when there is not. Seek it in the midst of Imbalance. Imbalance tenses balance. Both are necessary in the human condition. What we can do is grow with the tension to our own greater personal and national maturity, Mr. President, for the mutual benefit of all.
Principle 3: Order attracts and repels chaos; balance attracts and repels imbalance: the tension between these balanced opposites energizes all things as a dynamo. Seek the tension, hold it in both hands, feel the synergy and listen to its hum. Be grateful: It will speak of affirmation, for the mutual benefit of all.
Principle 4: Gratitude is the energy which binds the Universe together and empowers it appropriately, for the mutual benefit of all.
Principle 5: The multiplicity of the Universe is in the smallest things, right in front of us, as well as in the largest, biggest ideas. Pay Attention to the small things, even in the Oval Office, sir, and the Big Things will clarify, for the mutual benefit of all.
Principle 6: There is a space between things and between each other. It’s very full, even though we think there’s nothing there. Such a strange thing to put in words, but, really, half the Universe is there! Everything is about context, about what sits next to it. In this space we’re connected and One with all, as in our hearts: being with the spaces in between, sitting there, works towards the mutual benefit of all.
Principle 7: Time’s an illusion, except when it is not. A state of All Time, very real, though considered illusory, exists within us in the Now, the present moment, where there‘s no timeline: everything happens at once, a major paradox. Touch the Now as often as possible, especially in the Oval Office, in order to be timely, fitting and appropriate, for the mutual benefit of all.
What to Do?
Uber-Principle in Action: Transformation is a process that moves towards "turning things around" to a more fitting and appropriate way or direction (down to up; hate to love; fear to fortitude, etc.) that leads to attitudinal healing and gratitude, for the mutual benefit of all. Work in measured steps to turn things toward affirming and empowering the world's people in their Oneness.
Principles in Action 1: Unity pervades the Universe beyond division: work towards and empower others to work towards unity of spirit and connection for a mutually beneficial world.
Principles in Action 2: A problem is its solution: sometimes, the best fix is no fix at all; build linkage, instead, with other perceived problems, and help them to synergize with appropriate administration and service. When things fall apart, other things grow together from it. Look to see what’s growing from the center of dissolution and nurture it to new solutions, for the mutual benefit of all.
Principles in Action 3: As much as possible, rise to thinking from a both/and perspective, rather than strictly from either/or, as both/and thinking fits the Now. Almost everything is both a blessing and a curse; as well, usually, both sides are true: sometimes it’s necessary to rise up the middle, for the mutual benefit of all.
Principles in Action 4: Strengthening balanced linkage between the top and the bottom of just about anything right now strengthens the ends and, thereby, electrifies the middle. Forge the links, sir, and we'll all have much to be grateful for.
Principles in Action 5: The Principle of Balance/Imbalance often looks like Justice in action, as the Universe acts as a mirror to us, individually and collectively: What we throw out to it comes back to us.
Principles in Action 6: All of the above are lies at some level; be transparent, practice discernment, live in balance with this globe of nations, and trust your Presidential intuition, for the mutual benefit of all.
Principles in Action 7: Above even the above is a further state of intention, beyond lie: all things seek to rise to the next level, to transcend the known, even when they're headed down by circumstance or lack of curiosity.
NOW, the Tome:
Towards a Transformative Presidency 9
Preamble: These Principles are based on a firm conviction that we live in a Universe pervaded with balance, even if we cannot measure it; with tension, even if we cannot touch it; with paradox, even if we cannot know it. At its center is mystery, way beyond our understanding, but, in and out, that mystery is somehow unitive and grateful love: All things come from and are driven by this energy, which, while we may see it as dual, is more appropriately a unity beyond division.
As well, these Principles contain two fallacies as old as man’s time on this Earth: 1) the use of words, a fallible necessity, when dealing with almost-absolutes; and 2) the expression of the macrocosm through the microcosmic eyes of man, indeed, only one man, with all he knows and intuits, just whispers in the storms and calms of time.
MISSION: Over-riding everything else, the mission of a Transformative Presidency is to empower the American electorate, by the Oval Office's example, to empower itself as a truly democratic citizenry, working in harmony and tension for the mutual benefit of all.
Uber-Principle: WE WORK TOWARDS ANY MOVEMENT OR DIRECTIONAL SHIFT THAT, THROUGH ATTITUDINAL HEALING, LEADS THE INDIVIDUAL OR COLLECTIVE TO AFFIRMATION AND GRATITUDE FOR OUR ONENESS AND MUTUALITY, AT EVERY LEVEL OF OUR EXISTENCE, EXCEPT, OF COURSE, WHEN WE CAN'T.
Principle 1: There is order in all things, except when there is not. Seek it in the midst of chaos. Chaos tenses order: they are immutably connected in the human condition. What we can do is observe this tension: from its nexus, new order evolves; we are capable of seeing it come, even in the Oval Office, then channeling it towards the mutual benefit of all.
Example: We have gone through a decade of dreadful cataclysm; there might be more to come. There has always been cataclysm, but last decade’s seemed “more global” in immediacy, instant to all. There’s been a lot of near-chaotic shaking. If seen fearfully, these constant episodes of panic could lead one to suppose the end of what we know. From a longer point of view, they’re the airing-shakes of the coverlet on our guest bed, to welcome someone new to the house: the intense impulse of hope this campaign sends to the world, electrifying Earth in anticipation, appears to be blooming a new transformative order amidst the trembling chaos; when hope blooms worldwide, especially in the immediacy of the Internet, fitting and appropriate things tend to happen, to evolve, while happening more quickly. Therefore, fan the hope for order, act accordingly, and Decade Two of the New Millenium might be a more graceful decade of growing American maturity in the world.
Proviso: What we see as order is often disorder to others. The wisest man today does not impose his sense of order upon others, unless they ask for it. But, in that, clearly, I’m not very wise. I am, instead, for this election process, American, totally a gringo, until the victory. I hope I'm not imposing; my only authority is my authenticity.
Principle 2: There is balance in all things, except when there is not. Seek it in the midst of Imbalance. Imbalance tenses balance. Both are necessary in the human condition. What we can do is grow with the tension to our own greater personal and national maturity, Mr. President, for the mutual benefit of all.
Example: The American economic system is grossly imbalanced, since everything flows to the top, while little attempt is made, except through government, to nurture the bottom. Practically everyone but me is a debt-slave! The top runs everything, creating imbalance in the system, not only in the flow of wealth but also in the numbers. Clearly, the balance can be driven down toward midpoint by opening federally-subsidized microenterprise banks in every hamlet and town, to put cash for growth into the hands of the impoverished and hold them accountable for repayment with Grameen Bank practices. You could do more, here. Loving the bottom is key to balance.
Their expenditures would massage the middle. The important thing is the balancing of the few at top with the many at the bottom in opportunities (not just accessible cash). Then, synergy occurs, and new, mutually beneficial order.
Proviso: Good Lord! Who really knows what balance is? We try, but fail, then try again, always towards a greater balance. My balance, today, comes from writing letters to the top from the bottom. Quite arcanely weird, but, balance, nonetheless.
Principle 3: Order attracts and repels chaos; balance attracts and repels imbalance: the tension between these balanced opposites energizes all things as a dynamo. Seek the tension, hold it in both hands, feel the synergy and listen to its hum. Be grateful: It will speak of affirmation, for the mutual benefit of all.
Example: The Obama/McCain race is a perfect example of a polarized tension of the opposites. It is currently an extraordinary dynamo of energy, worldwide, synergistically, but, how to use it for global mutuality? Colin Powell said it all: be “a leader of those who want to be free,” especially from fear, narrow thinking and demagoguery. Most in the world, except, perhaps, some neo-con Americans, know, firsthand, what that looks like. Continue to show us how the opposite of that, tolerance and authenticity, acts. Be tolerant of John McCain and his Party, unfortunately-deluded-and-dangerous as they’ve become. Ignore them.
Warn us, perhaps, that Arch-Conservatives behind this blatant racism must not achieve a victory for intolerance in November, not in a country of grassroots patriots whose ancestors came here to escape demagoguery, control, and ethnic oppression. What kind of idiot do those neo-cons think the electorate is? They’ve hung themselves.
If we as Americans can triumph over our own demagogues, if we can say, to the robo-phones, “Ha! Not in My America!” by electing President Barack Obama here, we will show the world Americans have come of age as thinking people and are walking our talk. The world needs a triumph for tolerance and multiculturalism. You’ve become, like it or not, a walking-demonstration-of-the-fruits-of-toleration-joined-with-personal-excellence. That could change things globally, in a very grateful way. Much could be built in the heady days after a world victory for loving kindness and respect for all. Much. Mucho.
Proviso: The universe is full of both risk and certainty. Making absolute statements is ludicrously risky. One must also exercise Principle 7, as everything changeable can change, overnight. Timeliness is all. In the moment, though, now, go for risking to be completely authentic in the modern world: that act speaks to championing the balance, the order, the Now you represent. There’s always time to dance, even elegantly, later, at the Inauguration. You know, sir, you’ll need to dance with change, like Fred Astaire, exceedingly well, defying gravity while keeping your feet on the ground of our common humanity, after your election. We can do this.
Principle 4: Gratitude is the energy which binds the Universe together and empowers it appropriately, for the mutual benefit of all.
Example: I’m sure you realize how grateful I am to finally have a Presidential candidate I do believe in! There’s been a dearth. Now, I’m enlivened in my American patriotism as almost never before, not since the Bicentennial. I am so empowered by my efforts to register college students—first time voters all—that I sometimes weep with joy. I certainly would not now be sending you all these strangely imperative posts—or my discretionary income, never political before—I would not even be paying attention to this election, had you not spoken with the voice of the Now when I needed to hear it. Thank you, Barack Obama. I’ve been waiting for your voice for thirty years. So have 50 million American adults who simply gave up on changing the outside world, thirty years ago, and decided to change themselves, instead, to make the world a better place, day to day, one intrinsic step at a time. Let me tell you, it works. Your constituency is very powerful, sir, as a result.
Results of this gratitude? A bunch of presumptuous ramblings? And 87 new voters! Who knows? I know I’m centered, connected, in love with the possibilities of my country for the first time in 30 years! It’s a totally blessed homecoming. It will work, my gratitude, all on its own, for the mutual benefit of all.
Proviso: You may be listening to the most-crazy person in the modern American states, from the Arctic to Antarctica, in the whole Western Hemisphere! Good God! I’m being written far more than I’m writing, in this current blog, and I’m sharing it, and, one time past, I promised I’d not do it again. I’ve done this political writing before. Yet, I’m electric! I know it’s crazy, but, oh, well--What can I say?-- I LOVE it! I promise to settle down, after the victory. Anyway, I know, though these things are going on to you and the Obama Groups on the Blog, that they’re really for me to grow with. Whether you read them or not, I’m growing spectacularly well as a result of them. They clarify me. Growth, anywhere in the human system, grows us all, especially from the bottom.
Principle 5: The multiplicity of the Universe is in the smallest things, right in front of us, as well as in the largest, biggest ideas. Pay Attention to the small things, even in the Oval Office, sir, and the Big Things will clarify, for the mutual benefit of all.
Example: I wore my OBAMA O8 T-shirt while eating at the local best restaurant in Center, resulting in the confirmation of at least 12 votes for you, today. The waitress mentioned the shirt, I started talking, and it ended up a triumph for diversity, in a place where I was the only guy not permanently tanned. The truth is in the details and, of course, in the intention.
Example 2: I watched an owl, usually reclusive, fly across the Rio Grande this morning. Huge! I thought, “a good symbol for Obama, that owl, who knows when to fly across the river, going home!” I learned later that you had flown to Honolulu to your Grandma, a very wise and appropriate use of time. Hope she's OK.
Proviso: The knowledge gained from small things must fit your vision, current, of the future. When it does, it’s a sign. It might, though, change. Pay Attention. Be flexible, and teach the difference between dancing with change from center—the ideals maintain--and campaign promises some blowhard spoke to the wind.
And, really, think!: Am I Polonius to you? I hope not, but maybe it’s good. I am one with you at the deepest patriotic level, but. for God’s sake, don’t be Hamlet! You’ve already chosen to be.
Principle 6: There is a space between things and between each other. It’s very full, even though we think there’s nothing there. Such a strange thing to put in words, but, really, half the Universe is there! Everything is about context, about what's sitting next to it. In this space we’re connected and One with all, as in our hearts: being with the spaces in between, sitting there, works towards the mutual benefit of all.
Example: The space in between the top and the bottom is currently vast, at every level, full of bitterness and unheard agony, class struggle, economic manipulation, racial hatred, and cultural bias. If, instead, it were illuminated with mutuality, pragmatic service to humanity at both ends of the beanstalk, philanthropy which empowers rather than enables, and open human love for one another, it would benefit all and grease the new order global economy, addressing the world’s needs as well as our own.
Proviso: Gaining a sense of the character of such “spaces” is an intuitive skill that smacks of magic knowledge or wizardry: Trust issues can result from the abuse of intuition for personal, religious or unilateral, national self-interest. One person’s glowing intuition, as well, could be another’s worst nightmare. The wisest intuitive chooses to be both leader and follower of himself, first, even in the Oval Office, rather than an avatar or guru to others. We need no more martyrs or Hitlers.
Principle 7: Time’s an illusion, except when it is not. A state of All Time, very real, though considered illusory, exists within us in the Now, the present moment, where there‘s no timeline: everything happens at once, a major paradox. Touch the Now as often as possible, especially in the Oval Office, in order to be timely, fitting and appropriate, for the mutual benefit of all.
Example: The Now is speaking a timely “LIBERTY,” both to me and my empathic friends, even “Loss of Liberty”; given that this country could, with another stolen election, move toward anarchy and rebellion-- God Forbid!--it might be best to hear this call of the Now as clearly as possible, scrutinize the election process as preventative maintenance, and push for action towards an evolution in the definition of freedom, stemming not from the unrestrained license we’ve seen on Wall Street or our former unilateral license against the world, but, instead, from self-restrained responsibility for our freedoms as connected beings, as One not only within our borders but with the rest of humanity as well.
Each of us is already connected to the collective: our every thought, word or deed affects the freedom of us all. Every timely step towards recognizing this Oneness is a step towards global liberty, in the present moment. Each of us is everyone else, as well, at the deepest transpersonal level of our being: we might as well treat “ourselves” well. Being responsible for everyone else is a very light burden, if walked in love and gratitude. Be a model of global responsibility for our connectedness and show us real freedom in action for all.
Proviso: Again, “hearing the voice of the Now” in “All Time” from our “Connectedness” is a mystical notion, with no scientific measurements for accuracy or reliability or proof. Be wary of those who claim to know the Now better than anyone else, as everyone hears this voice, though few are conscious of it or its significance. Out here in cosmic-cowboy-land, of course, everyone listens to and talks about the Now, every day. Ask Oprah.
What to Do?
UBER-Principles in Action Transformation means "turning things around," through a process which aids a change in direction or spin, resulting from an attitudinal healing that moves towards gratitude and affirmation from where it was before. Work towards this in all things.
Example: In my own life, I find, particularly now as an activist, but in my professorship as well, that simply listening and reflecting back to someone full of anger or hate or fear can often lead to attitudinal healing towards the affirmative, thus "turning" that spin "around." The effects of that "turn" affect us all, at every level, towards connection.
Proviso: This is not a magic trick or the work of a wizard, but, certainly, one could play that game. This is about being up-front and empowered as a "peaceful warrior" for Connection. It also works well for empowering change and empowering self. It's important to be very cautionary about claiming any special power from Transformation, except the power of communication. We all work towards it every day, even if we're working against it.
Principles in Action 1: A problem is its solution: sometimes, the best fix is no fix at all; build linkage, instead, with other perceived problems, and help them to synergize with appropriate administration and service. When things fall apart, other things grow together from it. Look to see what’s growing from the center of dissolution and nurture it to new solutions, for the mutual benefit of all.
Example: There are increasing numbers of unemployed middle class professionals in this country, trying to keep their homes and families together, with no new work in sight. These are responsible, careful people, for the most part, who’ve worked for years to prime the system for the people at the top, and all their work seems to be for naught. A problem, certainly. AND, at least a fifth of the world’s population is starving for lack of opportunity, a huge problem that must be addressed in a “new order” global economy. The unfed bottom of the bottom can no longer be neglected. AND, at the same time, the Internet is changing the way we work, connecting us all from our laptops.
Perhaps the Obama administration could network these unemployed American professionals in a new electronic WPA (Working Professionals Association), linking these professionals to paid international service work from their homes; linking them to community service within the country; and, most importantly, linking them to each other in ways that foster synergy and innovation, creating their own new businesses out of the current bitterness, serving the newly unemployed all over the world and focused on building opportunities for serving the perennially unemployed peasantry at the bottom, as well. Getting and administering the flow of cash for economic development into the hands of the peasants, rather than to the bureaucratic middlemen who pocket it before it gets to the people, as well as opening up the flow of education, financial management, language acquisition, meaningful work, and updated proficiency in technology to the world’s poor: this linkage of top to bottom would provide its own energy in short order, just as your linkage with the Grassroots has done here. Ay, Chihuahua! What a noble, transformative work! Alchemical! The transpersonal nature of the work, walking in others' shoes, would finetune the human systems, as well.
AND, since The Gates Foundation has already started this linkage, perhaps it could be enlisted to monitor or model appropriate behaviors and avoid mistakes in the transformative process.
Proviso: Linking problems to build solutions, top to bottom, can build a negative, downward synergy, creating a bigger problem, unless the linkage is administered with benevolence, flexibility, transparency, gratitude and mutual service rather than greed, narrowness, secrecy, charity, and co-dependent ethnocentricity. Listening is as important as linkage in the Now. So is trust.
Principles in Action 2: As much as possible, rise to thinking from a both/and perspective, rather than strictly from either/or, as both/and thinking fits the Now. Almost everything is both a blessing and a curse; as well, usually, both sides are true: sometimes it’s necessary to rise up the middle, for the mutual benefit of all.
Example: Both the top and the bottom of the beanstalk are starving, but from different food. In Nicaragua, rice, beans, corn and meaningful work are lacking. Here, we’re starving for a true word in the glut of information, for certainty in an uncertain age, for spirit, and for meaningful work as well. Both food and truth-- and meaningful work, always--are vital to well-being. Why not link them in the love of humanity, for the benefit of top and bottom?
Proviso: The linkage must be mutually chosen, not imposed.
Principles in Action 3: Strengthening balanced linkage between the top and the bottom of just about anything right now strengthens the ends and, thereby, electrifies the middle. Forge the links, sir, and we'll all have much to be grateful for.
Example: I have, over the last fifteen years built a bridge of understanding and heart with an extended family of dirt-poor peasants in Northern Nicaragua. The Betancos gain strength from my continuing return, sometimes with cash for small development loans or education or other aid, no strings attached, and I gain balance and love and a sense of transforming things, just knowing them and their heightened spirituality as part of "my" family. My life has been energized and moved by the experience and so has theirs: As well, the airlines have gained a frequent PanAmerican flier and the reading public has already gained from my writings, which speak of this synergy.
Example 2: God knows, I live now at the Bottom of our collective economic ladder, on a limited teacher's pension. You're successfully living near the top, more power to you. This blog linkage has the potential for creating growth in both places, and, perhaps energizing the middle, since I see this Obama Blog as a book that could be sold and read and pondered. I think it speaks of harmony, in many ways, despite the encroaching chaos of our times.
Proviso: The intention must be mutuality, to loose the synergy of top and bottom. No controlling behaviors, etc., when turning things around. The ego obstructs the flow.
Principles in Action 4: Clearly, all these principles work from unity, one we can't understand but which connects us always, even when we're blind to it. Therefore, work in every measured way to walk towards unity, in the Oval Office, within your staff and administration, towards common goals; inspire your fractured nation to come together hopefully to rebuild from our calamitous past into a more graceful future; enlighten your brothers/sisters in the world by your solidarity with all peoples, top to bottom, working for a more appropriate future of brother/sisterhood, of humanhood, on this speck of dust we get so riled about, floating in a tub of grateful love.
Example: Melding your election team with the unvoiced Grassroots progressives (cultural creatives) has empowered everything from voter activism to elegant and successful fundraising, much of it over the Net, top-to-bottom verticality laid horizontal in equality of common purpose. Keep it active after the Triumph to build consistent feedback loops and singularity of intention.
Practice seeing this horizontality when observing the mess-pot of problems in your keeping, most of which are due to top-heavy behaviors. In the pot, we're all just meat for the Giants, I suppose: we might as well be excellent morsels. The tension between the horizontal and vertical structures of American capitalistic democracy can be worked into a crux of synergy by lowering the bar to include the bottom, then raising it to a progressed level.
Proviso: As with most things, unity in action can be abused a) if people are unified by a leader on their common hatreds, as in Nazi Germany and, apparently, in the RNC, today; b) if the leader draws this Oneness to himself, as his property, rather than reflecting it back to the populace, to energize them; c) if this united force is focused solely at the national level, ignoring the global humanhood, it can be used to promote divisive ethnocentricity rather than global multiplicity (as in the War with Iraq).
Principles in Action 5: The Principle of Balance/Imbalance often looks like Justice in action, as the Universe acts as a mirror to us, individually and collectively: What we throw out to it comes back to us.
Example: If we, as a nation, throw out manipulation and control to the world, that comes back to us in ways such as 9-11. Our nation is carrying such a black cloud of our past world stance, it's hard for anything looking like freedom to get through it; instead, we're enchained in it and punished for it. Turn this around by being a mature American President working for mutual benefit.
Proviso: What comes back will be a reflection of what's thrown: it might not look like it, though. If a man kills someone else, he may not die, but, internally, psychically, something in him dies.
Principles in Action 6: All of the above are lies at some level; be transparent, practice discernment, live in balance with this globe of nations, and trust your Presidential intuition, for the mutual benefit of all.
Example: You. I.
Proviso: Who knows what lies we live by, thinking they are true. There’s almost always a question and an answer between us, since we are human, in tune though we may be.
Principles in Action 7: Above even #6 is a further state of intention, beyond lie: all things seek to rise to the next level, to transcend the known, even when they're headed down by circumstance or lack of curiosity.
Example: Whether it's called evolution or intelligent design, northward immigration or forced economic displacement of peasants, progress is always implicit in the process of living beings, even in their progress from dust to more experienced dust.
Proviso: Sometimes, it's important to remember, in a drive for transformative progress, that, in the Now, there are no directions, or, rather, all directions exist as One, eastwestsouthnorthupdowninout, all One, so, there, "progress" is not only very relative to each person but also, probably, not necessary. In general, though, "up" is an affirmative direction if the Mutuality is served.
Gracias, CenterDoug
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