Thank you for this, Seth! I agree that we need to understand threefolding ideas ourselves before we can hope that politicians implement them. I am currently reading Farms of Tomorrow Revisited - Comunity Supported Farms - Farm Supported Communities by Trauger Groh and Steven McFadden, 1997. The book is inspiring, describing many successful CSA's started by community members or farmers looking for healthier alternatives to 'conventional' farming. This book makes me realize that small groups of individuals can do a lot on a grassroots level and that their activism can influence society.
Once again, I urge us to work to find the lead element and set aside the formulaic "threefolding"
My take is that recognizing both oneself and the other human being as a cosmic co-creator in whatever stage of development is the lead element in a new politics -- where one wants justice to rise toward the level of karmic compassion and be available to everyone
Can't get a crappy politics out of self-and-other realization, can we?
Yes. “…where one wants justice to rise toward the level of karmic compassion…” An inner transformation of our bent towards Schadenfreude (get the bad you deserve) to Kindness. One of the most challenging questions In the Work of Byron Katie is: What’s the worst thing that could happen if you let it go or forgive them? A: They would get away with it.
Your work is helping to manifest real change But I'd like to unpack your phrase concerning America's best idea. "The idea of freedom of belief", as I'm sure you realize, is a nearly impossible ideal to realize at the scale of global empire with all its material forces at war with itself.
Freedom of belief at minimum requires composure of soul. Your article rightly calls for calming down in the feeling realm. I talked myself down from that ledge early on in Trump's first term. Since then, conducting a dispassionate structural analysis of the system, I have concluded along with more astute observers than I, that rule by the duopoly of right/left establishment elites is close to collapse; Since Reagan, bi-polar oligarchical allegiances have tied up both parties preventing them from addressing the real ills of society as they conduct culture wars in the name of ideology while both share the absolute presupposition of capitalism; the 0th commandment.
This is what I think when people say "the system is broken".
The "left", progressive liberal ideology that adheres to this capitalism, with the pain relievers of social welfare contends with the "right" neoliberal, traditional conservative and reactionary ideology that dishes out just deserts for the damned (sinners and losers) and the saved (born again and the meritocracy). The remnant is late-stage capitalism destroying (and building) communities.
Thus, in such fraught environs, freedom of belief reads like apostasy, heresy, betrayal, forcing our undisciplined souls to take sides as a paying audience in a demented sporting spectacle. It takes strength of soul to hear your brother or sister's beliefs when they differ in this refractory lens of our modern politic; how do we retain an image of the higher self we presumably all share?
What's needed to make a fresh start? I have chosen to deepen my meditative life which supports listening attentively to people of good will, and patiently but in limited doses, to the shouters. I rarely lose it (for long) anymore.
About change: I like your coy dialectic - real possibilities vs. real change. Neither party is working at the consciousness soul level. Unless we devote ourselves to real evolution of consciousness we will be unable to prevent our slide towards annihilation!
One small bone to pick with your piece - when you say 'And Harris is no different' . That is not a complete analysis; Harris was thoroughly outmatched on the battleground on which these opposing generals faced each other. But that's not why you were charged with making false equivalences; you were blamed for not picking a side. I wouldn't go that far in any case - you were much more skillful than that.
While Trump has no beliefs, other than those grounded in the distorted mirror he holds up to world and himself, those contradictory wisps sell; Harris believes something, ...I guess..., but these beliefs gather dust on the shelves. Trump lies and his now (temporarily?) more diverse electorate exults in the glory of his ringing truths (or mindlessly punishing the incumbent); Harris mutters familiar platitudes and naturally, not enough people were stirred by her mushy memes in an era that punishes incumbents for deeper systemic flaws. Trump is drunk on the Culture Wars; Harris, abstemious, tries vainly to walk back the progressive's form of identity politics.
They were not evenly matched because the technology of political warfare has changed; this new battleground is unintelligable to the Democrats. Consider: the Democrats have nothing substantial to oppose Trump Inc. I stopped believing the Democrats would 'save us' a long time ago; The Republicans atavistically cling to our ahistorical myths of our national founding seasoned with oligarchical spices and theistic misreadings of our Deist founders.
The light is in the world somewhere; I'll keep looking.
Thank you for this, Seth! I agree that we need to understand threefolding ideas ourselves before we can hope that politicians implement them. I am currently reading Farms of Tomorrow Revisited - Comunity Supported Farms - Farm Supported Communities by Trauger Groh and Steven McFadden, 1997. The book is inspiring, describing many successful CSA's started by community members or farmers looking for healthier alternatives to 'conventional' farming. This book makes me realize that small groups of individuals can do a lot on a grassroots level and that their activism can influence society.
Amen, Seth
Thanks for writing this up. A voice of reason amid the fervor is balm for the soul.
miss you !
Well said....
Good work
Once again, I urge us to work to find the lead element and set aside the formulaic "threefolding"
My take is that recognizing both oneself and the other human being as a cosmic co-creator in whatever stage of development is the lead element in a new politics -- where one wants justice to rise toward the level of karmic compassion and be available to everyone
Can't get a crappy politics out of self-and-other realization, can we?
Yes. “…where one wants justice to rise toward the level of karmic compassion…” An inner transformation of our bent towards Schadenfreude (get the bad you deserve) to Kindness. One of the most challenging questions In the Work of Byron Katie is: What’s the worst thing that could happen if you let it go or forgive them? A: They would get away with it.
It's time to become matter-of-fact about reincarnation and karma
"They" don't "get away with it"; they burn away their own crap and come back to try to do better
Your work is helping to manifest real change But I'd like to unpack your phrase concerning America's best idea. "The idea of freedom of belief", as I'm sure you realize, is a nearly impossible ideal to realize at the scale of global empire with all its material forces at war with itself.
Freedom of belief at minimum requires composure of soul. Your article rightly calls for calming down in the feeling realm. I talked myself down from that ledge early on in Trump's first term. Since then, conducting a dispassionate structural analysis of the system, I have concluded along with more astute observers than I, that rule by the duopoly of right/left establishment elites is close to collapse; Since Reagan, bi-polar oligarchical allegiances have tied up both parties preventing them from addressing the real ills of society as they conduct culture wars in the name of ideology while both share the absolute presupposition of capitalism; the 0th commandment.
This is what I think when people say "the system is broken".
The "left", progressive liberal ideology that adheres to this capitalism, with the pain relievers of social welfare contends with the "right" neoliberal, traditional conservative and reactionary ideology that dishes out just deserts for the damned (sinners and losers) and the saved (born again and the meritocracy). The remnant is late-stage capitalism destroying (and building) communities.
Thus, in such fraught environs, freedom of belief reads like apostasy, heresy, betrayal, forcing our undisciplined souls to take sides as a paying audience in a demented sporting spectacle. It takes strength of soul to hear your brother or sister's beliefs when they differ in this refractory lens of our modern politic; how do we retain an image of the higher self we presumably all share?
What's needed to make a fresh start? I have chosen to deepen my meditative life which supports listening attentively to people of good will, and patiently but in limited doses, to the shouters. I rarely lose it (for long) anymore.
About change: I like your coy dialectic - real possibilities vs. real change. Neither party is working at the consciousness soul level. Unless we devote ourselves to real evolution of consciousness we will be unable to prevent our slide towards annihilation!
One small bone to pick with your piece - when you say 'And Harris is no different' . That is not a complete analysis; Harris was thoroughly outmatched on the battleground on which these opposing generals faced each other. But that's not why you were charged with making false equivalences; you were blamed for not picking a side. I wouldn't go that far in any case - you were much more skillful than that.
While Trump has no beliefs, other than those grounded in the distorted mirror he holds up to world and himself, those contradictory wisps sell; Harris believes something, ...I guess..., but these beliefs gather dust on the shelves. Trump lies and his now (temporarily?) more diverse electorate exults in the glory of his ringing truths (or mindlessly punishing the incumbent); Harris mutters familiar platitudes and naturally, not enough people were stirred by her mushy memes in an era that punishes incumbents for deeper systemic flaws. Trump is drunk on the Culture Wars; Harris, abstemious, tries vainly to walk back the progressive's form of identity politics.
They were not evenly matched because the technology of political warfare has changed; this new battleground is unintelligable to the Democrats. Consider: the Democrats have nothing substantial to oppose Trump Inc. I stopped believing the Democrats would 'save us' a long time ago; The Republicans atavistically cling to our ahistorical myths of our national founding seasoned with oligarchical spices and theistic misreadings of our Deist founders.
The light is in the world somewhere; I'll keep looking.
It's fixed alright!
https://substack.com/@stevenberger/note/c-76947766?r=1nm0v2