I feel heartbroken and enraged that millions, if not billions, of dollars were spent on the election process when people’s basic needs are unmet on a daily basis. I want to understand what drives us to prioritize fancy meals with candidates and advertisements that are meaningless and often filled with misinformation, over feeding and housing adults and children, caring for the most needy and vulnerable in our society (and the world), and increasing education funding, just to name a few.
I am sick and tired of our electoral process where the richest often win, outcomes are manipulated and people are prevented from voting.
And I am left wondering when did we stop caring, I mean genuinely caring about our neighbors, both those who live right next door to us and those who live as neighbors on this small planet we inhabit and on which we all depend for our survival.
What would the world look like if instead of hoarding material goods and money out of fear for our own well-being, we chose to embrace and practice generosity and care – not only for ourselves, our family, or our community, but for ALL of humanity – in fact, for ALL creatures on our sacred, beautiful planet?
It is an illusion that we are separate from one another. We are not. We are all formed from the particles that formed this planet and universe. We came from one place and will return there again. We share one planet, we bleed the same blood, we cry the same tears, we smile the same smiles, and we yearn for the same things – safety, security, peace, love, care, connection, meaning, joy, play, laughter, mourning, acceptance, freedom, respect (among others).
A first step in challenging all of this craziness is to retake our democracy, and I like the NSP‘s approach–a constitutional amendment, the ESRA, which requires public funding of all elections and bans all private donations from individuals or corporations, thus eliminating money as a factor in the outcome. I’m hoping to get people to move on that in my community in Bellingham, Washington, and I’m wondering if any of you have yet started to organize a local group to get your city council or state legislature to endorse the ESRA?
I share your heartbrokenness about how our democracy is being taken away from us by money and the corporate controlled media.
Parker Palmer with his book entitled, “Healing the Heart of Democracy The Courage to Create a Politics Worthy of the Human Spirit” and with the Center for Courage and Renewal which he helped create is in
sync with the concerns you have expressed. So, I suggest that you check out http://www.CourageRenewal.org. for more information about what this movement is doing and how you can become involved.
Ed Dick
Check out “Friends of Article 5” about the current move to create a new Constitutional Convention. 27 of 34 states required have already voted for it!