What are we electing?
Those reading & writing these flurry of posts might not bother with mine because of the length, but I hope a few can spare a minute...
The concept for an America came from a vision spurred by a desire to create a social order that reflected a concept by a few, who represented many, to change the path and direction of what was before. Those few envisioned a Nation.
That vision became a reality only after great struggle. Real change involves having a strong belief that what is, and what was, is not on a healthy path and letting it go. In this way we have made an opening to replace it and manifest our vision.
Our forefather’s vision, in part, was a nation of diverse peoples coming together and sharing a common vision, a democracy of intent and a constitution of binding principles.
I believe it may be time to once again embrace the integrity & foresight of our forefather’s and realize that ‘what was’ is no longer serving the original intent as well as it might. -It may be time to step back and take a healthy look at ourselves as a nation. A nation comprised of a great number of people pledged under one flag and having tremendously diverse needs & desires, both as individuals and groups of individuals.
I see this unique presidential election as a perfect opportunity to take that step back to pause and look at ourselves as a nation. The fact that the two representatives of the two main political viewpoints in America became virtually deadlocked in the polling booths has stopped us in our tracks and I believe, given us a chance in the life of this nation to look in the mirror.
And what might we see there if we appreciate this opportunity?
A nation who has created an ‘Us & Them’ reality. A nation divided by it’s own making. A nation in conflict with itself. A nation who has lost its wholeness as one peoples under one flag. A nation who has lost it’s common vision and integrity.
We have created a battleground on or own soil. The fact that we have such a blatant division of interests divided down the center between two supposedly opposing interests of an entire nation, as represented in this election, demonstrates we are a nation of peoples at odds with ourselves-or does it?
The ‘Right’ and the ‘Left’. Republicans, the Democrats. East coast-West coast. This State against that State. They are wrong and we are right. Us against Them-or is it?
We won and you lost...no wait they won and we lost, did not!, did to!...is this what we have become?
We have a unique opportunity to all win. How can we do that?
First we must accept and embrace that we desire to be a nation together, not apart, and in parts. The polls in this 2000 presidential election have demonstrated we have two strong, apparently diverging, interests. Can fifty million people be right and have the best interests for our nation in mind while at the same time there are another fifty million people who don’t? Not a chance.
Imagine for a moment, as silly as it may first appear, that since the people have said by their votes this week that they choose both candidates, both parties, we have in fact just elected two presidents.
To carry this just a little farther, imagine the both live in the White House with their Wives (after all, it is rather a large home). Perhaps they even share meals together sometimes. They could be the representative heads of our nation reflecting the desires of all individuals.
I do not propose we actually do this. I use this to demonstrate that to be a whole integral nation under one flag we must respect the voice of our people as one.
To have one diverse political party take ‘power’ because our current electoral laws govern that we must, even if only a handful of votes out of a hundred million tip the balance to one party, would be a travesty and a slap to the faces of half our nation. There must be a better way.
To create a better way we recognize the inherent flaw that our election system has become entrenched in, and find a way to embrace all viewpoints equally and let go of our Us & Them attitudes. Impossible? The moment we each as individuals glimpse the need to change and recognize that ‘what was’, and ‘what is’, in our system for political representation, no longer serves us in a healthy way as a nation of indivisible people, we have made the first step toward opening the door to allow a new vision to manifest.
If our founding forefathers were suddenly to appear on CNN to voice their view of today’s political system I bet they would say “whoops! I guess this idea has kinda run away from itself huh George-Lets revamp it OK?”
Look what we are doing, squabbling over every vote, calling fraud, looking for that one missing ballot box in the swamps of Florida so someone can count those last three votes that make it finally clear who will hold ‘power’ over this nation. That is ludicrous. The ‘power’ is within the nations people, all people, all viewpoints and we must embrace that reality before we tear our nation in half.
I think it is perfect that the House & Senate are virtually divided. It gives us a place to have an equal voice for the people-that is, if they could leave their political hats at he door when they walk in, and speak as one mind with diverse ideas while still holding the best interests of all Americans. Then we, as a nation, would be as one entity. We are not one entity when we hold the division of political viewpoints at complete odds with each other, for then we hold an image of a nation divided, and divided we fall, divided we are weak. In the eyes of all other nations we are then seen as an America in turmoil from within, and we are.
The power of too few representing the political viewpoint of one half of an entire nation is precarious at best. Where is the voice of the nation in that?
For the people, by the people, under one nation, one flag-is that not our intent?
Again, this deadlock election has forced a pause in our usual political direction. A direction where usually one party wins and the other looses and off we go for another four years leaving a portion of the American nation feeling un-represented. An election is not a game of who is right or who is best, it is not a competition, it is one of the few real opportunities where American people can have a voice in the direction of their nation. That voice has just announced loud and clear that as a nation we desire what two main political parties stand for, and partially a third. Those same American’s, that’s you & me, fully deserve their political Heads Of State to stand for and represent the whole nation as one people in a non-partisan way.
If they both win, we all win -and they both did win. Let’s let them both represent us.
I take it back about both Al Gore and George W. Bush walking into the White House together as our ‘Commander & Chiefs’, I think that would be great. And I think Ralph Nader should get to stay in the Lincon bedroom one day a week and have his perspective heard on those days.<grin>
FWIW-Puna |
