We wait and want for the human spirit to soar towards creating our world as a reflection of who we are.
So let's imagine this world as a place where we could all be involved in processes of political decision-making, working towards solutions that meet common needs; a world where we would truly celebrate our love for the life that brings us together; and a world where we could more easily realize our deepest individual and collective potentials. We have to find ways to come together, assert our power, and open up the political process to direct, popular participation, because our collective happiness and well-being depends on it.
We all have the power to create the world we want, and the deep yearning we feel to make the world a better place can take us to the radical development of the form of democracy we practice now. All that is required is our awakened attention and willingness to see this through.
Creation begins with a gathering of attention, close followed by a focusing of intention. Like sunlight, attention is a natural force that brings to fruition all it shines on, and the act of giving attention to what we want calls it into being out from of the field of possibility. Our attention may be our most precious resource.
In awakening spiritually, we recognize that we are essentially one, and that the same sacred force of life flows equally through all. When I understand that we are basically the same, experience the same feelings and needs, cherish the same values, and that we are all in process of growing in mutually enriching ways, then I want all of us to have the opportunity to be directly involved in the decisions that affect our lives.
Politics is really about deciding together how to act in ways that are mutually beneficial and enriching for all. As it is, many shared needs are now unmet by a political system that functions mostly through our collective distraction, disengagement and ignorance. We need to matter and be heard, and we have needs for participation, equality, cooperation, self-expression, contribution, harmony, effectiveness, freedom and hope—to name but a few. We would all benefit through our collective involvement in a political process that respected our essential oneness and that actually encouraged, supported and honoured us as we worked together with and through our perceived differences.
Coming together to create a life-enriching, participatory democracy will be as much about our collective spiritual awakening as it will be about transforming the way we do politics. Indeed, the one will influence and support the other, and catalyze processes of collective empowerment and healing long waiting fulfillment. Political transformation and collective awakening are now poised to become a critical advance in our social and spiritual evolution.
And yet, there is still great imbalance across the planet. Fewer of us have power and security, and more and more live with increasing stress and conflict. Many are acknowledging that we must change our ways on this Earth, or we'll perish. Some experience anticipatory grief for the losses we could undergo, and many experience anger, unease, frustration, restlessness, despair, fear, depression and rage—even if we are barely conscious of these feelings, and their cause. We have become stuck in the unacknowledged shame of our disempowerment, and important healing must occur if we are to become free and live together in harmony, gratitude and joy.
If we really wanted a citizen's democracy then we would find a way to create it. As it is, perhaps we're not yet willing to declare that a transformed politics is truly what we want, and I guess that we feel some reluctance, nervousness and fear around this. Our dilemma appears to be whether we risk an attempt to change how we do politics, or whether we continue to numb ourselves with comforts and distractions and go along with the system as it now.
In our society, it seems to be safer to live in ignorance and disconnection rather than to look closely at what is happening. For instance, if we were to stand out and call for fundamental democratic change, we might then have to deal with feelings of anxiety, anger and fear arising around our unmet needs for acceptance, order and stability. But when we complacently accept the political system as it has been passed down to us—along with the roles of periodically voting for others who (supposedly) represent us in government—unwelcome feelings around such unmet needs have no opportunity to arise.
The dominant culture is neither supportive nor nurturing of our collective awakening and healing. There is no obvious way for us to address the collective pain of our disempowerment, and a lot of our energy is tied up in underlying anxiety, unease, fear, stress, frustration, anger, grief and despair. Many experience anguish in meeting unwanted feelings, and we mistakenly think that someone else is the cause of our suffering. And if we can no longer hold painful feelings in our awareness, we hurt others, as a matter of habit. As a result, we often feel uneasy, on edge and unsafe in this society.
But if we want to live in deepest connection with ourselves and others, we have to reconnect attention to our life energy—the flow of feeling within. And if this political change is going to come about, then embracing and resolving feelings around our unmet needs is perhaps the greatest part of our work. When we're stuck emotionally, it's easy for us to believe that social and political structures are not likely to change, but when we feel the flow of change within us, then change in the world becomes possible as well.
One of the functions of a social movement is to collectively help us deal with shared and unaddressed pain, to heal us into the bonding of our collective strength, and to liberate stuck energy into the flow of excitement, hope, compassion, love, celebration and peace.
When we face the challenge of creating a social movement capable of catalyzing large-scale political transformation, we will evolve spiritually: we will experience a gradual heart opening that will lay the groundwork for this rejuvenating movement to happen; we will come to embody that which we seek; we will embrace and release old pain, work with ego, and move closer to our essential being; we will surrender to the sacred spark of life inside that dances in connection with all else; we will come to act in ways congruent with our deepest values and goals; and we will come to live the mystery of who we are and why we are here.
But when will we wake up? Are we more interested in surviving with what we have, in relative comfort and ease, or are we willing to risk some potential personal loss in the attempt to collectively enrich all our lives? Can we honestly live with ourselves in integrity if we could act, but choose rather to do nothing? How much are we willing to give, and what will be the cost of our holding onto what we have?
It's not necessary that we all wake up at the same time, because those who are now more awake may find the courage and responsibility to step up and help lead. Life-enriching social movements start with a few hearts on fire with the spirit of love, hope and possibility.
There are many ways through which we might practice direct democracy, but what a transformed politics might actually look like and how it works I will leave, at this time, for your imagination. When the heart is awake to the possibility, then the mind will work in service of the heart, and through our collective intelligence we will create the simplest and most effective form of politics to serve the whole.
If you're thinking that this is an enormous, daunting project, then I would agree that this does appear to be the case—especially if we are unwilling to carry it out! And if we're also unwilling to be in touch with how we actually feel about it, then there is perhaps much there waiting for attention to resolve, heal and let flow.
As a sort of defense against experiencing unwanted feelings, we've been conditioned to make judgments, and you may be judging me in some way now. If you're thinking that I'm idealistic (or naive, or presumptuous and egotistical, or not in touch with reality, or foolish, etc.), then I'm curious to know what you are actually feeling, and what you think you might be needing. You may also be simply wondering about what there is for us to do, and you may be feeling uncertain, perplexed and frustrated.
I invite you to give attention to how you feel about political transformation, and to what you think are the obstacles to our accomplishing this. You might invite the attention of others and start conversations. If you wish, you could begin an exploration with me so that we might both understand more deeply where attention has to go to move us forward, individually and collectively, along this evolutionary path.
This work will certainly take all of our collective intelligence and presence. Consider the vision I've presented here, but also let your own vision become focused and powerful. And, if you think that talking about this is not really doing anything, then consider that most of what actually needs to be done is awakening our attention to see, and focusing our intention to act.
Finally, let your attention go where it will, and trust that everything that arises to attention does so in order to be integrated, resolved and healed. Through surrender, we often discover grace and strength.
What we believe to be possible depends on our perspective, and perspective shifts according to what we feel. With awareness grounded in the heart, we are capable of opening into the powerful influence of love, where resistances fall away and obstacles dissolve, and where that which we desire becomes abundantly possible. Democracy arises amongst those who are willing to support and sustain it and, as a guardian of the spirit of democracy, you have the power to let it fully awaken and manifest in your world.
Until the sleeping possibility of creating our world as a reflection of our deepest values and needs awakens into realization, the power of this dream will exist—latent—inside each and every one of us. Awakening this possibility depends on you.
