UNITED STATES OF AWAKENING: THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA 

It is difficult to find much inspiration and real leadership in these troubled times.
It seems our collective consciousness is constantly under the barrage and sway of fear, competition, power struggles, anxiety, distraction, aggression, war, extreme weather events, and the ever looming threat of death and disease. 

Can it be the world that is shown to us in the media, one reflecting our human psyches attraction to fear, has disintegrated into only being able to conceive of projecting life as a mindless struggle to be survived but not truly lived? 

Nonsense!

An election year in the US, raises a chorus of human voices who have the solution their rivals lack.  Not truly adding new voices of vision, cooperation, and team spirit, the push and pull is tearing us apart right down the middle.  

And even those in the middle are having to jump ship.

Political life is often defined by individuals wanting so desperately to lead that they are willing to scream to be heard, twist and change messages to be perceived as the triumphant victor of a given day or political race, and promote persistent interpersonal quarrels in order to gain a spotlight.  Or by dedicating enormous amounts of time and energy refuting the above, promising real cooperation and solutions, yet needing to spend so much resource that the effort detracts from being able to actually focus in on real leadership in the spirit of cooperation.  

In this debacle, who is really standing ground to anchor leadership when all parties involved seemed preoccupied by running?  Can the two even be complimentary let alone simultaneous?

The dynamic is sending up in flames all the noble values and virtues we in the land of the free and home of the brave hold sacredly dear. Sadly, our children are watching and listening and learning from the examples we set.  Sadly, we tell them we don't like it but this is just the way life is.  

What a low bar we are setting for ourselves and for them. 

If we sift through the ashes of the contemporary bonfire that is American politics, we will find mere remnants of these charred remains: kindness, respect, honesty, humility, gratitude, generosity, contemplation, noble silence, contrition, temperance, restraint, courage, dignity, moderation, simplicity, discipline, patience, joyful diligence, morality, ethics, and sacrifice. 

But the largest discarded burnt offerings in the competitive, individualistic scramble of contemporary American society are freedom and wisdom.  

Genuine freedom means each of us is free to think and speak and act as we choose.  It also means we are free to exercise self-restraint and carefully think before we speak.  It means we have the freedom and even obligation to reclaim some of the values and virtues in our own heart and begin to truly model these in our own life before attempting to lead anyone else.  

Wisdom puts everything into perspective: Unless we take full responsibility for changing the only person we have the power to actually change, ourself, we can forget about changing the rest of the world to fit our vision or version of it. 

One of our nation's symbol of the spirit of freedom is a female figure standing on the top of the nation's capital building facing east, looking to the  light of the rising sun.  At the time the Statue of Freedom was installed the motto of our country was E Pluribus Unum, or Out of Many, One.  In the center of her robes, encircled at her heart is a lowercase "s" inside an uppercase "U."  Not U.S. as in the concept of our nation, but "Us" as in "We the people" the true spirit of America.

Across the street at the Jefferson Library, the world's largest, Sophia is painted under the dome.  She is the Guardian Patron of wisdom.

If we truly want a healthier, happier, more peaceful society and world, we as individual Americans have to become healthier, happier, more peaceful people who project a more positive outlook on life.  It is time for adults to start acting like elders who take responsibility for transmitting healthy examples to the next generation.  And it is past time that our culture reflect and honor the hard earned wisdom of our elders in society.

Most importantly, we as individuals must access our own freedom to grow wise.  

Not as men, women, children, Republicans, Democrats, Greens, the 99% or the 1%, Blacks, Whites, Mexicans, Latinos, Indians, Buddhists, Christians, Jews, Moslems, Native Americans, the elderly, the boomers, Gen X, Gen Y or any of those labels and concepts of groups we have invented to categorize ourselves into.  

But simply as good human beings. 

Quite simply, each of us comprises the spirit of America.

This involves far less speaking and far more seeking.  Seeking, through the spirit of freedom and wisdom to make a heartfelt commitment to setting a good example in life.  Learning how to undo habituated responses and learning how to create positive new solutions. It of course also means genuine mutual cooperation. And much more quiet, compassionate listening and connecting.

All of this transformation of a nation calls for mindful, alert presence to co-create an inspired, intentional evolution out of the very spirit of America.  The "Us" that is sitting in the middle of the heart of the statue of Freedom on top of our capital building.  We the people must dig deep into our individual independent loving selves and recognize we do not live in a vacuum of independence.  Our freedom is deeply interconnected to each and everyone in our country, and indeed, in the world.

Maybe it is asking too much of political leaders to actually lead, but let's revisit a few promises that have been made: 

• Whatever happened to that campaign promise of a kinder, gentler nation?    
• Where are the voices and messages and guiding lights in contemporary America showing us a way to take on this self-responsibility? 
• How can we ask the media to zoom out into a wide panoramic lens to show a long view of the human condition to encompass new voices and messages of positive example and leadership? 
• What kind of messages are we creating and transmitting, and more importantly why are these the focus? 
• Is there still reason to hope?      

Certainly there are human experiences, emotions, and environmental realities that call us to take note. But these occur on a full range of highs and lows. It seems we have been overemphasizing our capacity for lows. 

Herein lies our greatest challenge and opportunity as an American people comprised not of political affiliations, but of human beings. 

As Einstein said, "In the midst of great difficulty lies opportunity."  So the looming question before each adult in the nation now asks: How will we individually and collectively use these difficult socio-political-natural-economic- disaster challenges to identify our role in selfless service, striving to evolve into an enlightened society in the spirit of sisterly and brotherly love? Do we believe the state of our union is worth this effort and how do we express our unity to move forward toward the enlightened society our fore-founders envisioned?

Where is the compassion and humility that demonstrates the truth and grace of meeting these challenges with an open heart and open mind?  Where is the humility of leaders to sometimes just answer, "I don't know." And leave it at that. 

Perhaps it is this very backdrop that makes presidents, congressional leaders, and ordinary citizens throughout the U.S.A. from Maine to Hawaii turn so genuinely to the smile and strength of the compassionate heart of His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso. 

Amidst all of the clamor, distraction, competition, rush to separate and blame, he stands quietly in the presence of humanly created chaos and concepts to remind us of the power of Love and our very human ability to expand it to everyone. He led his nation from the age of sixteen until he finally convinced the nation in exile to hold democratically run elections.  He has profound faith and confidence in the democratic process and deep respect for the example of the American ideals expressed by our most sacred documents, the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.  When the time was ripe he abolished his own system of governance of Tibet and was more than willing to abdicate his temporal leadership role as head of state for the Tibetan people to a democratically elected President.  When visiting the Presidents of the  United States, he visits them as people, not members of a party. 

Here's wishing Us all the ability to develop our good human hearts to be able, one day, to do just that.  To listen to ideas and opinions without polarizing human beings and reducing them into members of a party.  We may not agree with their perspective or policies, but we must respect the common human dignity we share as people and as citizens of this great land. 

Whether we aspire to be political leaders or any other socially ascribed position we might occupy in society, it is imperative that we first set ourselves to the task of becoming a good human being, who knows how to govern oneself, has less to say about others, and finds more to love about everyone. 

Then we will truly live in the United States of Awakening where we can collectively solve some of the looming problems that touch us all.

Go Love, 

Lisa