The spirit and philosophy behind progressivism. One which I express in my life, on the personal level, as “for the greatest good of all concerned.” A way of living that attempts balance and kindness and compassion for all living things…and ‘all’ is not limited to humans and critters but includes planets as well 🙂
A form of decision making that takes Me and I out of the forefront of the equation and attempts as much as humanly possible to ignore mere self-interest. A mode of being that acknowledges the existence of others and ‘the other’ and refuses to profit at their expense.
An acknowledgment of membership in the web of life a refusal to think that you are the ONLY crown of creation! A way of relating to all of the life and the lives around us with respect and a measure true humility.
A willingness to see and consider and indeed cherish the viewpoints of others. A serious attempt to understand the future and how we are affecting it. A concern and caring for those who will come after us here on this little ball of blue in the cold and vast and swirling and lonely sea of an unimaginable huge and mysteriously deep universe.
A steady place to stand in times of trouble and a way to solve any and all problems of thought that may arise. An expressed desire in the face of certain failure…. to overcome the biggest challenge humans have, our own human nature. A mindful and heartfelt empathy that leads inexorably to kindness towards our fellow beings and especially to those who may find themselves in circumstances less fortunate than our own. A way to say fuck you to the world we live in today.
And republicans.
The space we all share, whether we know we do or not. A way to reach forward fearlessly and a way to trust and a way to not despair in the face of all mans cruelty to man that is based on the lie that we are all separate from each other. A way to breathe free, as we do not infringe on the breathing of those who are beside us and as we expect the same from them.
A place from which to proceed.
A way to live a life.
A way to run a planet.
For the Greatest Good Of All.
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(ek says we can put wide pictures in the comments!!!)
huh. there must be some wavelength thing going on among us all today.
the world… and everything in it! and around it and beyond it.
If you want to run the planet “for the greatest good of all”, then you’re not talking capitalism. The whole point is how can you exploit something – people, resources, ideas – for your own good.
How do you prevent this from becoming an authoritarian idea? Who decides what the greatest good of all is? If it’s “we the people” then, how do we explain the mess we’re in now?
of one of the main themes of a book by Lynne Twist titled The Soul of Money. She contrasts the “myth of scarcity” to the “reality of sufficiency.” If we all believed that there was enough for everyone – the fear of not having enough might allow us to see that there is enough for all. She expands this beyond just the idea that there are sufficient resources for all to think about the fact that we are sufficient in and of ourselves as well.
This is something I try to remember to ponder as often as possible.
It has always been this way in human relations. The natural aggression of predator type personalities will result in leaders or criminals. It is the great misfortune of America, at this point in history, to have criminal leaders. If the majority of the prey continue to ignore this fact, we are sunk for sure. Our representatives, for whatever reason, keep digging holes in the bottom of the ship of state. We are due for a sea change, business as usual just won’t work anymore.
more than a few things posted here lately have brought me to tears. Really. I have to keep the flame of hope alive. Mercury is about to go direct (right?) and Mars has just gone retrograde. The lives of almost all I know are in flux. We are, I believe, those of us who continue to try to stay aware, riding a wave that is wild and gnarly. We are trying to stay upright. I’m not even a surfer except in the cosmic sense. I’ve been sleeping, yet dreaming, and I’m still brushing the sand out of my eyes. More than 20 years ago or so I embarked on a journey of self-discovery which involved both spiritual and political awareness. I then got married, got a job and had kids, which became a kind of slumber for me but I’m feeling a return of old passions being sparked and the embers are fanned here at Docudarhma! I am searching for a direction, most of it seems to be creative because I am most happy making something. I need to know a whole community exists beyond my physical world. I have good people around me too. I’m a late bloomer but I want nothing more than to share a nascent hope for the world with others and know in-spite of a myriad of difficulties there are people who care about the wholeness of life and connectedness.
I am re-reading a book, that thoroughly depressed me in my first year of college. It’s ‘The Image’ by Daniel Boorstein . Is there anything I can glean from it today that could give me hope? I don’t know, but maybe. The most powerful tool in our country right now seems to be image. The images created by media. (I am stating the obvious of course) For anyone who hasn’t read it, it gives a great history of how the news media grew more and more powerful by creating news events. It started in the early days of print media and definitely took off when radio and television were young. Almost every word is relevant today so far as I can tell. Basically, I think we live in a state of distraction. I would love to have time to explore these ideas more with people in the future.
Thank you Buhdy for spawning this Blog! I only wish I had more time to connect with the community on the level I would like.
but its a good pain I feel, and I have hope for the future.
thought of my grandmother Lorraine. She taught me to respect and listen to the spirit and old wisdom within me that this song embodies.