It's Time For Change In Our Political Process: Political Suggestions For An Enlightened Voter

I think it's time for change in our nation's political process. There has to be a better way of electing our nations leaders.

The election rhetoric has hardly begun and the petty wrangling, the distortions, the blatant use of fear, and the unwillingness to address the critical issues facing our nation is already beginning. Once again we seem to be sliding into the darkness and shadows of our unevolved human nature.

I am frankly embarrassed at the lack of substance and self-focused narcissism present in the political wrangling. We are turning into a country led by politicians who are too often immature, uneducated, lacking in vision, and unable to provide true leadership.

Leadership requires seeing the problems clearly, dealing with them head on, and the ability to envision a better future; a vision that offers solutions focused on the greater good; solutions that offer real hope.

It's common knowledge that the world is facing some very serious challenges; challenges that are going to require leadership capable of courage and clear thinking.

This is the United States of America. We should be modeling global solutions to the problems facing our world; solutions that bring hope and the possibility of a better life to everyone on the planet. That is the responsibility of true global leadership.

As an American, I find myself once again embarrassed by the primitive emotional tone present in the political dialogues. The Law of Attraction is clear: we manifest into the world our internal feelings and emotions. Instead of offering thoughtful solutions, our political process is too often openly condoning and encouraging emotional conflict and violence.

I think we can do better. Our Stonyhill community is only a small part of the voting population, but we can make a difference; we can model a more enlightened form of thinking.

I would encourage all of us to embrace one or more of the ideas listed below, and be willing to talk about these ideas to our friends, colleagues, family members and our neighbors.

#1: Keep Religion Out Of Our Nation's Political Process
When interpreted through the lens of conservative fundamentalism, all religions advocate a regressive first century, mythic, scientifically illiterate worldview consciousness that should not direct or dictate the political process of any modern, 21st century nation. America is a democracy, not a religious theocracy.

The founding fathers of our country intentionally kept religion out of our political process. They knew from experience that when the religious ideology of any particular faith presumes to speak with authority or impose its religious beliefs or ideologies on those who do not hold those same religious views, it only breeds division, bigotry, hatred, repression, and violence; a very dangerous way to determine social and economic policy for a nation or the world; especially in the 21st century.

A healthy religion, and it's spiritual teachings, should manifest values based on love, compassion, mutuality, diversity, tolerance, and inclusiveness; "not" on the social ethics and morality of ancient ethno-centric cultures that passed into the fog of history thousands of years ago.

We need leadership with the vision to lead us into the future, not a regressive return to first century primitive values and ethics.

#2: The Refusal To Embrace Reality Has Created The Challenges We Face
The problems that are facing us were essentially created by our collective unwillingness to address and embrace reality. Science may provide some insights on how to externally solve or cope with problems such as global warming or global hunger, but real solutions to the challenges facing our world, and our nation, will emerge only when we are able to embrace reality and change the way we think internally. Blaming any one person or political party as having created the problems that face us is simply an unacceptable form of ignorance.

Our collective scientific wisdom is telling us global warming is a major problem. Our homophobia against gay marriage is a religious denial of scientific knowledge. We are headed toward a global population of 9 billion people; 9 billion people who will aspire to achieve a middleclass life style. Yet environmental scientists are warning our planet can sustainably support a middleclass standard of living for roughly one billion people. In other words, we are already 6 billion people beyond sustainability. Ignoring reality is a form of ignorance that we can no longer tolerate.

Our collective wisdom is telling us we are running out of inexpensive energy sources. Our collective scientific wisdom is clear. Our human species is directly responsible for the extinction of other living species on our planet at a rate not seen in over 65 million years. We are running out of fresh water. Children are dying of starvation and lack of medical care. This list could continue, but I'm sure you get the point. We are ignoring the evidence. We are ignoring reality.

We are a great nation because we have embraced the collective wisdom of hundreds of years of verifiable modern scientific discovery. When we collectively allow our politicians and special interest groups to introduce doubts about scientific evidence; evidence that warns we are clearly headed toward biological, ecological and social crisis, we are embracing a form of collective ignorance that makes absolutely no sense.

We are in a dangerous, collective denial of reality when we refuse to acknowledge that "unlimited economic expansion" is a fairytale myth currently embraced by every government on the planet.

#3: Our Grandchildren's Future Will Depend On How Well We Support And Evolve The Individual and Collective Consciousness Of Our Species Today
We need politicians capable of national leadership. We need spiritually enlightened leadership; leadership focused on both our future as a nation, and our future as a species.

I would encourage members of the Stonyhill community to think about adopting some or all of items contained in the Voter Guidelines listed below. Our primary power is the power of our collective voice, and the collective power of our individual vote. It's time to speak clearly about the future we want to create for future generations; a future that makes possible the unlimited creative potential available to all of us as we lean into that future. Together, we can make a difference.

If these ideas make sense to you, pass them along.

Guidelines For Enlightened 21st Century Voters: Political Leadership Your Grandchildren Will Be Thankful You Voted For

I will vote only for those politicians who:

1. fully embrace the concepts listed in Idea #1 and Idea #2 above,
2. openly embrace the ethics of compassion and care for every person under his or her political care.
3. refuse to use immature all-or-nothing, black-and-white thinking that turn those who disagree with them into an enemy.
4. use middlepath thinking to intentionally look for the truths found on both sides of every issue.
5. embrace compromise and hold the welfare of the country to be more important than the a) welfare of their own political party, or b) their own ideological beliefs.
6. refuses to intentionally distort the truth or in any way lie to voters. Politicians are asking our vote to make them leaders. Leaders should have the ability and ethical responsibility to verify their "facts". White lies, or any intentional, misleading distortion of the facts is still a lie. We don't condone it in our children and we shouldn't condone it in our politicians. We need leaders who manifest and model high ethical standards.
7. refuse to put his or her ideological "beliefs" above the welfare of our nation or the world. We are all in this thing called life together. Our success, at the expense of others, will eventually destroy not only our nation, it might very well destroy our world.
8. refuse to use or imply bigotry, racism, homophobia of any kind in their bid for political office....overtly or subtly.
9. refuse to inflame or openly encourage voter anger, fear, or prejudice; or in any way encourage violence, hatred, or name calling as a way to get votes. Prejudice against others, regardless of their race, ethnic background, nationality, or religion is a primitive thought process grounded in ignorance. We need leaders that reflect an enlightened high standard of care and ethics for all human beings.
10. refuse to support financial deregulation, tax policy inequality, or support the greed of the few at the expense of the majority. We are all part of what makes our nation what it is. Unless all of us are valued, successful, and able to live our dreams, our nation will fall.
11. refuse to support or encourage, in any way, the growing gap between those who have and those who don't. Dismantling our middleclass is the most dangerous thing we can do for the economic well-being of our children and future generations. The "gap" between the extremely wealthy and the poor has eventually led to the downfall of every nation or empire in human history.
12. embrace the collective verifiable wisdom of our world's scientists. Change is the engine of creation. Change is what creates the future. Evolution is accepted by every credible scientist in the world. Rejection of evolution is a religious "belief". The direction of evolution is toward increased life, consciousness, complexity, diversity, and systemic cooperation. A nation that ignores these evolutionary realities will not survive in the 21st century.
13. openly support and encourage equality for women in all aspects of our culture......religious, political, and economic.
14. refuse to put the needs of any one person, group, political party, corporation, or organization over the needs of all Americans, or the needs of our country. We need enlightened leadership, not self-serving bureaucrats.