To allow poverty in the modern world is the most pervasive form of violence we enact upon one another. As long as we allow peoples to live in poverty, there will be no real or lasting peace – no end to violence, terrorism, and war. Selfishness, greed, and hatred produce poverty, a great adversary to our humanity. If our divinity is to be found in our humanity, then poverty is also an adversary of the divine kingdom.
—Tau Malachi, from Living Gnosis: A Practical Guide to Gnostic Christianity; And contributor to The Love: Of the Fifth Spiritual Paradigm
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By Dave Roberts
I was delighted when we chose the Occupy Movement, greed, and poverty as the central themes of this issue of the Omnibus. At last I can vent my spleen about the rise of the Tea Party Movement in a positive way as part of the polarization preceding a societal paradigm shift. I believe most Tea Partiers and the politicians they support are well-meaning people but ignorant of history – not just little things like the purpose of Paul Revere's ride, but the huge changes in the world since our beloved founding fathers established a new nation in the 18th century. Freedom from government, especially a monarchy across an ocean, was a great achievement then. But the founders soon learned that a stronger central government was needed to "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…."
Throughout the 19th century, their Posterity struggled to establish a sound financial system, improve transportation, spread across newly acquired territories, and deal with the inherently divisive issue of slavery in a country based on freedom and equality. They accomplished a great deal, but new problems arose that the founding fathers could not have foreseen: vast concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of a few greedy businessmen and bankers, and periodic depressions (called "panics" in those days) that threatened the lives of workers who toiled long hours for little pay, often in dangerous conditions, even during the best of times.
These problems sparked movements not unlike those of today: first Populists at the local level, then Progressives (both Democratic and Republican) at the national level. The poem "What We Want" by Ella Wheeler Wilcox, published in 1909, eloquently extols this "dawn of a new day breaking." Gradually, Progressives learned to use the power of government to limit the abuses of the Robber Barons, and to provide what Theodore Roosevelt called "a square deal." Eventually they even granted women the right to vote.
The Great Depression proved that those reforms were not enough. Greed prevailed again during the Roaring Twenties, and the resulting economic crash prompted many to embrace Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal," which boosted the power of government even more to create a social "safety net" and regulate the activities of banks and securities firms. Institutions such as the Social Security system, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, and the Securities and Exchange Commission have been with us ever since. Though these reforms did not end the Great Depression, they helped people survive it and helped the economy prosper for decades after World War II.
But the old distrust of government power remained, and Lyndon Johnson's doomed effort to establish a Great Society while fighting an unpopular and costly war in Vietnam caused the New Deal coalition to begin unraveling. After a tumultuous time in the 1970s, Ronald Reagan finally convinced a majority of the voters that government was the enemy, not the protector, of the people. Deregulation speeded up, and the Savings and Loan crisis hinted at the re-emergence of unhealthy greed. Support grew for the idea that government should encourage businesses in their pursuit of profits. In his Guest Article "Occupy Richmond Movement Seeks Peaceful Progress" William Smith says the Tea Party "contends that governmental overreach, especially over-taxation, is the main problem, whereas Occupy points to the inextricable and incestuous relationship between our government and powerful corporations and financial institutions." I believe he is dead right about that. I also agree with his view of the so-called "class war": "It was declared on the people of this country more than 30 years ago by a host of malevolent practices, such as trickle-down economic theories and unbridled deregulation."
Again I am reminded of the Progressive era, when William Jennings Bryan referred to "trickle-down" economics in his own way:
There are two ideas of government. There are those who believe that if you just legislate to make the well-to-do prosperous, that their prosperity will leak through on those below. The Democratic idea has been that if you legislate to make the masses prosperous their prosperity will find its way up and through every class that rests upon it.
– "Cross of Gold" speech to Democratic National Convention, 1896
I also appreciate Smith's effort to urge the Tea Party to "come together in order to facilitate a real paradigm shift of how we co-exist with one another on a global scale." His desire for unity is shared by Tom Hansen, whose song "America, Give Us Your Dream?" contains the line, "It takes us all in new America."
Philip M. Hellmich, author of "Love and Conflict: Insights from Africa on Transforming Self and Societies," offers some sound advice about overcoming differences to focus on a common goal. In the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, he and his colleagues at Search for Common Ground developed methods of conflict resolution between ethnic Hutus and Tutsis in Burundi by focusing on what connects them instead of what separates them. He writes, "[W]hen conflicts are handled destructively, fear becomes the driving force. People become polarized and their extreme positions drive the agenda." Sound familiar?
Occupiers and Tea Partiers have far less separating them than the people Hellmich helped in Africa. So do the Republicans and Democrats in Congress who can't agree on a long-term budget plan that includes long-delayed improvements in health care. Can his advice help them? I hope so. As Hellmich says, "In a sense, the lessons from Africa are universal to the human experience."
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"What We Want"
By Ella Wheeler Wilcox
(1850 – 1919)
All hail the dawn of a new day breaking,
When a strong-armed nation shall take away
The weary burdens from backs that are aching
With maximum labor and minimum pay.
When no man is honored who hoards his millions,
When no man feasts on another's toil,
And God's poor suffering, striving billions
Shall share His riches of sun and soil.
There is gold for all in the earth's broad bosom,
There is food for all in the land's great store,
Enough is provided if rightly divided,
Let each man take what he needs – no more.
Shame on the miser with unused riches,
Who robs the toiler to swell his hoard,
Who beats down the wage of the digger of ditches,
And steals the bread from the poor man's board.
Shame on the owner of mines whose cruel
And selfish measures have brought him wealth,
While the ragged wretches who dig his fuel
Are robbed of comfort and hope and health.
Shame on the ruler who rides in his carriage
Bought with the labor of half-paid men –
Men who are shut out of home and marriage
And are herded like sheep in a hovel-pen.
Let the clarion voice of the nation wake him
To broader vision and fairer play,
Or let the hand of a just law shake him
Till his ill-gained dollars shall roll away.
Let no man dwell under a mountain of plunder,
Let no man suffer with want and cold,
We want right living, not mere alms-giving,
We want just dividing of labor and gold.
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The Flame
In a gray cobbled square, surrounded by gray stone buildings, under a sky of low-hanging gray clouds, a boy knelt in the sheltering corner of an old monument and built a fire. He used a bundle of sticks that he had been carrying all day, calling through the streets for a buyer, for that was his work.
The boy was thin, small for his age, with a peaked face peering out of an oversized hat made of sheepskin. The hat belonged to his older brother, who had gone south for the winter to work in the mines. "Keep this for me," he had said, both of them knowing it was a prized possession. "I'll see you after the thaw." Then he had left, with his collar turned up against the blustery autumn wind.
The boy tugged the hat down, as if he could somehow stretch it to his shoulders. He held out his hands over the little blaze, and rubbed them together. Other children his age were snug in their homes, for the winter night comes quickly, and the weather was turning. But he dared not go. "Don't bother coming home with empty pockets," his aunt had said. "Your brother's never coming back to this wretched place. I'll not feed you for nothing."
Now the boy hunched closer to the flame, wondering where he could spend the night. He thought about his small cousins, chirping for dinner like hungry birds, and his aunt bent over the stew pot. He thought of his uncle stomping in the doorway to shake off the mud and a dusting of the snow that had begun to fall, grim and bent with fatigue from driving the sheep to shelter. No, he dared not go. He held his stomach and shivered.
From among the shadowy figures that hurried through the square in the dimming light, a man appeared beside him, unfamiliar. He was a tall man, strong featured, with dark eyes and the grizzled stubble of a beard. A traveler, by the look of his long coat and his staff. "May I share your fire?" he asked. The boy hesitated. It was so small and would soon be gone. He hated to make space for anyone else, but the man must be cold too. He nodded. The man lowered a bulky pack to the ground, and the boy moved over.
For a time, the two sat in silence, watching the flame and the scattered flakes that settled on the sticks and the cobbles and their clothing. The last of the villagers had passed now, and the stillness was broken only by the boy reaching every so often for another stick from his dwindling bundle. Though he was farther from the fire than when he had it all to himself, the boy began to feel warmer sitting beside the man. I wonder if I am dying, he thought. He had heard that when you are dying from the cold you feel, in the end, drowsy and warm. Yet he felt alert and clear headed. He looked up at his companion.
"Are you hungry?" asked the man. He reached into his pocket and gave the boy a small loaf of bread, dark and heavy. The boy broke off a piece, and tried to give back the rest, but the man shook his head. "Eat," he said. "You will need it for your journey." What journey?, the boy wondered. But he didn't ask.
Time passed. The boy put the last stick on the fire. When it was almost gone, the man opened a wooden box, lined with metal. He handed it to the boy. "Put the last of the fire in here," he said. The boy looked confused, knowing that a fire can't be kept in a box. "Go ahead," said the man. "A flame may last longer and travel farther than you think." The boy did as he suggested, then closed the box and held it, peering down at the curious carvings that covered its lid. To his surprise, the box became deliciously warm. It eased the cold in his hands as the open fire had not.
The boy looked up at the man. "You are a mage," he whispered. The man's eyes creased slightly at the corners.
"I am looking for an apprentice," he said.
Hope flooded through the boy. "Are you asking me?" he said, still whispering.
"Yes," said the man. …
[To learn what happens next… order your copy of Deas today.]
Author Valerie Tarico, Ph.D. graduated from Wheaton College, a bastion of evangelical education. She then earned a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Iowa and completed postdoctoral studies at the University of Washington. Her first book, Trusting Doubt: A Former Evangelical Looks at Old Beliefs in a New Light, won the 2011 IPPY award in the Religion category, and it examines her early evangelical beliefs through the lens of her psychological training and life experience. Her second book, Deas and Other Imaginings: Ten Spiritual Folktales for Children, is endorsed with a Seal of Approval from by the Young Voices Foundation.
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What is a Mandala?
Maṇḍala is a Sanskrit word that means "circle". In the Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions their sacred art often takes a mandala form.
The basic form of most Hindu and Buddhist mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point. Each gate is in the shape of a T.
By Henry Reed
A Contributing Author to The Love
"Henry Reed, Ph.D., divides his time between being a goat rancher and an independent scholar of psychology. His watercolor paintings have been shown at the Virginia Beach Center for the Arts, and he now leads people on home-based dream quests and paints watercolor mandalas for them as a channel of prayer and support. Henry is the founder of Creative Spirit Studios, a collaborative of lightworkers with a virtual headquarters at Creative-Spirit.net. His specialty is cultivating the creative spirit in others. His most recent projects include creating a national "Intuitive Heart Discovery Group," and the development of the webzine: Intuitive-Connections Network.
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Occupy Richmond Movement Seeks Peaceful Progress
By William Smith
November 20, 2011
With all due respect for the Richmond Tea Party, do its individual members speak on behalf of all its members? Myself, I speak from my own observations, which do not necessarily reflect those of Occupy Richmond as a whole. However, I do feel that additional perspective in the ongoing conversation about the Occupy Movement is essential.
I had to conclude – after reading a recent Commentary column – that the retrospective action of the local Tea Party's treasurer presenting the city of Richmond a bill for costs associated with its use of Kanawha Plaza was not so much a desire to right a perceived injustice as it was a premeditated backhand to the face of the Occupy Movement in general.
Are Tea Party members seeking to force an adversarial relationship between the two movements by portraying themselves as responsible and us as lawless? If so, this would be unfortunate and unnecessary.
While there are a few similarities between the two, the Tea Party generally contends that governmental overreach, especially over-taxation, is the main problem, whereas Occupy points to the inextricable and incestuous relationship between our government and powerful corporations and financial institutions. In spite of perpetual societal conditioning that make some feel afraid to speak out, many in our country are now setting aside ignorance and apathy and answering the clarion call for real action. Poignantly, this has largely resulted because they are realizing that the "American Dream" is unlikely for them.
Typically, pundits of varying pedigree have portrayed the Occupy Movement as radical anarchists, hippies, socialist and ne'er-do-wells – or in the case of our own congressman, Rep. Eric Cantor, as a "mob." This is far from the total picture. Since all are welcome to participate in the Occupy Movement, it is composed of men and women from across the spectrum of age, race, religion, political persuasion and socioeconomic status, with a resultant eclectic mix of citizenry. Interestingly, the Tea Party's unwavering support of primarily conservative Republicans has by necessity narrowed its political stance and aligned its supporters as minions of the corporate power structure. By comparison, we have come to the accurate conclusion that neither major political party serves the interests of the vast majority of its constituents. This is tantamount to a less-than-subtle disenfranchisement that has been foisted on the American people.
It is not the objective of members of Occupy to flagrantly dismiss standing laws. Rather, it is their adamant desire to have their voices heard vis-à-vis their unabridged First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly. It certainly requires the courage of one's convictions to stand up for these rights at the risk of arrest and incarceration – not unlike the intent and spirit of our nation's founders.
In a reference to "occupiers everywhere," the previously mentioned Commentary stated concern that "hateful speech and unsubstantiated claims reflect ever-escalating information from agenda-driven leaders, forced to double down on deceit, distraction and misplaced blame." Perhaps this criticism has some elements of truth concerning a minority of Occupy members, but I believe it had more of an autobiographical ring to it.
First, the depiction of Occupy Richmond was shortsighted and plainly inaccurate. Occupy has no designated leaders. We do not condone violence toward anyone or destruction of property. Indeed, we do provide safety, first-aid, food and other supplies to anyone who needs them. Through outreach, we provide education and support to the population at large. And we actually kept Kanawha Plaza quite clean and orderly throughout our occupation there. In fact, clean up there by the city was necessitated only due to the manner the Richmond police tore down and bulldozed Occupy Richmond's facilities. Incidentally, a major factor that keeps Occupy Richmond's morale so high is the phenomenal moral support and generous material donations we have received from people from all walks of life.
Second, how can Occupy be misplacing blame when we didn't start this class war? It was declared on the people of this country more than 30 years ago by a host of malevolent practices, such as trickle-down economic theories and unbridled deregulation. Obviously, retrogressive economic policies have already failed us.
Finally, wouldn't it be wonderful if instead of perpetually wasting our time and energy debating one another, we could come together in order to facilitate a real paradigm shift of how we co-exist with one another on a global scale? As astounding as it may seem, "We the People" of the Occupy Movement love our country too!
William Smith is a freelance writer, U.S. Navy veteran, resident of Chesterfield County, Virginia, and member of the Occupy Richmond Movement. He also is a strong supporter of The Oracle Institute – for which we thank him! To see the article, originally printed in the Richmond Times Dispatch: click here.
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By Tom Hansen
A Contributing Author to The Love
America, Give us Your Dream?
America
You have a dream
Give us your dream, oh America
Don't hide it under a bushel basket
Don't be shy, no more shadows
America, give us your dream
Which of those dreams are we talkin' about
Which of those dreams can still come true
America, time to decide
Gonna' take the road of power and might
Or smooth the path for trodden feet (and do what's right)
America, which will you choose
(Chorus) People quotin' Founders to say what we should do
Or using old religion to give us rules for how
But America, what is your dream for today
This is the chance to show the world
The change we chose is for real
America, yes we can
One man can't do it all alone
One man won't do all of it right
It takes us all in new America
One thing we have learned in time
Can't sit back and think it's fine
Gotta' do more ourselves in America
We gotta know what's goin' on
Gotta make them tow the line
Be a light on the hill, America
Click here for this song and more by Tom Hansen.
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Love & Conflict:
Insights from Africa on Transforming Self and Societies
By Philip M. Hellmich
A human being is a part of a whole, called by us "Universe," a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest . . . a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.
– Albert Einstein
Accelerated Pursuit of Happiness: Creating Complex Problems
Although the global economy may be weaving together humanity, without the unifying power of Love, greater and greater global conflicts will arise. Also, the individual pursuit of happiness through consumerism usually results in less human connection, less connection with nature, and, ultimately, less experience of Love. This in turn creates isolation, suffering, and an inner hunger that leads to more craving and consumption. It is no surprise that many of the top-selling prescription drugs sold in America deal with depression and anxiety. Material progress without Love and compassion leads to suffering.
However, when conflicts are handled destructively, fear becomes the driving force. People become polarized and their extreme positions drive the agenda. The people with the loudest voices often use fear as a tactic to unify their group against "the others." As fear increases, people narrow their multiple identities (such as father, mother, musician, artist, sports fan, farmer, teacher), down to just one – whether an ethnic group (I'm a Hutu and you're a Tutsi), a religious sect (I'm a Muslim and you're a Jew), or a political party (I'm a Republican and you're a Democrat). Instead of seeing what they have in common or what connects them, they see only how they are different and what separates them.
The Common Ground Approach: Transforming Societies
My colleagues at Search for Common Ground did just the opposite in neighboring Burundi, a country populated largely by people with Hutu and Tutsi ethnicity. Burundi was teetering on the brink of all-out violence immediately after the genocide in Rwanda. Quickly, my colleagues assessed the situation and then established a radio studio where Hutu and Tutsi journalists worked side by side. They produced programs that provided balanced information and which rehumanized both groups.
The Common Ground approach is based on an implicit trust in the human spirit. When there is recognition of common humanity, innate spiritual qualities of tolerance, compassion, forgiveness, and Love can be awakened. With these positive human qualities present, it is easier for people to shift their mindset. A new consciousness arises, one where they can face problems together instead of attacking each other. In essence, our approach is similar to a meditation practice: We help a person move beyond fear, expand their identity or consciousness, and experience a sense of oneness or connection with other people and nature. This process opens people to their innate spiritual potential and allows them to create win-win solutions.
This may sound simple, but it is profound. Meditation teaches that wherever you place your focus, that is where your energy and consciousness goes. Scientists now theorize that the physical world arises out of consciousness, something yogis and sages have taught for centuries. Many motivational speakers and spiritual teachers talk about the power of positive thinking and positive affirmations. One teacher says if you want to reduce the power of negative influences, do not battle the negative; rather, increase the positive. Yogananda once said, "If you want to change your circumstance in life, change your thinking." This may sound idealistic when a society is facing potential genocide, but this is exactly what our staff employed in Burundi – we helped an entire society change its consciousness.
Universal Lessons – Global Challenges
In a sense, the lessons from Africa are universal to the human experience. Humanity is facing complex problems, such as global warming, that require us to look beyond our individual and national identities. If we start to view all of humanity and nature as being interconnected and interdependent, we will be able to move beyond behaviors that are fueled by a sense of separation and fear. Then, cooperative solutions will come at an unprecedented rate and scale. But first, we must reevaluate how we individually and collectively pursue happiness. As Einstein prescribed, we must widen "our circle of compassion."
In Africa, the human spirit has proven to be incredibly resilient. From direct experience, I know it is possible to cultivate Love on an individual level through spiritual practices such as meditation, and on a societal level by applying emerging methodologies of conflict resolution such as the Search for Common Ground approach. The next step will be an evolutionary leap: To weave a new global tapestry based on the universal principle of Love.
While this global challenge may seem overwhelming, I have found that if I focus on my immediate environment, I am empowered. In meditation, the idea is to "be present." I believe that my contribution to world peace starts right now, with every breath, choosing to be present in my own humanity and honoring the humanity in whoever is in front of me. This simple exercise allows me to connect spiritually with people all around the world. And it enables me to be open to the unifying and transformative power of Love.
Philip M. Hellmich is Director of Individual Giving at Search for Common Ground in Washington, D.C. He has 18 years of international development and peace building experience with affiliated organizations such as the Peace Corps. He also is a speaker, trainer, author and is featured in: Hello Love (DVD); and Search for Common Mound (DVD).
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