That Which Divides Us
I have been contemplating the differences that divide our country and the world, and thought I would make a few comments.
In “A Course in Miracles” the following statement is made:
“Let me recognize the problem so it can be solved.”
The first problem that creates and sustains the division is the problem is not recognized for what it is.
The division we have is normally seen as being between left and right, conservative and liberal, traditional and progressive, etc. The truth of the matter is the division is between the male and female polarity — or the left and right brain. Both have their place, but the tendency of mankind is for the male polarity to see the female as an enemy to be subdued, and the female sees its opposite in the same way.
As I said they both have their place, but female represents the emotional creative self and the male represents intellectual thinking as well as physical strength. Let me remind you that all of us have male and female energy within us. We all think and we also all feel. Even so, each of us are polarized in one or the other. If a person is polarized in the male energy then he needs to learn to appreciate and properly use the emotional energy and the polarized female needs to learn to appreciate the male.
These two aspects play out in the world by creating what is called the left and right wing of the various governmental systems. For the left-wing, truth to them is what feels true not necessarily what is true. This polarized notion leads to great creativity and can be productive in times of peace and security. But in times when security is threatened, as we are in now, reality is not always what we feel it should be. In such times the mind must dominate and common sense must rule. These are such times.
Common sense must rule above all other things and intelligence in government must surface. When intelligence dominates then we can take the female aspect and use the creative mind to assist in bringing peace on earth good will to men.
Maximum freedom needs to be the most important goal behind any benevolent political system. It is amazing that both the left and the right see themselves as agents of maximum freedom. What creates the problem is there are a lot of things that we can do to bring greater freedom in our own lives at the expense of enslaving others. As I said before, the Old South fought the civil war in the name of freedom. They said they had to have their slaves to ensure that the slave owners would be free.
There is certain amount of truth in that. If you have a slave and that slave works hard for you for nothing, then it is a fact you do have a little bit more individual freedom. But the freedom of the whole is diminished and the whole is what must always be looked at. There are those that want to increase our taxes and take our money to give others more freedom. But such people make the same mistake as did the Old South. By taking money from part of the population and giving it to another part one is bringing a little more individual freedom for some at the expense of enslaving others.
This makes me think back to the statement of Lincoln when he heard arguments from the South that they were fighting for freedom. He shook his head and merely stated that some people have odd idea what freedom is.
We have a powerful illusion that divides. The key ingredient to be seen through the mists is freedom. Not freedom for the few at the expense of the many or freedom for the many at the expense of a few but maximum freedom for all. The problem is that we cannot see the truth through strictly black-and-white interpretations. Note that I used the phrase “maximum freedom.” To obtain maximum freedom we must realize there are certain elements in society they cannot have freedom to do whatever they want. The burglar cannot have freedom to burglarize your house for instance. Because maximum freedom does not mean total freedom this means the freedom can only be understood through the use of the second key of judgment. A person must make a judgement as to where maximum freedom lies and then pursue it.
The bottom-line is maximum freedom does not lie in enforced socialism. If people want to set up communities operating on socialistic principles where those who participate do so with total free will then this could be a good thing. But when one attempts to enforce his version of morality or good on others through force, then that which is good becomes a great evil.
It is interesting that DK tells us that one of the causes of disease is a distortion of a divine ideal. Equal rights, abundance and sharing are all wonderful goals but they cannot be obtained through the taking away of free will. Unfortunately, there are many who want to impose their ideals upon us even if it means taking away our free will and making us slaves to their whims.
The battle here on earth is a battle between maximum freedom for the whole and minimum freedom. With maximum freedom the average person has the opportunity to make the most of his life, following his personal desires and make his own destiny. With minimum freedom the average person becomes like a beast of burden and is herded about and told what to do. The few who do have freedom are those who are giving the orders. Our world is headed in one direction or the other. The choices are the maximum freedom or minimum freedom. Which do we really want?
Enforced socialism, even though the goals sound good, will lead to minimum freedom and maximum control. Socialism, private enterprise or any other type of endeavor, after a period of trial and error, will usually produce good in the end if freedom reigns. This is my great desire and prayer, my friends, that maximum freedom will reign. Let each of us do our part to make it so.
If you believe everything you read, you’d better not read. — Japanese Proverb
Sept 6, 2008
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