Bill Walz

America, the 21st century is really upon us. Eight years into the third millennium of Western Civilization’s modern calendar, America is still reluctant to leave what has been called “America’s Century,” the 20th.

But leave this age without limits, we must, to find a more modest place in the world. In the “Findings” section of the January edition of Harper’s Magazine, it was noted that “humans are consuming 40 percent more resources than the world can sustain.” It also noted, “A team of psychologists and neurologists found that humans are hardwired for optimism despite knowing that things may not turn out well.” Other psychologists might call this “denial.”

Another election year is upon us. A new president and many Congresspersons will be elected and the campaigns have mostly failed to address the reality of the challenges in front of us. The results of the last election clearly called for change, but only gave the Democrats the slimmest of slim majorities in Congress while having to contend with a blindingly obstinate sitting Republican President. The natural timidity of Democratic politicians, and the contrasting boldness of Republicans, have resulted in, discouragingly, not much change at all. This year the mood for change in the electorate is even greater, but the campaigns, long on rhetoric about change, offer little.

The Democrats, claiming to be agents of change, have presented as bold their plans to exit Iraq — sometime — and to universalize health insurance, not care, but insurance. The Republicans sneeringly call this defeatism and socialism, while attempting to build another campaign around divisive social issues and belligerence in the world. On health care, Republicans cling to totally private-sector solutions, avoiding that it’s the private sector that created the abomination we now have. Democrats assure that their health system will remain private for-profit.

The media can find nothing lacking here, ignoring that the rest of the world settled into cost- and care-effective government-regulated and -financed health care several decades ago. The war rumbles on. Our economy trembles on the edge of recession, washed away by trickle-down economics. Democrats object, but fail to utterly declare the nakedness of this money-crazed and power-mad government-corporate oligarchy.

The entire political spectrum still buys into Bush’s War on Terror hoax as if we really were threatened by a scraggly bunch of Islamic psychopaths who managed to pull off one, I repeat, one, successful, albeit horrendous, attack against a then unwary America over six years ago. Our president and Republicans like to brandish Armageddonish declarations of “The Long War” and “Third World War” in reference to the Middle East and terrorism. They put on show trials of hapless wannabes who are sentenced to life in prison for going to camp one summer in Afghanistan, or were entrapped by FBI agent-provocateurs. The Bill of Rights is being shredded. The world of Islam is now so truly destabilized by America’s invasion of the Middle East and the consequent radicalization of the region that the threat to our interests are now far greater than in 2001.

This shadow-puppet-show is meant to serve the reactionary Republican agenda of concentrating maximum power in the hands of a cabal of government and corporate executives. Their true intentions are about to become clear; the protection of corporate and Wall Street profits at any cost to the rest of the nation and the suppressing of any rebellion against corporate control of America. We will find that The Patriot Act and the erosion of Habeas Corpus and civil liberties is not about fighting Islamic fanatics at all, but rather the environmental and anti-corporate rebellions yet to come.

For your meditation, I repeat: Humanity is consuming 40 percent more resources than the world can sustain, and the disastrous effects of globalization of the American corporate consumer economy have only begun. The figure of 40-percent overconsumption will only grow exponentially without a radical reshifting of how Americans and all humanity envision our place on this planet.

It’s not too late. It really is in our hands. Look to vote for capable candidates who are realistic, courageous and innovative about the challenges confronting us, and then demand that they boldly represent a new vision. Do your own part, reconfiguring your priorities and outlook. This is not impossible. The solutions are largely already available and many are being implemented in Western Europe, but America remains reluctant to evolve beyond our 20th-century thinking to embrace truly solution-based collaborative political and economic democracy.

The 21st century is looking like it may well be a rough one. How rough will be determined by whether we take off the blinders and turn our optimism toward the challenging work of creating a new and sustainable vision of our relationship with this world, humanity’s home.

I do wish you a Happy 2008, but I caution, without real change and re-prioritization, there may not be many happy years left — and then our hardwiring for optimism will truly be challenged.
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Bill Walz is a UNC Asheville adjunct faculty member and a private practice teacher of mindfulness, personal growth and consciousness. Contact at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 258-3241.