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Tuesday, 22 August 2006 18:45 |
| | Janese Johnson |
It is really hard to keep a positive outlook with all that is going on in the world.
There is a lot of anger, fear, war and deception going on these days. If we hear our news from mainstream news, we hear it one way, and if we hear our news from many of the progressive websites, we hear it less censored, and it shows a different picture. These times can definitely have anyone spinning circles into feeling despair and helplessness, and not feeling empowered at all to do anything about any of it.
Recently
when I was back in school, I heard one of my professors tell the
students that we cannot make a difference no matter what we do because
they (politicians) do not care. Perhaps many politicians have lost
touch with others reality besides their own, but it is up to us to let
them know that they are our representatives and we are their
constituents.
There is a
wonderful political, environmental, and cause-oriented website that has
helped me feel a bit inspired. There are people from all over the world
who do care about things that I believe really matter. Care2 has a
place for signing petitions, news items that might not be commonly
seen, peopleës ideas and many groups to share ideas. Whether we are
making a difference now or not, I do not know, but I believe that the
more of us who get together and share ideas; talk to our
congresspeople; stand up for injustice; and come together in one clear
voice; the more we will be seen and heard.
We have a
government that still is a democracy on some levels. If we sit back and
assume that this country will always remain free and democratic, then
we could lose so much through our apathy and not caring. Have you ever
know anyone who was in a fairly good relationship, but they took it for
granted and did not really effort or try to participate more than they
needed to, and then one day the relationship ended because of apathy? I
believe that probably most of us have either seen at least one of these
kinds of relationships or been in one ourselves. That is what many are
doing with our relationship with freedom and democracy.
I do not want to
come off sounding like an alarmist and doomsayer, I just want to get
the point across that we are in some very important times, and most
will probably agree with me on this one. I also believe that it is our
responsibility as an individual and as a group to participate in a
conscious manner with the relationship that we have with each other,
with our country and with the world. Recently I received an e-mail from
someone in South Korea who was shocked to hear that there are nice,
generous people here in the states. The reputation that Americans have
in a lot of the world is not on a good note. We can help change that or
we can live out the belief that Americans selfish and really care about
their own selves.
There are many
ways to be selfish then to take from others. One way that is common
amongst Americans is to be so busy in life and have no time for
anything or anyone else. A friend of mine says that she doesnët have
the time to write to her congressman and let him know how she feels.
The Internet has made that quite easy to do these days. There is a
website ÇƒÓ congress.org ÇƒÓ that basically writes them out for you and
sends them to your particular congress representatives.
Another common
trait that Americans are accused of is indulgence with entertainment,
food, sex, alcohol and drugs. There are many who spend any "extra" time
they have watching TV, playing videos, partying and indulging in food,
but this is not the whole of America.
Sigmund Freud,
who was the founder of psychoanalytical school of psychology around the
late 1800s, observed people and their psychological ways. He believed
that "most people do not really want freedom, because freedom involves
responsibility, and most people are frightened of responsibility." It
does seem that there is a bit of truth to what he has said about people
and their fear, and the great thing about fear is that it can be
overcome by the deep desire to do something much bigger for others.
A
great Hindu teacher named Sri Madhava Ashish once said, "Freedom lies
only in the innate capacity to choose between different sorts of
bondage; bondage to desire or self regard, or bondage to the light that
lightens all our lives."
It is still
possible to believe that we can indeed make a difference and remain
upbeat and positive while staying connected to knowing what is really
going on in the world at this time. So lets join together with a vision
of what true freedom and democracy means for all beings great and
small, and walk in the direction of accountability and responsibility
for that vision, then perhaps we will see great strides heading in a
more positive direction.
ï
Janese Johnson
has been doing intuitive counseling nationally for more than 20 years.
She may be contacted at janesej-at-buncombe.main.nc.us.
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