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Tuesday, 12 September 2006 18:50 |
| | Bill Walz |
I have many serious concerns about the state of American culture and politics, but arching over all, I think I am the most concerned that I hear and see so little about idealism in American political discourse.
Among our political leaders, I see no large vision of a better world. I only see endless self-serving smallness, with no one willing to risk confronting the really big issues facing us with bold ideas. This is not the political world I thought we were headed toward when I was politically initiated into the Camelot, Great Society, civil-rights and peace-on-earth politics of the ǃÚ60s.
I
identify myself in these writings as a lefty Democrat, but that doesnët
really describe my political orientation. I seem to be a breed facing
extinction: an old-fashioned utopian socialist. I actually believe the
purpose of politics is to confront the reasons for suffering in the
human community and to correct them to the greatest extent possible. I
also believe that we are all in this thing called life on this planet
together. I believe that since our status as rich or poor, smart or
dim, healthy or sick, free or tyrannized is pretty much an accident of
birth, then for those who are fortunate, it is a moral imperative to
understand, "there, but for the grace of God, go I."
It then follows
that the next imperative is to do something to ameliorate inequities,
and politics is the arena of doing something. The only question always
is, "Which master do you serve?" Do you serve the master of equity and
compassion or do you serve the master of narrow self-interest?
I call myself a
Democrat because in the current two party, right-left,
conservative-liberal, Republican-Democrat political landscape, the only
political party that this utopian can find on my personal screen sits
well over on the right edge, as a lefty Democrat. Republicanism as
currently practiced isnët anywhere on the screen. Democrats at least
believe in government as the peopleës protector from victimization by
the powerful.
Republicans, on
the other hand, seem to believe in self-interest and narrow-mindedness
as a virtue. They call it conservatism, but the only conserving they
really seem interested in is their own economic, ideological and social
advantages. I remember a few years back, at the height of the
Republican ascendancy, there actually was floating in the culture the
notion that "greed is good." Well Iëm afraid that philosophy has
morphed into what feels like Americaës unspoken motto: "Iëm getting
mine, and to hell with you." What have we come to?
Even most
establishment Democrats seem to have signed onto this sinking ship
morality. They continue to advocate for a minimal social safety net,
but not much beyond the minimal. Too sadly, as individuals, too many
compulsively pursue their own oversize piece of the pie as doggedly as
any Republican (think Bill and Hillary Clinton).
Democrats do
protect historic altruistic government accomplishments like Social
Security, Medicare, public education and minimum wage from Republican
attempts to gut these foundations of social equity, but I donët see
them offering any new ideas of the same quantum proportion as these
programs were in their day. Democrats will dabble at the edges of
problems like health care, environmental protection, poverty, income
equity and education, but seem to shrink from calling for bold new
solutions that broaden our democracy. They avoid any proposals that
would threaten any of the entrenched interests that are complicit in
the problems. On the issue of world peace, as well as domestic order
and security, sadly, the two parties vie to demonstrate which is the
tougher, not the wiser.
With income
disparity in this country getting wider, with health care in a crisis,
with education quality deteriorating, with poverty a growing problem,
with environmental catastrophe looming, with safety on American streets
and peace in the world more and more elusive, with our economy
abandoning its working class and poor, isnët it time we realized that
we are all in this together and that we need bold new inclusive
thinking?
Isnët it time to
realize that courageous idealism is needed and that to not be an
idealist is to be a defeatist? Isnët it time to realize that to not be
a utopian is to be complicit in the demise of humanity? That to not
vigorously participate in raising humanity another step in its
evolution towards harmony, consciousness and mutual responsibility is
to doom our children? I have a bumper sticker on my car that says, "One
people, one planet, one future." Those are my politics. Happily I see
it is also the motto of this newspaper. If it isnët yours, I ask you,
why not?
ï
Bill Walz is a
UNCA adjunct faculty member and a private practice teacher of
mindfulness, personal growth and consciousness. Contact at
bill.walz-at-worldnet.att.net or (828)258-3241.
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