ACTION ALERT FOR NOVEMBER 2008
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Sometimes the calls for political action that come from the various groups that we are a part of is an unpleasant call that seems like a burdensome addition to our daily lives.
Below are the thoughts of one member of the
San Diego Network of Spiritual Progressives on answering the call for political action.
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We live in what can be a dirty little world. Lying torn upon the sidewalk is a carrier for a six pack of beer.
Three bottles lie exposed. Two of the bottles are half
empty. The mess has been there from the night before. It smells.
How does a person confront such untidiness? Notice the beer cans et all and clean the mess? Be oblivious to it all while noting the wonderful blue sky above? Observe the carton and bottles and step around them? Or another approach?
How do we deal with this untidiness on a more serious, societal scale? Overlook, accept, discuss only or act in a serious manner?
Each problem represents an opportunity to correct what is wrong with our neighborhood, city or nation.
A problem that is overlooked, accepted or discussed and dropped will fester, become worse and its negativity may become the new norm, unwanted but there.
If there is a six pack lying on the sidewalk or someone's lawn, I hope the individuals in the neighborhood will act: clean the mess, work to stop the construction of a cement factory in an environmentally fragile area, prevent minority voters from being purged from the voting rolls...
Will each member of the community act? It is the few, the proud who will step forward to clean up the untidiness. As members of the Network of Spiritual Progressives, we are members of the few who step forward.
by Jim Hamilton
member of the San Diego Network of Spiritual Progressives
Thoughts of a Spiritual Progressive on ACTION ALERTS
As we step forward, we are taking part in raising consciousness in our country. In the
JULY/AUGUST 2008 issue of TIKKUN, Steve
McIntosh states in his article, "Integral Politics and
the Evolution of Consciousness and Culture" that
"every problem in the world is, at least in part, a
problem of consciousness. So it follows that the solution to almost every problem involves the
raising of consciousness.
Research confirms that the American political milieu can no longer be accurately characterized as only a simple left-right ( us-them) continuum.
Rather, our national political landscape can also be understood as a three-way-struggle between the historically significant worldviews identified as
traditionalism, modernism, and what is coming to be known in integral parlance as postmodernism.
The integral perspective recognizes that consciousness evolves through a series of
distinct worldviews, each of which results in new perspectives, new concerns, and new values.
Ultimately, raising consciousness is a long-term
cultural project that happens in the internal universe at the level of world-views, values, personal identity, and loyalty.
As consciousness is raised across the board, this will cause America's cultural center of gravity to move forward in history, resulting in a more progressive politics." [ July/August 2008 Tikkun ]
As we take action in support of our values, we are
helping to raise the consciousness of our larger community while at the same time expanding our own "Integral Worldview."
Peace and generosity would then be an acceptable priority in a national agenda.