|
Dear Friends,
[Editorial Note: The no longer timely joke which appeared in this space in the e-mail edition, about the 2000 U.S. Presidential Election, has been removed. No further changes have been made to what follows. H.]
So, now maybe you can appreciate just how important it is for all Citizens of a Democratic Republic to get out and vote! "Vote early, and vote often," as some zealous politicos are rumored to have urged their partisans - like that fellow in Florida who is reported to have been caught red-handed with an official voting machine. Outstanding example, that, of a sterling response to the call for "all Good Men to come to the aid of the Party."
It may seem to some of you, particularly Americans, a bit late in the day to be banging the drum to "get out the vote," now that the Big Election is, ah, (supposedly) "over." However, as you will see, it is never too late to vote. Read on (if you like).
As you will no doubt have realized by now, having read the preceding edition of The New Paradigm, the efficacy of "participating in the political process," including "voting" in so-called "elections," is approximately nil. It doesn't matter who "wins" an "election," because the "elected officials" are outnumbered a thousand-to-one by unelected agents of who-knows-what, who remain quietly in place, unobserved and unremarked, so-called "administration" after "administration;" as transient "elected officials" come and go through a perpetually revolving door. If you really believe your "vote" counts for anything at all, well I guess you can believe anything. (That's just an opinion, of course. For all I know, you may be thinking I can believe anything. If so, you're probably right.)
And, as disclosed last time, even the so-called "elected officials" operate under the so-called "authority" of "necessity," i.e. Martial Law, which is and always has been no law at all, or at best the color of law of the armed against the defenseless. The course of the "political process" has been established for thousands of years now, and it hasn't deviated a degree either way in all that time - which certainly isn't "good news" for anyone reading this. If you want a glimpse of the future, as scheduled by the agenda of the "political process," read history. This isn't "rocket science," Folks. The future is scheduled to be just like the past, only on a vastly grander scale. Now give this a moment's thought: Just how much more of that do you figure you can withstand, I don't care who you are, or think you are?
So, if you happen to have "sat out" the past "election," as I did, and the one before that, and the one before that..., do not despair. The outcome of all so-called "elections" was written hundreds, maybe thousands of years ago. You haven't missed anything, believe me.
And yet... you know what? I certainly do vote. Yes I do; early, and often. And so do you, whether you realize it or not. Every time we open our mouths to speak, we vote. With every thought we entertain in our minds, we vote. With every scowl and every smile, with every word and every deed, we vote. With everything we do, or write, or say, or think, we do most assuredly vote, for or against the world we want (or don't want) to live in. Sometimes, to our dismay, we vote against the world we want, and for the world we don't want. Isn't that crazy? But we sure do it. Can't be helped. Well, it can. There is now, and always has been, universal suffrage on planet Earth, at all times, in all places, under all circumstances. It's irrevocable. Do you suppose that could have anything to do with the very nearly universal suffering we've had in our world throughout human history?
Not directly, I wouldn't say so. However, irresponsible suffrage can certainly lead to chaotic results, which may not be just everyone's proverbial cup of tea. So the key question is, What do you want? What kind of a world, universe, experience of "reality" do you elect to live in? You can have it. You do have it, like it or not. If you don't like it, you can change how you vote. Meanwhile, your total experience of "reality," right here, right this minute, in all its detail, from right in front of your face, to "the ends of the universe," is the direct aggregate manifestation of how you have voted, up to this exact hour and minute, and "intersection in space-time." Can you believe that? Think about it.
The really extraordinary thing about the election of which I speak is that everyone gets what they want - well, after learning how and why to vote responsibly, that is. More precisely, everyone gets what they elect, whether responsibly or irresponsibly; and how anyone else votes doesn't alter even slightly the outcome of your election. Isn't that incredible? So it's really, really fair. There is simply no ground for disappointment, or complaint, for anyone; no possibility of any "tampering with the ballot box." Works every time; always has; always will. And, the results are always instantaneous.
So again, What do you want? Do you long for peace, and love? Be peaceful, and loving. Do you long for freedom? Be free. Follow your guidance and intuition, instead of anyone else's. Have the courage to make your own mistakes, and to correct them. Do you want anger and stress in your life? Be angry and stressed, then; shout obscenities at the people and things around you. Kick the dog; step on the cat; heave a chair through a window now and then, or maybe shoot someone. How much anger and stress do you want? This is your election we're talking about; you can have it any way you like. Do you want change, want things to be different? Then focus your thoughts and intent on change.
Of course, unless you're a bit more specific than that, you might be overtaken by "calamity," if all you seek is change. Sure, things will be different, all right; but you may not like it. And if you focus on contradictory objectives, such as for instance, freedom without corresponding responsibility for the choices you make, you're likely to get mixed, chaotic results. Or if you want to dominate the will of others, but don't want others to dominate your will.... Lots of real and would-be autocrats have fallen into that self-contradiction throughout history. Most of them have wound up prematurely "dead."
It turns out that voting responsibly may require some rather penetrating thought and introspection, yes? It's not enough to know what you don't want; you must also know what you want, and keep it in focus, keep pursuing it, keep it uppermost in your mind, and in your heart. In fact, if you focus all or most of your attention upon what you don't want, guess what? That's exactly what you're voting for! And your vote counts double, or maybe triple, when accompanied by a strong emotion, like fear. Flip that over, though, and the converse is also true: focus all or most of your attention upon what you want, and accompany that with a strong emotion, like love, and your vote counts double, or triple, or maybe even more!
That's the way it works. Isn't it? Hay, I'm no "authority" on any of this, I'm only telling you how it looks to me. You'll have to run it by your own system of evaluation (if you want to; you don't have to do anything), and either vote for it, or agin' it. Let's say it's "so" then, and see where that takes us. If we have to vote (even though I just got through saying we don't have to do anything), how should we go about mastering the techniques of voting responsibly?
What I mean, we can't avoid voting. It's like we're in a moving vehicle. We can steer it wherever we want, but we can't stop it or slow it down. We exist (can't change that) and we're going somewhere; we're in a constant process of change. Where we "steer" determines "where we go." Okay; and the way we steer is with our minds, and our hearts, and our emotions; and a great deal of that is, or has been, a product of habit, much of it below the level of conscious awareness. So the first thing we need to do is become aware of what's going on, moment to moment, in our minds, and our hearts, and our emotions. Bring it into conscious focus. What am I thinking, feeling, right now? How about now? How about most of the time? Am I usually "happy?" "Depressed?" "Buoyant?" "Lonely?" "Anticipating?" "Angry?" "Ebullient?" Am I "usually" in a "positive," or a "negative" mood, or frame of mind? These are indications of how I habitually vote, without necessarily even being aware of it. When I look in any direction from where I am standing or sitting right now, do I "like what I see," or not?
Can you deal with the thought that everything you see, everything that comes into your awareness, is a product and direct manifestation of your voting record? This is not necessarily a very comfortable, or flattering, thought, and the impulse may be strong to push it away with something like, "It's not my fault. It's someone else's fault. Someone did this to me. Poor me."
Well, yes, and that is certainly one way to vote. "It's someone else's fault, and there's nothing I can do about it." Yeah, you're probably right; we're all a-goin' to hell on a sled, an' that's jes' the way it is. If so, I guess there's nothing much more to be said. Tough. Hope things get better, but they probably won't. Good luck. See ya in hell. Maybe things'll be better there there than they are here.
On the other hand, what if you, and I, and others of similar disposition, face the unflattering thought squarely; accept it; acknowledge it; then what? "Okay, the world is a mess; specifically, the world I am experiencing right now is a mess (if it is; if not, good for you!), and I did it. I made it this way, with the decisions, conscious and unconscious, I have made throughout my life, year by year, day to day, and moment to moment; and I am not at all satisfied with the result." There, that wasn't so hard, was it? What if it's true? Well, at least I don't have to keep doing what I've been doing, right? That is, if I can become aware of what I have been doing to create such a "mess." At least I have a remedy available now for all the world's troubles, not only my own: I can change how I vote.
So, how might I go about doing that? There's lots of ways, of course, many approaches and methods. Ultimately, each of us has to map our own course; make our own decisions; cast our own votes. However there's nothing says we can't help one another along the way, with encouragement, alternative points of view, unique insights. My approach is to consult Source, in the form of a little "Q & A." Maybe some of this will stimulate similar, or parallel, or perpendicular, or complementary, or contrary thoughts in you.
Q: Hello-o-o, Source? Are You there?
A: Of course I'm here. Where did You think I'd be?
Q: Oh, most anywhere, I guess....
A: I AM.
Q: Ah..., right.
Source, can You help Me sort out a few lines of approach to, as I've been writing above, "voting responsibly?" You have been reading what I've been writing, haven't You?
A: Of course. Who do You think has been helping You write it? So, what would You like Me to do?
Q: Well, I've gotten to the place where We (My "resonant" Readers and I) have decided to own up and admit that the world is the way it is because We've made it that way, and if We don't like it We ought to change the way We vote, i.e. the way We make large and small decisions in Our daily lives.
A: That's a good start.
Q: But a lot of the decisions We make, the votes We cast, are habitual, unconscious, unintended. We may want to be bright, and cheerful, and optimistic, for instance, yet remain habitually morose, or crabby, or pessimistic. Have You any suggestions on how to change this?
A: The first question that comes to My Mind is, "How important is it to You to change?" Do You really want to change it, or are You just kidding Your Selves?
Another question that occurs to Me is, "What do You, Harmon, want?" Can You describe to Me, briefly, the salient features of the world in which You would like to live, and the kind of life You would like to lead? I'd like to use You as an example, You see, so Others may apply what is spoken here, if They like, to Their particular lives and preferences.
Q: Hmmm. Kind of puts Me on the spot...
A: No, You put Your Self "on the spot," if that's the way You choose to think of it, by bringing up this topic in the first place. Proceed.
Q: Right. Okay. The kind of world I would like to live in is one in which Human Beings are honest, with Themselves, and with One Another, and Whose relationships are characterized at minimum with mutual respect, as one Sovereign Being to another, and preferably with mutual love and trust. It would be a world in which Human creativity blossoms, and grows, and bears fruit in overwhelming abundance, because people share their creativity freely, joyfully, generously, knowing that Human creativity is a bottomless fount of wealth and prosperity. I think in such a world, no One will ever want for anything, because as We were discussing in an earlier conversation, We will all be operating within the "light end of the spectrum" of choices available to Us, instead of, as is frequently the case here, at the "dark end." We will be enjoying "realms of heavenly bliss," instead of the "darkest dungeons of hell."
A: Okay; I get the picture. And the kind of life You would like to lead in such a world?
Q: Initially, transitionally - because there will be much shifting into such a world from the world of our "heritage" - I would like to facilitate the transition by helping people become comfortable with the expanded vision...
A: Yes, that's all very well. However, what I mean is, how do You see Yourself relating with Others of Your kind - and with Others not of Your kind as well?
Q: Primarily, with the mutual honor and respect proper between and among Cosmic Sovereign Beings. I feel the thumbnail guideline, "Do whatever You will; provided You do nothing to compromise Another's liberty to do likewise," is basically sound. If that were the commonly understood premise for Human society, I have an idea very little else would be required.
A: And do You Yourself practice these ideals You espouse?
Q: I try to. I'm working on it.
A: Yes, I believe You are. However, didn't a Lady call you on the telephone the other evening around dinner time? Do You recall that? What was that all about? Remember? You were a bit short with Her, weren't You?
Q: Lady? Ah, yes, You must be thinking of the One who called Me to let Me know that My name was entered in some kind of a drawing, or a contest, or something like that.
A: That's right. And how did You relate to Her?
Q: I guess I was a bit short with Her, come to think about it. I get irritated by all these telephone solicitors who call just at dinner time, because I guess they know that's when most people are likely to be home.
A: Yes, You sounded irritated to Me. You said, "I have no idea what you're talking about!" And I'm sure You would have spelled that "you're" with a lower-case "y." Now tell Me, is that how You imagine Yourself relating in the world in which You would like to live, "at minimum with mutual respect, as one Sovereign Being to another, and preferably with mutual love and trust?"
Q: I guess You got Me there.
A: My Purpose is not to "get" You. I appreciate that You Are sincere in the statement and pursuit of Your ideals; and that You, and Everyone, "fall short" from time to time, of Your stated ideals. This particular instance - and I'm sure You can recall to mind numerous others like it - simply illustrates one way in which You can very easily, as You astutely put it earlier on, "vote against the world You want, and for the world You don't want."
That really is "the long and the short of it." You have not "committed a 'sin'" by becoming irritated with a Fellow Human; nor did She, in making the decision to interrupt Your dinner with an unsolicited telephone call. Maybe She wanted to put Herself in a position to receive such irritated rebuffs as Yours.
However, You have said You want to live in one kind of a world, yet in this instance You voted against what You said You want, and for a world in which People express irritation toward One Another, which I take it is not what You had in mind when You were describing the world in which You say You would like to live. If You intend to arrive at Your stated objective, it is important that You become aware how often, and in what multitudinous ways You, in a sense, "vote for the opposition."
Now You have asked Me to help You "sort out a few lines of approach to voting responsibly." There are, as You have said, many possibilities; yet just this one may be a sufficient place to begin - or rather to continue. I suggest You search Yourself for such spontaneous instances in Your immediate experience, in which You have voted against Your own desires and wishes; and simply take note of them. You need not "beat Yourself up" over them, or even regard them as errors. You simply want to "go somewhere;" make specific changes to Yourself, and to the world in which You wish to live. Much of what You do is productive to achieving Your objectives. However, at least some of what You do, in thought, and word, and deed, is counterproductive to Your objectives. Identify those elements, preferably as soon as You commit them, which "take You away" from "where You want to go," and endeavor to "correct" them. Which is to say, decide within Your own Heart and Mind what alternative choices You might have made in the circumstance that would have been more consistent with Your chosen objectives. You can be sure a similar circumstance will arise again, in which You will be "armed," if You're paying attention, with a prepared alternative line of action.
This is a method Anyone may employ any time, anywhere, for You are constantly making decisions, choices, that effect the course of Your life from moment to moment. All Your choices, if You wish, may be brought before Your scrutiny for a determination as to how effective they are in "taking You where You want to go."
This includes traditions and values that may have remained unexamined throughout Your life. Everything is subject to, or available for, "renegotiation" at this time; and You Are the only Entity in Cosmos qualified to evaluate, and if You so elect, to change Your choices. I exempt My Self from all such evaluation and decisions, for it has been My Will "from the Beginning" that all such evaluation and decisions be made by You, and You only. Thus if I AM not qualified to make Your choices for You, clearly no One else is qualified to make them for You either. The whole of My Will for You is simply that You do Your Will.
Actually, You have been doing that all along, and until recently Your Will, collectively, has evidently been for the most part to surrender Your Will to a small number of Your Peers, and to fall into a profound slumber. Large numbers of You are now in the process of awakening, and are taking measures to return Your Will to Your proper Selves, having learned (and taught) many valuable lessons during your extended somnambulance. Good for You! If You persist, in large matters and in small, taking charge of Your own decisions, and as you put it, voting responsibly, You will be literally amazed at the world you find Your Selves living in, and the lives You find Your Selves leading, in a very short while.
Now, do You suppose that is enough to work with, at least for the time being?
Q: Yes, I think so. Thank You, Source.
A: And Thank You, Harmon.
So in conclusion, Folks, vote: early, often, and above all, responsibly!
Love & Light,
Harmon
"Vote!"
copyright 2000 by J. Harmon Grahn.
Verbatim copying and redistribution are permitted
in any medium provided this notice is preserved.
|