One Nation under What?

So it’s finally over. The elections in the mightiest nation on Earth are done with. Slowly ‘things’ will return to normal. We had all suffered hundreds of speeches, arguments, statements often filled with lies or half-lies, telling us why should this or that aspirant ought to, or remain in, the White House. Not an easy job. It has been said that only a fool would want the job—only a saint would accept it. And in all these tirades we only heard arguments on how the prospective aspirant might improve our material wealth. Not one statement that deal exclusively with our spiritual riches. Not one!

So I repeat, One Nation under What?

Apparently under the Almighty Dollar.

Most certainly not under God—whatever you or I mean by the term, or by the concept, or “Being”, or Idea, or even by that Immortal Spark within us. Not one. Not one speech dealing with improving our non-material wealth.

Sad.

There may have been a time when people cared about such things. I don’t mean the churches—they were always materialistic. I mean ordinary people. Like our grandparents perhaps? Our great-grandparents? Surely, there must have been a time when quality was more important than quantity. When we cared more about what we could give, rather then about what we could get.

“Ask not what your country can do for you…”

Remember? How many of us can, today, complete this sentence spoken only some 50 years ago. On Friday, January 20, 1961 to be precise. “What can we do for our country”, whatever country it might be? And what is much, much more important, “what can we do for humanity”. For the world we live in. Does anyone care?

Only quality has lasting power. Great art, great music, great poems, literature. Great acts of love, perhaps of sacrifice… of generosity.

The rest is transient, fluid, ephemeral. Like money or like many politicians in the Senate, or the Capitol Hill, or even the White House. Or anywhere. They come and go and only their smiles linger behind. Smiles, and often a bad taste. Thankfully, that too is transient.

Sad.

Yet we all have the potential for greatness—potential for quality that can shine for generations to come; which can enlighten the journey of our solitude. We all have that potential: every single one of us. It lies dormant within us, waiting to be awakened. And if in doubt, think of the ancient psalm, which assures us that: “Ye are gods”. “Ye”, that’s you and I. Each and every one of us.

I described one such journey that began in great solitude and blossomed to conquer the world. The book is called The Avatar Syndrome. Try it. It might inspire you to join the immortals. Like Anne did.