I. INNER, SPIRITUAL
WORK
1) Pray
- For our nation, for our leaders and our government, to heal the
divisions which divide us and create a society that truly serves the good of
the whole. (See the Call to the
People of the United States.)
2)
Meditate – To create inner peace; to receive spiritual inspiration; to
send positive, healing energy to world crises.
3)
Invoke the soul of our nation - Honestly assess national strengths and
weaknesses, avoiding chauvinism, and visualize the nation’s soul or higher
qualities coming into greater expression, to create a more just and peaceful
world for all people. (For the U.S. a key soul quality is loving, inclusive
wisdom which serves the good of all people.)
4)
Adopt a leader - Choose a political leader who has potential for good, but
who needs help, and follow his/her career; send your prayers and positive
energy to help him/her align with his/her highest self.
5)
Focus on the positive, rather than energize the negative - Give attention,
energy and support to “best practices”--innovative solutions that promote
greater harmony, compassion and justice in the world.
6) Build new
thought-forms - Understand the life cycle of ideas: listen inwardly to
receive inspiration, and become a builder and promulgator of new ideas that
further human evolution and provide effective solutions to social problems.
7) Use
intuition and inner guidance - To make decisions that will serve the good
of all.
8) Watch or
read the news with a new lens, reflecting on problems and crises from a
spiritual perspective:
a)
Examine
the inner, spiritual forces at work behind events—the deeper causes or karma
of an event or crisis
b)
Observe
the spiritual lessons being learned by those involved and all of us:
=
analyze the symbolism of events
=
understand the meaning of the crisis by identifying with
the participants
= develop compassion and love for all involved in the
event or
crisis
= reflect on how the event or crisis serves a larger
purpose in
human evolution
c)
Note the
“coincidence” of the timing of events, as well as natural disasters, with
collective human thoughts and emotions.
II. OUTER, ACTIVE WORK
1)
Transform conflict by listening more deeply to a group or person you disagree
with:
= Work to find higher common ground;
= Refuse to become entrenched in a polarized position; but stand
for principles;
= Look for the grain of truth, the positive intent in your
opponent’s position;
= Build a higher synthesis of the best of both sides of an issue;
a left/right synthesis using the truth on both sides.
= Use a whole systems approach -- see how all issues are
interconnected with other factors.
2) Promote a code of conduct for campaigns
and for public life - Principles for political leaders to sign on to if
they want our support. (See Code of Conduct for
Public Life)
3) Do one thing that symbolizes your
commitment to creating a better world -- Join or contribute money or time
to an organization that is effectively creating solutions to social problems.
4) Focus on ethics and values in
public debates on issues and in discussions with friends and colleagues.
5) Work with those individuals and
organizations most open to the new ideas and ways of working; don’t try to
crack the hardest, most resistant cases, as life will eventually open them.
6) Create a “salon” - a citizen dialogue
or study group in your home to study and discuss an issue, and then develop
an action plan to address it.
7)
Write letters to the editor of your paper and to your Congresspeople–
comment on current problems and suggest solutions, or voice support or
opposition to important legislation—your opinion is important.
8) Be sure to vote – Exercise the
privilege and the responsibility of participating in a democracy—for as
Jefferson said, “A people get the government they deserve.”
Excerpted from Spiritual Politics: Changing the World From the Inside
Out by Gordon Davidson and Corinne McLaughlin, Ballantine Books, 1994.
For information contact: The Center for Visionary Leadership, 369 3rd
St. #563, San Rafael, CA 94901; (415) 472-9540; email:
corinnemc@visionarylead.org; website:
www.visionarylead.org
