Bypassing Washington

This posting is an edited version of the same posted yesterday so that the perspectives and principles could be clarified as follows.

Read on, if you are interested in discovering my gist here, based on the community development principles of New Horizons and some of the most recent findings of our Possible Human, Possible Society Study, soon to be posted.

For now, though, the key point I want to make here is this ---

.. if you are in the game of the president (as well as other leaders and celebs) being your Savior, you are, potentially, in the, sometimes deadly, game, I call the GAME of mass dysfunction.

Here is the basic principle of that GAME, as I learned it from my mentor, Martin G. Groder, M.D. (paraphrased)—

“Especially in peacetime, most citizens of a democracy, insofar as related to key leaders, particularly the elected president, function out of an operational system that holds that our constitutional rights are --

“Of the people, by the people, for the people and instead of the people (YOU).” (Original thinking of my mentor.)

The translation of this principle means that if you paid your taxes and voted, you may, erroneously, believe that you, personally, are off the hook of further responsibilities to this nation, other than your own personal interests. You have paid your dues, so to speak, delegated national management to others and can now go play at whatever suits you.

The benefit: You have done your part to join our national dysfunctional co-dependency GAME.

What you get, as per our government shutdown and other catastrophes, is that you are, unbeknownst to your world view, quite possibly, not really being a fully, living, breathing grown-up, participating in this life you might be calling your own.

But it’s not your fault. After all, beyond your self-interests, others are responsible.

To carry my point further, ask yourself,

1.    How much time did I spend, today, living my life by the internet, drinking coffee at Starbucks or just, simply, complaining?

Tricky Dick: An American Anti-hero

1.       Or, conversely, I hope for you and I, ask yourself, how much time did I, actively, spend, today, in being the best possible human, helping to build the best possible society for you and me?

Give yourself points for #2. Take off points for #1.

Here’s how to get the losing points side of our GAME; the GAME of not growing up and playing the game of life with a full deck!

An example of growing up, or not:

When kids let go of whining and complaining that the grown-ups aren’t accommodating their needs and just don’t understand, we, typically, say they are, at last, growing up. They are being more realistic, taking responsibility for themselves instead of blaming parents, teachers and other authority figures for their lot in life. Parents hope for this transition, lamenting the converse until the new state emerges; the adverse is the baby-faker way (a term I learned from my daughter).

Though it is not my wont to take much of a superior, super-knowing role, since Watergate I’ve been watching and wondering when Americans, as a group, were going to move themselves, individually and collectively, beyond adolescence.

In other words, when are, we, as citizens, going to grow up? How about now?

Now, mind you, I didn’t know for a long time, almost a decade, what lay behind the problems as I saw them in them Watergate fiasco, especially the one about how –

The president of the United States of America could lie to the American people – and – they, at least seemingly, believe him (or at least act like they did).

So I stressed and strained, trying as hard as I could, to understand this that was bothering me for a good long time. To add to the burden I, personally, absorbed from my consternation about this one question:

How can the president of the United States of America lie to the American people – and – they believe him?

… another episode, Spiro Agnew’s corruption, which, as chance may be, found its way into my very own living room, due to close association, added another whole layer of dismay. The latter, further prompting me to ponder the problem of the big shot, the power game players and liars, added to Nixon and Watergate.

Many years have passed since Watergate, Nixon and Agnew. And, I am most comfortably assured, thanks to Marty (and me), that I have all the answers I will ever need for analyzing the problems so painfully part of my maturing.

Many others have, also, been pondering the same puzzlement. And, many have analyzed the problems, as well as offering astute solutions that could/would make a difference, if  anyone, especially our leaders, care enough to make the necessary changes.

One solution, above all, however, has topped my “do things differently” list of priorities; the necessity of gathering local folks together to help one another foster our individual and collective maturing, as we develop skill in being the change we are after.  

This,I hold, is the turning lead into gold in the U.S.A. way. I know it.

Not about it because I have had wise elders to guide me, especially Marty and Murat. Do you? Elders make the difference.

What I have learned is that the turning lead into gold way; a participatory, hands-on GAME, folks, requiring face time.

Jack and I spoke of this, at length, last night on our Possible Society In Motion Show.

Our topic drew upon my article, “Putting First Things First,” built upon one of the most hopeful commentaries I have read in a long time, “Bypass Washington, Save America” by Eric Liu .

Thus, the answer to my question

“How can the president of the United States of America lie to the American people – and – they believe him?”

… might be phrased this way, folks, if you are not an active part of the solution, point your finger back at yourself and take a good luck in the mirror.

YOU are a part of the problem!

Jack and I hope you will join us, for each and every one of our programs; our on the air “grown-ups forum.”

Your president need not be instead of YOU!