Why Things Are So Messed Up...
If you're reading this, chances are you believe things are pretty messed up. You probably want to know why. You probably want to know how to make your life better and also help out to make things better for everybody you know…and maybe even everybody you don't know.
Maybe you already have a good idea why things are messed up and you want to see if you agree with my take on it before you check out my suggestions. Fair enough.
So here's a quick history lesson:
First of all, there's a lot of talk about HOPE these days, right?! Hell, a president of the United States was elected in 2008 talking about "hope and change" very explicitly (although all of the US presidents ran on some version of hope and change).
In fact, critics convincingly argue that Obama is just another in a long line of Democrats sent to Washington D.C. (U.S. Presidents, Senators, and members of the House Representatives) who betray their supporters, drawing an analogy to victims of abusive relationships. Many people stuck in cycles of abuse continue to hope that the abuse will stop despite plenty of evidence to the contrary. They often exhibit symptoms of what psychiatry calls "post-traumatic stress syndrome" which can include "dissociation" or extreme detachment from their reality in the abusive relationship and blocking out memories of the abuse. So they may not leave the abuse because they're not fully present with the pain of abusive episodes and, instead, keep up false hopes that things will be different from now on.
If you consider the national political stage (and often at the State and local levels) doesn't this sound familiar? In other words, read that last paragraph again and substitute "voters who send Democrats to Washington D.C." for the general category of victims of abusive personal relationships. These "liberal" or "progressive" politicians make big promises to the "little people" while taking millions of dollars from the rich donor class and large corporations.
Given the history of the last four or five decades, it's hard to describe the relationship between progressive voters and the corporate leadership of the Democratic Party as anything better than abusive….
2016 marked the first time that progressives stood up for themselves and demanded a place at the table, in the form of Bernie Sanders. Like any typical abuser, the DNC [Democratic National Committee] got angry at their victims, blaming progressives when their decision to cheat Sanders out of the nomination in favor of Hillary Clinton caused a catastrophic defeat to Donald Trump.--political commentator and cartoonist, Ted Rall.
Of course, they did the same victim blame game when the claimed Ralph Nader was responsible for George W. Bush's victory in 2000 despite the fact that Al Gore couldn't win his own state and that the Gore campaign refused to fight for the African-American votes in Florida scrubbed by Republicans--votes that would have proved he won Florida and made him president. Moreover, post-election research demonstrated that Nader's presence in the race actually helped Gore.
And during the 2020 presidential campaign's primaries, the DNC power brokers and other Democratic leaders again sabotaged the momentum of the Bernie Sanders campaign and brought Joe Biden's dying efforts back to life.
Therefore, it shouldn't surprise us that, despite the fact that the majority of US citizens agree on the a political agenda that includes Medicare for All, increases in the minimum wage, reducing military spending, and immediate, comprehensive action to address the climate crisis (among other issues transcending political party affiliation), voters have again been let down by their hope for Democratic saviors in D.C. and the party that used to be the champion of the poor, the working class, and much of the middle class.
So, after all this disappointment, why is hope still so popular? Have people always been looking for hope? Have they always been looking to see if there's hope for their own life, for their family, their tribe, their community….for the world?
Nope.
Surprised by that answer?
As the late, great psychologist, James Hillman, pointed out in his must-read book, "The Soul's Code: In Search of Character and Calling:"
"Hope enters history, and our psychology, as trust in continuity fades."
In other words, when societies and communities are shattered and we end up with what http://hepg.org/her-home/issues/harvard-educational-review-volume-67-issue-1/herbooknote/learning-as-a-way-of-being_214 Peter Vail calls a world of "permanent whitewater," we start to feel powerless and we focus on the future instead of the here-and-now. We don't trust that good stuff will continue or, for too many of us, that we will ever get the good stuff-that we'll ever get "mo' betta." So we're only left with hope.
Many mystics are fond of saying, "Hope is for suckers." Why? Because it most often implies we are powerless to change anything and so we must rely on hope. Or other people-usually rich and powerful people.
Or our kids. We always hear we must pin our hopes on the kids. But what hope can children and young people see in the world of adults?! These days, not much. Never-ending war, brutal poverty we're told will always be there, pollution that just keeps getting worse, anxiety about our global climate, pandemics, greed, rich getting richer, poor getting poorer, and everyone else in the middle getting squeezed and having to work harder for less etc. Sound familiar?!
Big-time religion says, "Hey, if you're on the bottom or really suffering, forget about getting mo' betta in this life-just wait it out and the afterlife will be great!" (Some of the religious fanatics even hope for armageddon so they don't have to wait!) It's no wonder that Napoleon once quipped: "Religion keeps the poor from murdering the rich"!
If you're feeling powerless and hopeless, the rich and powerful (the "1%") don't want you to do anything different than what you're most likely already doing. That's what they've always wanted. That's the age-old scam. By definition, they need most of us on the bottom or somewhere in the ever-shrinking middle to just go along to get along. Don't rock the boat. Play the game.
"Only dead fish go with the flow." (Author unknown)
You know the drill: become a zombie. Numb yourself out with illegal or legal drugs (including tobacco, caffeine, and prescription drugs), alcohol, junk food, overeating or under-eating, gambling, sex and/or porn, spectator sports, video games, social media-take your pick (just to clarify: we're not saying we think everything on that list is evil and should always be avoided...everything in moderation...including moderation, right?!).
There's a lot more I have to say about how we got here, but, for now, I don't believe you need the kind of hope that keeps you waiting, keeps you worrying, or even keeps you paralyzed with fear because there's nothing (they say) you can do to change your life or station.
I know how you feel. I've been there-a lot! I still have to fight against despair, cynicism, and complacency, just like everyone else not in the 1 percent.
What I believe is needed is assistance as well as community. Please note that the field of psychology has had a lot to say about how individuals develop, but not a whole lot beyond that--we have to look elsewhere for how groups of people develop...and how the whole human race develops! The focus on personal growth and development since the 1970s has often put too much emphasis on individualism. We can have self-help and personal development evolve to include interpersonal connection or interdependence as well as emphasize collective action and social activism.
Please join me and let's start figuring out how to do both! I invite you to begin by subscribing to my free newsletter (see below) that includes hand-picked resources to inspire, educate, and, yes, even entertain you, and receive the free article, "How to Get Unstuck Without Feeling Like a Schmuck." It elaborates on the themes here and includes exercises to inspire and motivate the changes you want to make.
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." (attributed to Margaret Mead, anthropologist, but disputed by those who knew her.)
For more on the Formal Rhubarb philosophy and approach, please see:
Part 1: Roll Up for the Magical Mystery Tour of Your Soul
Part 2: When You Get Hit By Life, Ask "What's the Counterpunch?"
Part 3: The Formal Rhubarb Difference that Makes a Difference
Part 4: Bringing Medicine Back to the Tribe
Part 5: No Book Has Just One Chapter: Re-Author Your Life & Make a Difference
