The vision

Without vision, the people perish. — Proverbs 29:18

A person must have vision if he or she is to be happy. A vision guides action and provides meaning and purpose; it creates the future. When there is no vision, there is no purpose, and hence no happiness.

Nations, as well, have their own visions. A national vision is the story of the nation — its reason for existence. It, too, provides meaning and purpose for the nation.

When there is no vision, it is said that the people perish. This is because the people cease to see a reason why they should live together. They regard each other and the world with suspicion. Over time, society stops working; violence and banditry increase, and the rich take from the poor.

When there is vision, things are different. When there is vision, the people prosper because the people have their freedom. Countries that gain independence from oppressive governments — places like America, India, and South Africa — often have powerful visions of freedom. They will sometimes see that the boundaries of human dignity can be expanded, that freedom itself can reach ever higher in its never-ending upward movement.

Yet if never renewed, these visions fade away.

What is America’s vision today? It is a vision that looks nothing like the American vision of 1776.

Today, America’s vision is a vision of fear.

There are many fears today, some rational, others not so much. There is a fear of economic crash and depression, of homelessness and urban decline in the face of rising foreclosures. There is a fear of terrorism, a fear that America will fall if it pulls out of Iraq.

But deeper still are the fears that lie hidden in the hearts of the people. The people are afraid of each other. Blacks are afraid of whites, and whites are afraid of blacks; men are afraid of women, and women are afraid of men. The citizen fears the immigrant; the immigrant fears the citizen. The young fear the old; the old fear the young. Every person treats each other with suspicion.

And in all instances, everyone fears the sound of sirens and the announcement of authority — even as that same authority fears the rebellion of nonconformity, no matter how singular. The people are afraid of the government; and the government is afraid of the people. The government has grown powerful. It can spy on the people, it can throw them in jail and throw away the key. It can kill someone if it wants.

This vision of America is not a way of life. It is only a way of suffering.

A new vision is needed that is not based on fear. A new vision is needed that is based on courage — the courage of liberty. A new vision is needed that is a vision of happiness. A joyless freedom is no freedom at all.

What is freedom? Freedom begins in the mind. It is the battle within the self for individual liberation — the quest to expand the boundaries that we have set for ourselves, or that we have allowed others to set for us.

Freedom is the war for your soul, and your enemy is your own fear.

When people live in fear, they only make mistakes. All their actions are produced from that fear. Their fear sees things irrationally, in an incomplete state. So that fear also colors the result. People live in fear their whole lives, and they reap nothing but fear. They are slaves to it.

When people live in freedom, they live a life of joy because they are surrounded by possibility. The entire world is charged with potential. This is the power of the soul — the power to create, to explore this world and push the boundaries of consciousness. It is the power of infinity and the real power of the mind. Everything is possible with freedom.

America is afraid today. It is OK to admit this, there is no shame in it. But this is the truth. And in its fear, America commits many mistakes. It is afraid to stop a war or reign in its president. It is afraid to help out people who are going to lose their homes. It is afraid to admit that the environment is failing, that we will have to change the way we live if there will be enough food, water, and energy for everyone on the planet.

None of this can happen today because there is so much fear. So nothing is done.

What is needed today is a vision of courage, not of fear. A courage to look at problems as they exist and propose reasonable solutions in the interest of the common good. A courage to negotiate with adversaries, and not sideline them in the quest for supremacy. A courage to admit mistakes, take responsibility, and go on with life with love in one’s heart. A courage to accept the challenges of life and emerge a better person — in other words, a courage to lead a life of positive growth.

This courage will not come from America’s leaders. America’s leaders today are not good for America. They are cheaters and swindlers who lust only for power. They cannot be trusted. They will lead America only to ruin.

This courage will have to come from America itself — from every one of its citizens. The people themselves are being challenged to find the solutions despite their leaders. So it is also then a challenge to American democracy.

The American people must realize that the fate of their country is in their hands. The American people must come up with their own vision for America and implement it. And they will see that if they have love in their hearts and courage in their veins, each one of them will, independently, come up with the same vision for America: an America of peace, of liberty, of joy.

They will come up with the same vision because in confronting fear in their personal lives, Americans will confront fear in their political lives as well. Personal freedom leads to political freedom because the two are one and the same. A nation that lives in freedom, that is no longer afraid, will know dignity; and in knowing dignity, this nation will zealously guard against the intrusions of authority.  A nation with such people will not be afraid to protect what is rightfully theirs.

For the moment, let us ignore the vision of America as it exists — a vision of war, terrorism, and gangster capitalism — because this is an unhealthy vision. If you follow it, you do so at your peril. It will not lead to happiness, only suffering. So it should be ignored, at least for the moment.

Instead, we should focus on our own personal visions of courage. We must tackle fear in our own lives. We must cultivate freedom for ourselves. Then, just as day follows night, America will be free once more. America will be free because its people will be free. They will have freed themselves first; and then the government and the whole world will follow that example.

Without vision, the people perish. With vision, the people are free.

Today is the time to cultivate freedom. Today is the time to conquer fear. Today is the time to experience courage. Courage comes from love; thus, it is time for love to emerge in the hearts of every man, woman and child. Love for the self, for each other, for the community, for the nation, for the world.

This must be the vision.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 25th, 2008 at 10:31 pm and is filed under Alternative Living, Freedom and Democracy, Freedom and Spiritualism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.