In trying to make sense out of what has been going on (politically and societally) in the United States, there seem to be any number of threads that have led us to this moment in history. So, what is happening?
The Dalai Lama has addressed his notion about how we should regard one another in our human family. He has said,
Whether one is rich or poor, educated or illiterate, religious or nonbeliever, man or woman, black, white or brown, we are all the same. Physically, emotionally and mentally we are all equal. We all share basic needs for food, shelter, safety and love. We all aspire to happiness and we all shun suffering. Each of us has hopes, worries fears and dreams. Each of us want the best for our family and loved ones. We all experience pain when we suffer loss and joy when we achieve what we seek. On this fundamental level, religion, ethnicity, culture and language makes no difference.
He goes on to say, “Interdependence is a fundamental law of nature. … Our own survival is so dependent on the help of others that a need for love lies at the very core of our existence. This is why we need to cultivate a genuine sense of responsibility and a sincere concern for the welfare of others.”
What is happening today appears to be the exact opposite of what should happen, according to the Dalai Lama. Instead of “our survival is so dependent on the help of others that a need for love lies at the very core of our existence,” we’re polarized against one another and are treating each other as impediments to achieving our independent goals. Our individual needs are different from the needs of others and our environment has become a battle about whose needs will prevail. In this, there is no room for compromise.
Democracy and delusions
What that leaves us with is a dysfunctional Congress and being bullied around by a sociopathic, delusional, pathological liar. Someone who claims to have won the 2020 election and had it stolen from him when, in fact, he lost the election by seven million votes and in what was shown to have been a fraud-free election, despite his claims to the contrary.
What is even more bewildering is that this person has a large number of supporters who believe in his position enough to attack the Capitol in order to interfere with the peaceful order of transition from one administration to another. They were unsuccessful, and yet, they’ve spent the last three years asserting and campaigning that their delusion is reality. How can we maintain a democracy that is fuelled by delusion and dishonesty? The answer is that we can’t.
This brings into question how mature adults can become caught up in believing delusional thinking so strongly that delusional thinking becomes their reality. For some, it’s that they’re poorly educated and are unfamiliar with political gamesmanship. For others, they identify with the sociopathic, pathological liar who totally disregards the needs and feelings of others.
The liar’s language often mocks those who disagree with him. His answer to getting his needs met is to support using violence to achieve his ends. His words and behaviour are expressions of racism, homophobia and misogyny. He asserts that migrants are “poisoning the blood of America.” His rhetoric sounds much like that of Hitler. And he stands before groups of people who want to belong to such a cause. Some have even admitted that they wish they could speak and behave in the same way as he does.
Reacting instead of responding
There are other reasons why individuals are seduced into belonging to such a dysfunctional following. These reasons have to do with past experiences of pain or meeting something we’re afraid of facing in the future. To the extent that these folks are controlled by these fears, they will react and not respond to what is taking place in their lives. People who react to pain can easily be caught up in following others’ words and believing what they need to believe to stop their suffering.
When we take our beliefs and opinions as absolutes and disregard the needs, feelings and experiences of our fellow human beings, we find ourselves in our present circumstances. A democracy requires that all people are equal, with inalienable rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of wholeness. When we disregard our fellow human beings—the people who sit across from us in life—we begin our walk down the road that fascism has built.
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