Bernie’s Revolution Is On!
Bernie is no longer running for president, but the movement is on…
Three Old Men
So it’s come down to one of this group of three leading our republic for the next four years, if they can keep breathing that long. Seems sad somehow. Not that we’ve ever been the Great Nation the government public relations people claim, but we seem to have reached a new low in our ‘democracy’.
Trump, Biden and Sanders. Clearly old, clearly white, clearly men. At least one is a sociopath, caring for nothing beyond himself, he’s clearly unable to see beyond his own interests, even in the midst of a pandemic.
Another has been a darling of the neoliberal establishment for his entire political life. He’s been there for Wall Street and the war machine time and time again. He’s been accused of unwanted physical contact, and now stories of rape. Many think he now suffers from cognitive decline.
The third old man is also flawed. He seeks the endorsement of a party he doesn’t belong to. He used to support guns freely. He’s sometimes adamant with his unwillingness to compromise. He doesn’t ‘play ball’. Still, he understands something the other two do not. We need a revolution.
The COVID-19 virus has altered our reality with a quickness. So much is suddenly gone. Freedom of movement, jobs, congregating, sports, and so much more that is just coming into focus. A reset. Even at this early stage of coronavirus, we implicitly know things will never be the same.
One of the things that’s been thrown into turmoil is the US nominating primaries. This year the biggie has been Bernie Sanders vs Joe Biden, but there are thousands of other primary battles. In this environment, some argue that Sanders should concede. Many of us argue that that is exactly backwards.
Let’s review. We had months with Joe Biden as the leading contender. Then the debates happened. And so last fall, as people started paying more attention, Elizabeth Warren had some momentum. When we finally got to the Iowa primary, it was a clusterfuck. Bad systems in place, failures in processing, results not matching exit polls, and it was a virtual tie with Sanders and Buttigieg. Some of us saw the clear shenanigans of the elite behind all this.
Then, for a brief moment in time, Bernie was the clear front runner. He’d won New Hampshire and Nevada. And those same elitists freaked out. A sudden swirl of events took place to revive the Biden campaign, who’s best placement to date had been a distant third. An impassioned speech by Jim Clyburn, the sudden dropping out and endorsement of Klobachar and Buttigieg.Then Super Tuesday, and an amazing result! The country had unified behind Biden – even with major voting irregularities and results not matching exit polls. The bastards did it again.
The next week, the Second Super Tuesday, Biden again scored big. And in the third, March 17, had primaries in Arizona, Florida and Illinois. Ohio’s primary was scheduled for the same date, but Republican Governor Mike Dewine cancelled the election due to coronavirus concerns.
Again, Joe Biden had a big day. And again, the results were suspect, for a number of reasons. Some polling places didn’t have staff, some didn’t have ballots, some had three hours or longer waits, often in crowded rooms. Coronavirus be damned, we’re having an election. There are already known cases as a result of those state’s decision to go ahead with their elections. Stinky.
Now, as of April the fool’s day, everything is in flux.
Old man #1 sees this whole pandemic and resulting depression as a photo opp. Great ratings as he moves from ‘this Chinese virus is under control’ to ‘if we only lose 100,000 people that’s a great job’. He has abused the office since day one. His work isn’t a great job. It’s a disaster as great as the virus itself.
Old man #2 has gone quiet, just now coming out with a Trump ad, and remarks about not debating Bernie this month. He just doubled down on the ‘it’s not the time for Medicare for All’ a davastatng blow to millions of un and under insured – sadly. Joe Biden seems unqualified and unable and unup to this moment. The deadly secret is that neoliberal democrats know Joe is weak, but they would rather see four more years of Trump than our revolution. Joe’s enthusiasm level among voters ranks even lower that Hillary’s was in 2016.
Old man #3 is our only hope for this election cycle. Bernie begins with ‘Us, not me.” Sound ground. And he goes on to define the scope and scale of what is needed in this time of crisis. Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, infrastructure projects, wiping out student debt and reforming the prison system. There’s more…
Yet to me the most important thing Bernie brings is his integrity and consistency. They go together. I’m not suggesting impeccable, but highly credible, and this in the age of McConnell and Trump. Again connected, Bernie speaks of love and compassion, the need for help for a citizenry that’s been under siege for a generation.
We have 3 1/2 months until the Democratic Convention in Milwaukee. Who knows what kind of shape our collective healthy and our country will be in by then. Hopefully we have a clearer sense of which old man is our best hope.
We are moving forward into a new reality whether we like it or not. The question is, are we going to let corporations and nation states continue to rule our lives, or shall we rise up and restore ourselves and our planet, a healing such as this civilization has never known?
A new future awaits. Do we meet it ass on, old systems intact, or head first, into a bright new life.
The Gates of Delirium
(from the author) I wrote this just before the coronavirus became a threat in the west. At this point it’s just more delirium…
We find ourselves today with the likely choice of Joe Biden and Donald Trump as president at the end of 2020, both men seemingly getting a bit soft in the head. This when the world is in chaos and climate chaos is taking a daily toll, along with our many other ills. We are at the gates of a delirious world.
Anyone of clear mind and warm heart knows the vast extent of our woes and the massive effort needed to transform our lives and save our planet. Joe Biden and Donald Trump are both less than idea candidates to lead this effort.
While Joe is clearly the better choice, he would need a hellofa vice president, as Joe doesn’t seem as ‘with it’ as one would like. His memory is not what it was. His debate skills fail him. His record is not progressive, and the dem elites would rather have four more years of Trump than an actual revolution against moneyed interests.
Which leaves Bernie Sanders as the only alternative. Bernie has his flaws. I can see a hundred ways in which he could soften his attitude without softening his positions on issues. But he remains our best option and the leader of our revolution.
We who see some glimmer of truth in this broken culture understand that a revolution that takes us from a money driven, hateful, sick, elitist family owned corporate culture to a world of peace and love is not easy. In truth, we know it cannot happen until enough of us realize who and where we are and stand up against the corruption and the old system.
That we must rise up is a premise of World 5.0. We must rise up. This year of 2020 is crucial. This is a magical time. We have suffered under the thumb of kings, dictators, elites and monsters for long enough. Electing Bernie Sanders could have a great impact in moving us forward. Yet, our movement does not die with Bernie or anyone else. As the French poet Victor Hugo noted, ‘You can’t kill an idea whose time has come.’
The time for World5 is now. We already stand together here in Life. This tiny place in time where the future becomes the past. Our intent is the tool that powers our experience. And only love makes us happy. These are the three truths of World 5.0, and they lead us into our new reality – the recognition, realization, in your bones awareness that we are all here together in life.
We have some time on the event horizon to make Bernie our president. But you don’t help with our task on the couch watching the tv.. Right now the great need is for us to rise up.
2020 Vision
Well, Here we are folks! A pivotal year in so many ways. Climate chaos is upon us. The very fabric of what’s left of our democracy is being hollowed out by senate Republicans addicted to power and corruption in the Trump Impeachment Trial. At the same time, the primary season is upon us, beginning with the Iowa Caucuses in early February.
The classic notion of 2020 vision is that of clear sightedness, of which there is little to none in our government or corporate controllers. Even in the elitist lust for power there should be some sense that saving the planet is a serious consideration, if only to continue their malevolent behavior.
Sadly, there are few voices in the the U.S. political system that are willing to publicly take a stand on our many issues – corruption, climate chaos, income disparity, etc. The only viable candidate who speaks openly and clearly about the nature and scope of our problems is Bernie Sanders. This makes him the clear choice in my humble opinion.
Yet there is room for all sorts of new visioning in this year of vision – 2020. We more clearly than ever see the ongoing tragedy of corporate influence dominating our culture and environment. Indeed, the ongoing tragedy of corporate malfeasance makes it clear that corporations have no place in our new operating system. Which is why it’s such a priority for World 5.0.
And while ridding our culture of corporate control is a great priority, we need a more positive vision than just ending this travesty. We need to understand the truth of who and where we are.
Who we are is biological entities, experiencing Life on Earth. Simple and clear. Less clear, in this broken culture, is that where we find ourselves is All Here Together in Life. Let this sink in. In spite of our long past and many potential futures, Life exists only Now. The totality of this moment, where the future becomes the past, is where we always find ourselves. That we constantly experience the passage of time is because it’s exactly what’s going on. Ever plowing into the future, ever churning the wake that is our past.
We all hold some vision for a better future. Clean air and water, abundant communities, organic food, a world of peace – and we more clearly build our new world by realizing where we are and that, always, we move from Here. This simple recognition is our ground in creating a new vision for the U.S. and the world.
As Our Earth Turns
It’s hard to imagine that there have been times in our civilization’s past where our culture teeters on the edge of an abyss as it does now. We’ve had plenty of horrible experiences in our past, but none has been on the global scale of what we find today. Our history is a litany of corruption and abuse, and according to corporate media sources, there is no end in sight.
Fortunately for some of us, we do not choose to see through the lens of corporate media or corrupt political systems such as we have in the US today. We see from where each of us are, metaphorically and physically. The play of light, our breathing bodies, those around us, fissures in the corrupt old system, plants and trees taking root where the old system has failed. The light within all of us.
As impeachment frenzy holds the attention of corporate media, a million changes are taking place of which corporate media knows nothing.
Folks are waking up to the heavy dose of bullshit we’ve been fed over the course of our lives, and especially more recently, as our controllers see their grip failing. Life is not what we were taught growing up. People are rejecting old religions and political parties, seeking a new way forward. We’re learning that our happiness is not an effect of someone’s attention or a bunch of money, but a place we find within ourselves where, once found, we choose not to leave.
Protests and civil unrest is occurring on an unprecedented scale. Across our planet, from Hong Kong to Brazil folks are rising up against new and long-standing abuses. We are protesting everything about the old system. Authoritarian leaders like Trump and Boris Johnson (along with numerous dictators) are finding that the same bullying tactics that have worked for generations are no longer working. While they have their cultish followers, most of us see them for what they are.
Of course the great learning of our time is that we are not isolated and alone. Life exists only Now, and hence we are necessarily All Here Together. The totality of Now is central to our experience. One hopes science with soon make this obvious reality the explicit First Truth.
As Mother Earth continues to turn, showing herself to Father Sun while half a planet away resting from his light, there is much more that our controllers do not see or understand. We do not live in a Universe where only humans have some level of self awareness. Indeed, while unprovable by today’s science, the vast energies and entities surrounding our planet at this time is staggering.
The controllers have held us at bay with fear and lies for generations. Yet these days we see through such fog more clearly, and we choose to let go of fear that we may better enjoy biological life.
Indeed, the communication and communion between Sun and Earth is barely understood. If we are capable of holding the consciousness that we do in these small human bodies, imagine the level of consciousness held by this magnificent planet and glorious star. Would you not imagine that both know very well what is taking place in our civilization and are engaged in purging from us the abusers that have held us down for centuries?
I do. And I see the mantle of fear lifting, and without their tool of fear, ‘they’ cannot control us. Nor are we content to go along with past times that have held us from experiencing our true selves. 2022 has been a crazy year. Birthing a new culture is a bit chaotic.
Of Clear Mind and Warm Heart
In this time of brokenness, where truth is lost to lies and propaganda at a record pace, there is a respite. There is a way to discern what is ‘real’ from all the bullshit we live in. There is a place to ground oneself…
The place we ground ourselves is Here in Life. The totality of Now. Recognizing that we’re All Here Together, and that we go on like this for eternity, helps us find our place in life. Even when we stop breathing and lose our bodies, we continue forward, even as our ancestors and so many family members and friends have passed into a different form, but they remain with us. Hold our ground, it never fails.
In this time of brokenness, the above is not easily understood even though it’s the central fact of our existence. We’ve been traumatized and bamboozled and abused for generations. No wonder the above seems hard to grasp.
The way we ground ourselves Here in Life is through breathing and meditation. They go together. The very act of paying attention to our breathing helps to ground us in this moment. If we focus on our breath, we let the rapid fire of thoughts in our head settle just a bit, becoming less pronounced, less distracting. We breathe, we relax, we let go, working our way to a sense of gratitude.
Gratitude is such a part of Love that the experience of it brings alignment and peace. We become much more ‘in our bodies’ and in our feelings. We roll with how we feel, even as we intend a quiet mind and warm heart.
Now, there are times in processing our PTSD that our emotions run wild. Let them, so long as it’s not a destructive pattern. Even when it feels like our heart is being torn, go with it. In feeling our feelings, by being in our bodies, we heal.
As is clear, these are not normal or typical times we live in. We are in the early stages of transformative change. Our broken culture is being replaced by one that is far healthier and far more fair. The corrupt system is breaking down more each day.
Our part is to hold this space. Hold it with love, even as we are held by Life Itself. If you feel like engaging actively in this vast transition, follow your heart to do what feels best to you. Engage in local endeavors for change. Engage in politics. Become a champion for our Earth.
This is the process. And this is learning to be our true selves. We move from Here with a clear mind and a warm heart.
Woodstock Lives!
The Woodstock Music Festival was held August 15 -18, 1969 in upstate New York. It was in many ways the capstone of an utterly wild time, when young people revolted against the conformist stereotypes of the day. There’s plenty of content online about the event and the tumultuous 1960’s that surrounded the weekend.
“Woodstock was a celebration of joy which wiped out, at least temporarily, the persistent feelings of meaninglessness that permeate our culture,” Billboard’s Danny Goldberg wrote. “It was perhaps the dawning of the age of Aquarius. Questionable as a business venture, it was, at least, a moment of triumph for the better side of man, in a time when the devil seems so often to be winning.
My bitch is that now, some 50 years later, this historic event hardly received notice among our many outlets of corporate media. PBS ran a piece or two, but there was hardly a mention on our 24/7 ‘news’ channels or right-leaning talk radio.
It’s my assumption that the corporate overlords are not keen on reminding us of that little piece of history.
While the event itself was something of a mess, nearly half a million folks in the rain for three days without proper infrastructure, but it was also marvelous! The energy was electric. We young folks thought we could change the world, and indeed we did – though it did not last.
Woodstock typified the free love, egalitarian, back to nature movement that is only now re-emerging as we awaken to corruption foisted upon us these long years. Woodstock featured Ritchie Haven singing about Freedom, Jimi Hendrix disrupting the national anthem, Carlos Santana, Jefferson Airplane and other remarkable acts.
So why the great silence when we should be celebrating one of humanity’s finer moments? Go ask our corporate overlords…
The Integrity Requirement
As our political and governmental systems deepen their dysfunctionality, as corporations act ever more brazenly in their greed, as our planet suffers from the horrors of a broken culture, we clearly recognize that these systems fail miserably when it comes to integrity. When we look at our local and statewide political institutions, we see a similar pattern of corruption, with policies and attitudes that favor the folks with lots of money.
And when we see two horrendous mass shootings only hours apart, one a mere 50 miles from me, we know we are descending into chaos due to corruption.
President Trump is not the cause of our deep seated problems, though he certainly typifies the policies and attitudes that are so destructive to human health and happiness – and that of our planet.
You see, Donald Trump was never taught the value of integrity. Just like so many of the ruling class, greed, power and control far outweigh any thoughts about ‘doing the right thing’. This pattern has been endemic for so long that rich folks like Trump cannot even empathize with those of a ‘lesser station in Life’, much less hold integrity in their hearts and minds.
So why is integrity important, or even required as I suggest in the title? It’s obvious in most areas of our lives. If our home doesn’t have integrity it falls down. If all the hardware and software of the Interweb lacked integrity our phones and computers would be worthless.
Looking toward nature, the integrity of ecosystems is truly a marvel. Patterns of beginning, growth, stability and ending are common to all Life. Without something as simple as the integrity of cell walls we would not exist. The implicit integrity of water or of an ancient forest calls us to reverence. There is a simple elegance to integrity. It is what it is. It requires no bullshit for its justification. Indeed, integrity is a requirement for functionality.
Now let me get personal for a moment. Without our personal integrity we cannot know peace and love. If you are not honest, it leaves a mark, as we are out of alignment with nature and with truth. As children of the Source of Integrity, we require integrity to be happy. We’ve all had failures of integrity, and know the rotten feeling in our gut for exploiting or lying or cheating on another. Again, there is no peace without integrity.
A culture without integrity is doomed to fail, even as ours is failing now before our eyes. How many shootings will it take? How many destroyed lives from war, pollution, climate chaos and inequality will it take? How much can our planet take until it becomes uninhabitable for us?
For too long we have accepted stories because the story teller is ‘important’ or a presumed expert. Growing up n the 1960s there was blind acceptance of what we read in the paper or saw on the TV. And both were more honest back then.
We’re now learning that our culture was hacked by our corporate overloads. It was in the 1980s and 1990s that great waves of media consolidation took place, and the new bosses didn’t want any unfavorable stories. So they put a stop to them. We continue to be hacked by corporate media. Sinclair Corporation, owning nearly 200 tv stations, continues to force local newspeople to spew their biased stories. It’s the reason Rob Braun and Cammy Dierking are leaving Local 12 here in Cincinnati. And in that hacking, the first thing media conglomerates left behind was integrity.
And that’s just in media. In healthcare, finance and Wall Street, food and energy corporations, we find the same patterns. There is no integrity when the only rule is to make money. It’s time we remedy that monumental failure.
The Declaration of World 5.0
From Scarcity to Abundance
While our Earth and we, the people are suffering greatly in these times as the World4 ‘era of corporations’ model continues to fail under the weight of its own corruption, a new model is emerging.
It’s a model that rejects the inevitability of globalism, and seeks solutions to local problems on a local level. It’s a model that rejects the crappy food pushed onto us by box store chains and fast food corporations like McDonalds. It’s a model that reflects back to us our innate humanity, and our need to work on behalf of each other to thrive.
For the last 1,000 years or so, dictators and the rich have found ways to keep us in servitude, if not slavery, by taking things from us. Our natural resources, the commons, our time – in their elitist world we exist only for their pleasure.
With the movement toward globalism that took hold in the 1980s and 1990s as corporations sought to lower labor costs, the situation has become more dire. Walmart used to proudly claim ‘made in America’. By 1992 it was exposed as a sham.
The nation state has never been about creating abundance for its citizenry. It has always been about preserving wealth for the wealthy, and power for the already powerful. For hundreds of years, corporations served the nation state agendas, with colonizing troops and theft of natural resources from those with less military might. With globalization, the nation states now serve the corporations.
So, what has all this to do with the movement from Scarcity to Abundance? It applies a useful frame for seeing how we got here, that we may more clearly see how to move into abundance.
‘The Secret’ and other books discuss the power of our intent to create abundance for ourselves. Their premise is to ‘put what you want out there to The Universe, and The Universe will bring it to you. I agree to a point, but it takes some mastery of our intent which is an art not often discussed.
It does little good to ask The Universe (I say just call it Life) if as soon as you finish your request, you begin wondering whether it will come true. Then soon after you’re afraid it won’t. You’re putting out conflicting signals. ‘The Secret’ also doesn’t offer enough insight into what happens when your intention conflicts with another person’s? Still, it’s way better than fretting about what you lack.
Abundance is generally considered from a financial perspective. Lots of money brings lots of abundance. But such is only true to a point. Studies have shown that once a person or family reaches a certain threshold, maybe 50k annually, more money doesn’t necessarily bring more happiness.
So financial abundance is part of the picture, but there’s so much more. What about an abundance of Love and Peace? What about an abundance of family and friends. An abundance of health? And most importantly to we humans, an abundance of happiness?
As we reframe our thinking, feelings and belief codes about struggle and abundance, we create the space for far more abundance, and the recognition of abundance, in our lives.