A dear friend e-mailed me after reading last Friday’s pair of posts to say that she always looks forward to receiving WINN but this time she was sad and disappointed that I had published these “purely political articles.” For me these posts are not purely political. This is my response – not a full post – to my disappointed friend and perhaps to others who might have wondered why WINN published them. (www.WINNpost.org on September 18th)
In my view neither politics nor spirituality are pure.They both contain something of the other’s territory. And they share something of great importance – values. Politics are grounded in worldly events and actions while spiritual belief systems – whether or not they are tied to organized religions – deal with what is above or beyond everyday life. Each of them in their own way address the most basic human questions ,
“Who am I?” and “How can I live a good life?”.
WINN is published because I think that it is crucial for us as individuals and as a collective human community to know that there is more to existence than the material world. To know the true nature of reality we must include what cannot be measured as well as all that can. What is immeasurable isn’t woo-woo. The people who experience the non-usual realms of our existence should not be dismissed as crazy. We can learn from them, and what they know is often the subject of WINN posts, posts that often inform us through stories.
There are two core beliefs or spiritual values about what a human is and how we can live our lives well that have developed over thousands of years in many cultures around the world. It’s ancient wisdom drawn from what has been considered real and meaningful,
We are all connected. (We are all God’s children.)
And
We should treat others as we wish to be treated ourselves. (The Golden Rule.)
Politics devoid of deeply wise values can be very destructive. Spiritual beliefs not connected to action in the world can be empty and self-centered. Both of last Friday’s posts teach lessons about how to live as we care for ourselves and for others – recognizing unconscious bias when we are given that uncomfortable opportunity (Gilah’s post) and how to organize and live in supportive communities that share the rewards and responsibilities of belonging (Pablo’s post).
The choices we make about what to learn and how to live are vitally important both in material reality and in the world of love, soul, and spirit.