Some people may find this article (which I originally wrote in 2012) controversial – it may not be what you expect from a spiritual writer. And yet, politics and social comment are just as relevant in spirituality as are discussions regarding personal values and actions. All of life is spiritual. All of life is Spirit, the very breath of God, breathing existence into the void.
There is NO such thing as the affairs of Spirit AND the affairs of Man: both, ultimately, are ONE.
VOTE 1: SANITY
In the coming Federal elections the choice includes The Pirates Party, The Australian Sex Party, The Bullet Train for Australia Party, The HEMP Party, The Smokers Rights Party and the Australian Mental Health Party. Such a rich feast of choices!
Under the constitution, every man and woman from the age of 18 must vote.
And in this country voting is free, fair and the counting honest.
In other words, every four years Australians are given the opportunity to change their society.
By and large, they decline the invitation.
Instead, they nibble at the corners…..political parties debate such things as where scared people fleeing utterly inhospitable conditions elsewhere via leaking boats will be imprisoned…..whether people should be allowed to give their and their family’s means of sustenance to a gaming machine in large amounts or via a dribble method…..and how to strike a balance between destroying the environment and making a quick buck……
Australia now boasts almost 24 million people, the 50th largest population in the world and the 13th largest national economy.
That’s very impressive, eh?
We rank 21st on the world’s literacy scale.
33rd highest in rates of suicide .
4th highest in obesity (but we’re catching up fast!).
18th from the best in press freedom.
55th highest in per capita education expenditure.
16th highest in electricity consumption and 12th highest in carbon dioxide emissions.
Around 160,000 destitute Aussies are homeless and have no certainty where they’ll sleep tonight. Governments look away.
Factories are closing everywhere as cheaper products are enthusiastically sourced elsewhere: most variety stores should be renamed ‘MadeinChina”. Governments look away.
Banks reap extraordinary macro-profits and promote extraordinary micro-staffing. Governments look away.
Shopping centres revel in Sunday trading; sports and racing consume Sunday leisure: it’s all Sunday-a-go-go further fragmenting family life. Governments look away.
Poker machines, alcohol, cigarettes and junk food parlours are fully approved and their sales, production and distribution fully tax deductible whilst at the same time expensive campaigns are waged against betting, alcohol, cigarette and obesity addictions. The government coffers carry the load both ways; whilst the government looks away.
Gas, coal and mineral explorers blithely open farm gates and trawl the fertile and productive acres of Australia’s ever-struggling farmers in search of another quick quid. Governments look away.
The Australian dollar zigzags erratically sometimes reaching such heights that export sales of wool, cotton, wheat, iron ore, sugar, fruit and a thousand manufactured products all suffer causing consequential pain to the entire country. And the government looks away.
Over 240 million pharmaceutical prescriptions were dispensed by chemists as far back as 2010 – more than 11 for each man, woman and child – most heavily paid for by the government. The figure continues to grow. Yet natural, health-strengthening alternatives continue to be banned, ignored and dismissed by a medical system intent on hogging the spoils. Governments look away.
Hospital errors kill around 4500 people every year. That’s more than the number of refugees that used to arrive by boat! Governments (both major parties) look away.
Talking of boat people – and Australia’s political partys’ attitudes – refugees to Australia account for around just 0.1% of all refugees, worldwide. Most of these aren’t so desperate so they come by plane. That way they more easily get to stay here without a big fuss.
When will SANITY prevail?
How long do we allow the madness to continue?
Government has taken SPIRITUALITY out of state schools; banned GOD from government emails; and removed the DIVINE PRESENCE from the official healing sciences altogether.
The altar has been converted into a bank teller’s counter.
Almighty God has been transcended by Almighty Dollar.
Prayer has been replaced by a double shot latte and mochachino.
Spiritual community has been transformed into a 7-day a week shopping centre experience.
Society is turning into a basket case.
No wonder so many people drug themselves up to the eyeballs, drink themselves silly or gamble away their money.
The future they see seems bleak……with possibly bleaker to come……
These days it’s a given that many political promises WILL be broken after the elections.
The answer is to VOTE 1: Sanity.
Every four years everyone gets to vote, gets a chance to radically change society, to transform life-style and life priorities entirely.
Every four years we get the chance – mandated and upheld by law – to stop the madness and turn back toward compassionate, caring living.
Every four years we are given a pencil and asked to tick a box.
We could tick a box that offered a total revolution, a spiritual re-awakening of society’s values, standards and intentions.
Which box?
There isn’t one.
Not yet.
Why not?
Because no-one has got together with their friends and created one.
Not yet.
But it can’t be hard.
After all, that lady from the Bundaberg fish and chip shop started one – and won 22.7% of the primary vote and 11 of the 89 seats in her first election – the 1998 Queensland state elections. In terms of first-preference votes, she received more than either the Liberals or Nationals.
What could this new box deliver?
Compassion, care, respect, co-operation, peace, family values, social harmony, inclusiveness, equality.
Quality ethic-based creative education.
Genuine multi-disciplinary healing services, allopathic, complementary and spiritual.
Authentic business support including protection against unfair competition.
Rehabilitative prison and supportive police reforms.
Justice, care and homes for the homeless and underpriveliged.
Work for all.
Sundays work free for most.
Radical tax overhaul to regain complete fairness of contributions by the wealthy.
Compassionate refugee and generous aid policies.
Fairness and truth in business and political affairs.
Genuine planet, earth, water, air, plant and animal protection and enhancement.
And, above all, legislation based on the ageless wisdom of universal spiritual values.
Call it the SPIRITUAL Box, if you wish.
You may think this is a fantasy……but it’s not.
It is, in truth, the easiest way Humanity can move out of its madness and toward its Wholeness.
It just needs one person to start the box.
And a lot of friends to seriously support it.
If two thirds of Australia’s women supported it – and just one third of the men – it would undoubtedly cause the greatest peaceful and socially responsible revolution this world has ever seen.
Australia would be the first country to be truly governed by universal spiritual values, free of religious dogma.
Which box would you tick?
Which of you will start to make the box?
And who amongst you have the courage to wholeheartedly support it?
It’s surely worth it.
You save this world, our selves and this society, this garden of Eden, from total desecration.
Blessings and Love,
Les