Potpourri From Home

T-Minus 3 days before my departure. Tibetan Buddhists believe that saying the mantra Om Madi Padme Hum invites the blessings of Chenrenzig, the embodiment of compassion. They also believe that you can send this prayer into the world by spinning a wheel (like that to the pictured to the left) containing the mantra.

Compassion plays a central role in opening to cultures different from our own. At the outset of this journey I remind myself to have "beginner's mind". No expectation, no preconceived notions, no prejudices. Easier said than done to be sure, but awareness and practice can only lead to greater understanding of others through the self and self through the others.

As one skilled in the art might surmise, I attended my first meditation practice today at Spirit Rock in Marin County, California. It is practically in my backyard and boasts the likes of Jack Kornfeld. For some reason I have had a mental block about attending, even meditation itself, but today that block is no longer. Sylvia Boorstein was the meditation and discussion leader. She was excellent. That said, by what standard do I have to measure? I guess it does not matter if she was objectively excellent, it is what each person takes away from the meeting. The experience is probably different for all, just depends on the where you sit.

Sylvia read an excerpt from the "Third Patriarch of Zen Verses on the Faith Mind". I won't recite it here, but I recommend it if you are interested in finding your truth or perhaps "The Truth". I know I don't know "The Truth", but perhaps in the coming months, "The Truth" will reveal bits of itself to me. This realization is up to me as it is with each of us.

Also I cannot fail to mention that Bill Moyers spoke at the Paramount Theatre in Oakland, California last night (Valentine's Day). Very powerful information imparted by Mr. Moyers. He discussed the unfolding situation in Wash D.C. where more than 64,000 registered lobbyists spend billions of dollars annually to influence the senate, house, the president and even the judiciary. The evidence mounts, primarily for the Republican party at the moment, but the Democrats are not fairing much better. While the country is divided, even polarized into a two party system, some of the very foundation of our democracy is eroding.

Moyers pointed out that the politicians are public employees, yet they give away oil on federal lands to private companies without charging any royalties. (See NY Times front page article 2/14/06). The lobbyists represent special interests of the few and leave the majority of Americans further behind than ever before. Moyers points out that a few decades ago, CEOs of the top 100 corporation in America made 30 times the salary of the average worker. Today, the CEOs of the top 100 corporations make 1000 times the salary of the average worker. This growing disparity is eroding our republic as these corporations use their immense wealth to influence elected officials who are charged with pursuing the public interests, but paid to ignore the greater good. And since getting elected isn't getting any cheaper (1.6 billion spent on campaigns in 2000 and 3.4 billion spent in 2004 on campaigns), it seems America's large corporation are hiring senators, congressmen and women and presidents these days. Applications are being accepted at a corporation near you.

Moyers quoted another author Jared Diamond (from his book "Collapse"), reminding us that when politicians and top CEOs live in private gated communities with private security guards, drink bottled water and send their children to private schools, it becomes much easier to make decisions in DC that under equip the public police force, ignore the importance of clean water and leave students of public schools out in the proverbial cold.

Why write about this now in a travel blog you ask? Two reasons. First, it serves as a reminder for my travels so that when I am asked why the United States is acting as hegemon around the globe (as I was by a very pleasant Ugandan gentleman in 2004), I can explain what has transpired in US government over the last 30 years. Not an excuse, just an insight of how things are today, hopefully not how they will always be.

The second reason I chose to mention Moyers' speech was that he referred us Californians to AB 583 already passed by the State Assembly. AB 583 would enact the California Clean Money and Fair Elections Act of 2006. The Act would authorize eligible candidates for state elective office to obtain public funds for their campaigns. So unlike the Federal government's recent oil donations to corporate America, State governments may start a trend where instead of costing Americans tens of millions of dollars in lost royalties, it will cost a mere $5 or $6 dollars per person to have our representative republic restored and perhaps only then will the government stop giving away that which belongs to us all.

Apparently legislation similar to AB 583 has already been enacted in Arizona and is showing signs of healthy reform (research Arizona state subsidy for Medicare prescription benefit) as candidates no longer need to pander to special interests (read as large corporations and/or the religious right) and those elected can truly represent the public interest instead of worrying about their re-election fund. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, Purple, Green, or other, it should not matter, the concept of fair elections without the intrusion of wealthy special interests is a fundamental tenet upon which this country is founded. Government by the people for the people is not a guarantee, rather it has been a social contract by which the country's founders and each generation thereafter have continued to agree, but contracts are only ideas on paper having no real effect unless those agreeing to be bound actually live by them.

These are some of the ideas with which I will travel as I venture into other democracies, social and even communist "republics". Whether you were born here or immigrated here, intrinsically we know that America is a special place unlike any other governed land on the globe. Through my eyes, I will share how some people in the world view the United States today.

Om Madi Padme Hum