The Inner Life of Democracy

This morning on Krista Tippett's on Being radio program she featured an interview with Jacob Needleman, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at San Francisco University.  The interview took place in August of 2003, but is so appropriate to be reheard on our nation's birthday, and furthermore expands what we were speaking about in our last blog, the evidence of our moving out of the Age of Pisces into the Age of Aquarius.

One of the hallmarks of coming into the Aquarian Age is that everyone is allowed to become free and independent, to become who we are meant to be, not in an selfish, individualistic way where the me me's mean acquiring things for myself, but in the manner of discovering, and then contributing back to society what is the essence of each individual.  Our country was founded on these moral ideas of self improvement.  Jefferson's ideals about the democratic process;  how important it is to really listen to pne another, to compromise, how humans have rights and duties, that religious dogmas should not be tyrannical, that each person needs his/her freedom to express his/herself, come to his/her own truth and allow others the same dignity, are still in process today. 

All these ideas are what our founding fathers envisioned for this country and what the Aquarian Age will be about. Everyone is equal in the mind of God; all humans are composed of the same "stuff".  Democracy is not just outward rules but necessitates that we work inwardly as well to free ourselves from egoistic concerns that do not allow us to really hear what someone else is saying.  Freedom of speech, for example, implies that I do not have to agree with you, but I am obliged to listen to you and let your thoughts come into my mind, which is hard to do. 

Professor Needleman asks: what is our freedom for?  Our freedom is not only about being able to physically move about (which is important) but there is another inner dimension of freedom where we free ourselves from selfish cravings and prejudices that cause so much chaos.  Our government protects us and provides the space to become fully human ourselves, to search for conscience. Conscience is the power within the human psyche to discern true values and morals. A real democracy depends on each of us developing a conscience.   Unalienable rights "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" does not mean feeling good about all your desires being fulfilled.  Happiness for Jefferson means having virtue.  Happiness or well being is being what you are meant to be as a human being, a relationship to your true self brings happiness, nothing else will do.

These ideas of Needleman's are so right for the times now when we seem to have lost the true sense of what we should be striving for - it is not to acquire more things but to become a whole human being; and that takes inner work.  Our work is to look inside and create the inner space to be free and give others the same space.  America embodies this ideal.  This is where we are heading as we move into the Aquarian Age.  Happy Birthday America.