oldercontents

We tend to see the world of politics as place where sharks and wolves seem to battle over power, meanwhile paying little attention to the real needs of any People. Yet, in our hearts we know that good people are frequently called to labor in the service of our common public life. Perhaps it is really only present general social conditions that lead us to see politics as such a dark and spiritually empty calling. Perhaps, if Civil Society finds its right relationship to the future, public life will become more of what we really need it to be.

Everyone understands that America has a very dominant position in the modern world. Many people see this in a negative way, as if to be dominant is some kind of flaw or wrongness. We would be in error to think this way. Once we understand the ordering principles active in social existence, we will come to see that in something like a nation or a People, the dark and the light always tend to balance. Certainly there are moments when one form of being will be in control, but always the other is present and latent. One aspect of the future is that these conditions more and more depend upon how we act. Where once they were instinctive, today they must be more conscious. Bascially, it is up to us. - to find our personal connection to the Spirit of our People

The Gazette is an on-line newsletter concerned with the renewal of public life - or as we too often write, politics. Its main focus is America, but its principles are applicable to most forms of democracy. The original issues of the Gazette were published in 1998, and concerned laying out a general set of conceptions along the lines of this website, but applicable to public life in particular. These PAST issues have a certain validity in themselves. Also now being published are a set of PRESENT issues in the Blog format, see: Hermit's Weblog: everything your mother never told you about how the world really works.

A consideration of how the application of a certain degree of social force, at a very particular place and time, might well bring about very significant changes. It will require some thought to appreciate.

The American Spirit A page leading to other essays, which I have written on politics in America

"some thoughts on the nature of public life - and an offer of service" I had recently decided to run for President of the United States of America, and this was my website for this work. I have since withdrawn from that campaign, for various reasons, but what was produced while wearing that hat has a value beyond the moment so I have kept the website up.

Essays and Comments on Current Afairs - various rants of the moment as our time of political and social crisis continues to evolve, written before the Blog was created.

How to Fight the Good Fight or Prelude to a Second American Constitution: strategy and tactics in the War the Rich are making upon the Poor. how we can solve any number of America's political problems by going back to the original drawing board, and starting all over again. [under construction]

I am running for Mayor of Prescott Arizona (this is happening in the spring and summer of 2005). Writings concerning this can be found here. [this was aborted in May 2005, reasons can be found on the web page]

The social body itself is organic in nature and form. But its movement and direction comes from a higher principle then that of life - namely spiritual freedom. In the life of the Mind then is found the essential spiritual power through which the organism of social existence grows and becomes. Still not well known by our present day Culture is how the Mind comes to knowledge of the Ideal. Nor do we understood just what the Ideal is in reality. In addition, it is here in the inwardness of the human soul that the problem of Evil is to be met and then comprehended. Of all the dilemmas of our common existence, it is the nature Evil that most needs to be raised into the realm of clear and mature concepts. We will never have true knowledge of social existence without penetrating the nature of Mind, of the Ideal and of the reality and purpose of Evil in human existence.

For many people, having been raised in modern culture, mind is thought to be something that exists in the brain, and as a by-product of basically chemical and electrical processes in cells and nerves. This essay considers this problem quite directly and finds that, for all its inventiveness, science has yet to ask and seek the answer to the most important question - "what is mind to itself". When mind considers itself directly, in its own inward environment, then the idea of mind, as a only product of the biology of the brain, fails.

This is an essay on the mind in the light of the Four Noble Truths of the Buddha. In my own studies of Buddhism, I found more satisfaction in considering these very basic questions myself than I did in any study of all the rich literature that follows, whether in Zen or Tibetan Buddhism, or whatever. I did find it helpful to study these questions, however, not just for their practical understanding of mind, but also for how this understanding created a much better possibility for appreciating the mental processes of the "other", the Thou. It is this last which is such a ripe fruit of the Buddha's basic teachings - namely the growing in the own soul of Compassion.

Many people have trouble with the idea 'moral". This is understandable given the history of Christianity (for example), which has included so many attempts at dominating the moral thinking of others. Especially in our age we don't like being told what is right to do. We would rather follow our own judgment. It will come as no supprise to many, that the Christian Gospels actually support that latter view (personal moral judgment) instead of the view that allows someone else to tell us what is moral. But this view of the Gospels is not appreciated until we have penetrated, in practice, the psychological teachings these remarkable Books of Wisdom contain. Many so-called Christians have failed to live the Gospels, and for this reason have never come to understand what they teach about mind, about soul and spirit in a practical and pragmatic sense. This essay is the result of my own explorations of these Books of Wisdom as they apply to life, to thinking and feeling, and to how the world is ordered in both its social and moral realms. For it is here, in such practices that the real facing of the problem of Evil comes toward us. It is only in the brutally self honest examination of how we introduce Evil into the world, that we learn what we need to know in order to appreciate how Evil works in the social.

The Quiet Suffering of Nature: a look for the deeper meaning of environmentalism, with the idea in mind that Nature might have both Being and Consciousness.

The Hopi Prophecy: the Elder and Younger Brothers, the Stone Tablets rejoined and other matters of deep vision.

NEW: if you want a synthesis of my work, it lies in the book immediately below, which has finally reached the level where it can be pre-viewed by the public while I finish getting its details to a condition satisfactory for publication:

the Way of the Fool: the conscious development of human character, and the future* of Christianity - some thoughts on the nature of human becoming (the evolution of consciousness), and the wise relationship of moral grace, freedom and love -
* John 16: 12-15 "I have much more to say to you, but you can't bear it just yet. But when the other comes, the breath of truth, he will guide you in the ways of all truth, because he will not speak on his own, but will speak what he hears and announce to you what's coming. He will glorify me, because he will take of what is mine and announce it to you. Everything the Father has is mine: that's why I said he will take of what is mine and announce it to you."

also New: An American Quartet: four poems, whose words should be read aloud, if read at all:
Some of Us Remember
the Rape of the Republic
America sings
a gift from another's eyes

In this section will be found the words and thoughts of some friends. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have.

NEW! Seth Miller's wonderful essay on the underlying archetypal images in the movie the Matrix can be found here. Click on his name for the main page of his website.

Harvey Bornfield (1945-2006) - a musician with words: my copies of his e-mails to the discussion lists in which we both participated. These are remarkable.

Introducing Barbara Gardner: Barbara is a Scottish visionary thinker, very interested in social life, especially politics and economics. Here is a small book of her's

Introducing Volker (last name anonymous) Volker has some interesting memories and this has lead to his wonderful poetry in contemplation of the "Good"

Introducing Stephen Clarke: Stephen hides his talent under a basket. [Not any more - I now have his work on this website: look here] His research in the Mysteries of the Americas is quite unique, and various essays can also be found by joining the AllOurRelations discussion list at YahooGroups. Once you have joined, then you can go to the files section where Stephen has hidden the essays maintained here, as well as a whole lot of other material. Here is a link to this discussion list.

Bioneers: Something unusual is going on out there, and these folks are a quite valuable nexus for it. Imagine a regular early fall gathering, not too long after Michaelmas, in which the brightest and the best from the environmental movement and activist social movements (Civil Society) gather together and share their very best inspirations, as well as stories about their practices and actions.

Then there's the Moody Blues...in this essay, Hymns to the Consciousness Soul, I introduce the some perhaps not well known deeper aspects to the work of these remarkable musical artists.

(some old material, as well as writings that don't easily fit within the above categories)

pragmatic populist politics: or, it isnt' easy being Green - an essay on the spiritual emptyness of the Green Party

the shadow warrior society - an essay on the creative possibilites of a transformation of the culture of the homeless

Letters to the Alliance - some material written to the Alliance for Democracy concerning certain fundamental problems they had been ignoring.

Book reviews - some reviews of books, of really only marginal importance unless one has some interest in anthroposophy.