Over the years of my life, whenever I have encountered children, I’ve never had too much trouble getting their cooperation. Nobody is perfect, and some groups are inherently bratty unless broken apart, but more on that later. The point is, the single greatest factor in my comfort and success with children as a whole is taking them seriously. They know instinctively when you do, and it changes everything.
It’s the same with any leader-follower relationship. The true leader takes into account every one of the group they lead, and takes seriously their wishes, even if there is nothing they can do to fulfill a single one. So we not the least surprised when someone points out US government by no means takes anyone seriously who isn’t part of the ruling class:
When this majority discovered that virtually no one in a position of power in either party or with a national voice would take their objections seriously, that decisions about their money were being made in bipartisan backroom deals with interested parties, and that the laws on these matters were being voted by people who had not read them, the term “political class” came into use. Then, after those in power changed their plans from buying toxic assets to buying up equity in banks and major industries but refused to explain why, when they reasserted their right to decide ad hoc on these and so many other matters, supposing them to be beyond the general public’s understanding, the American people started referring to those in and around government as the “ruling class.” And in fact Republican and Democratic office holders and their retinues show a similar presumption to dominate and fewer differences in tastes, habits, opinions, and sources of income among one another than between both and the rest of the country. They think, look, and act as a class.
Codevilla goes on to explain how this didn’t actually start with TARP, but it simply became painfully obvious to all on an unprecedented scale. He also breaks it down by party and basic policy orientation, noting those who are conservative or Republican are utterly certain the party leaders do not represent them. So while it’s highly likely the next election will see Republican gains across the board, nobody believes it will change much, because it can only be a matter of the lesser of evils, and all of them are very, very evil.
For mystics, we understand. We trust no one, least of all ourselves, but we know we cannot hope to bring truth to anyone if we don’t take them seriously. Truth only comes one individual at a time, and the essence of bringing enlightenment is one-on-one within a context of consistently revealing truth to all. It’s work, very hard work, until it becomes your basic reflex. I can’t explain how I came to take children seriously, but it has been a reflex for as long as I can remember. That is, I don’t exactly treat them like children, and give them as much as possible the same freedom to act as I do adults. Who am I to say they aren’t some superior genius in ways I can’t discern? Only what I must do to protect those under my care will indicate any limitations. It’s not a matter of inherent power or talent, but simply the role assigned by forces beyond my control.
I’m still trying to figure this out, and allowing people to choose will expose their readiness to face the world. Treat people like children, and you’ll tend to get the worst, most childish response. Treat them like equals within the limits of the situation, and it changes everything. That’s because we are constructing a bubble of truth when we do so, and all things come to light when we live the truth. The one thing which most sickens me among others who proclaim themselves “mystics” is the same awful pretense of superiority we get from any elitist ruling class. Mysticism does not make you better, just more honest with yourself. We do not have answers for the all the many needs of the world, but deny there are any real answers in this world. The only real answer is to deny them all, and point people to the place inside the human soul which can touch and be touched by the hand of God.
