Left, Right, Center? Which Political Stance Is Best?
A living democracy means you never take a stance of any kind. This has happened in a very strong way in the United States. It has became like two different religions—are you a Democrat or are you a Republican?
This happened: the Democrats were campaigning in one of the Red States—which always vote Republican. One of the Democrats asked someone, “Why don’t you vote for Democrats?” The man replied, “My grandfather was a Republican, my father was a Republican, I am also a Republican.” This Democrat got irritated and said, “Suppose your grandfather was a jackass and your father was a jackass, what would you be?” The other man replied, “Well, I would be a Democrat.” You’ve seen their symbol? [ :) ]
In a living democracy, you should never take a stance. This is something we have forgotten. Our country is also moving in that direction: “Do you belong here or there?” Am I right, left, center? The moment you take this stance, you are destroying democracy and taking it back to feudalism: “We belong to this tribe so we will only vote this way!” There’s no democracy left. A democracy means that every time, you evaluate what stance you want to take. And that is not a permanent stance.
The phenomenal achievement of a democratic process is that change of power happens without bloodshed. Believe me, even within a family, if there is substantial wealth, change of power will not happen without spilling blood. But in large nations today, we change power from one group to another without spilling a drop of blood.
But as you become a tribal mindset, you are taking it back to a place where there will be tribal warfare every time we want to change power. Right now, it is becoming such that even on social media there are digital mobs endlessly battering each other. This is tribal warfare.
If you go on like this—abuse, abuse, abuse—it is not far away before somebody comes out with a sword or a gun and starts slaughtering people. You can already instigate a lynching or violence against a community through active WhatsApp usage.
I know this is going to make me extremely unpopular—but party membership should be cancelled because this is becoming a tribe. It is time we mature as a democracy. So, you should not take any stance. Well, I haven’t made up my mind for the next election. Let me see who performs how; who makes more sense. At the end of four-and-a-half years, take four to six months to evaluate what has happened. Is it worthwhile to give them one more chance or can someone else do better? Every citizen must take this call in the last three to six months.
Website Bonus Feature
Video:
“Why do lynchings happen in India?—Sadhguru answers.”
https://youtu.be/xpP3k5p_itI
| Sadhguru is a yogi, mystic, and visionary, and a prominent spiritual leader. An author, poet, and internationally renowned speaker, Sadhguru is the founder of Isha Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to human wellbeing. (www.isha.sadhguru.org) |
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