You
can’t say, “I’m not going to have anything to do with politics.” You
can say it, but you’ve got to watch where you’re saying it from. You may
say, “I’m not going to get involved with politics because I am so busy
with something else, and I’ll vote, but I’m not going to put my time
into campaigning for candidates and things like that, or issues, because
my energies are best used here.” That’s fine. If you’ve thought it
through and felt that way and can look somebody in the eye and say,
“This is the way it is.” If you’re saying, “I’m not having anything to
do with politics because it’s too dirty and because I don’t approve of
it,” forget it – you are abdicating your responsibility to society. It’s
as simple as that.
We’re at an interesting moment within the shift of collective
consciousness, specifically around the way in which we’re integrating
the changes in power structures. Now business holds sway over
government, over religion, in terms of social power. And business is
like pirates on the high seas – the question is, do you control it from
the outside, or does it control itself? Does the whole process have a
meta-game that’s controlling itself, and can you stand back far enough
to see how it’s playing out? How is the shift in collective
consciousness going to evolve and what part do you play?
Part of the curriculum is looking at the systems that you are a part of
and being able to say, “That system needs work.” It’s important to be
able to shift your game so that you’re not simply pushing the system
away and saying “I don’t think about that stuff, because it’s too
complicated. Let somebody else worry about it.” Because as long as you
get really frustrated with the system, you may be standing in the way of
everybody’s survival.
- Ram Dass
