I have been watching our presidential candidates go back and forth like schoolboys, fighting for power with more masculine aggression and pettiness than I have seen in a long time. And what this has made me realize is the following: these men both embody good ol' masculine American values of competition and cutthroat dominance. This is what our society values--the bottom line. Recapitulating and keeping the same hegemonic system intact--keeping the wool thickened over our eyes so thick, so heavy, we let it become a blanket under which we hide and take comfort.
Seeing these characters speak and argue makes me think, even more, about our Western, capitalist infrastructure--the media, movies, the news, sporting events, video games--all of these perpetuate, emphasize, in fact, champion and celebrate competition, power, triumph and victory to the justifiable expense of the "other," the weaker, the opponent. And in sporting events, this is the point, right? But what is the detriment of this kind of competitive game consciousness infiltrating and permeating our society? What happens when this becomes a lived reality that we eat-think-breathe-sleep in? What happens when global resources begin to dwindle because of this kind of competition, where winners take all and losers are left to, well, lose? We know how this goes. We know how this game ends.
So lately, I have been wondering, how can we alter our collective consciousness? Where do we begin? I don't purport to have the answers. Nor would I ever be arrogant enough to claim I have some kind of solution to problems of this scale and magnitude. But I will say--there is something that is glaringly absent in our mainstream culture. And it's this: human empathy. When is the last time you watched the news and heard stories about strangers helping one another? Or heard about folks volunteering at homeless shelters, animal shelters, soup kitchens? Why aren't there stories about educators, nurses, tireless workers giving back to humanity on a daily basis? Instead, we hear about murder, rape, wars, criminals, political campaigns, wars, resource depletion, wars, gang fighting, wars, kidnapping, wars, wars, WARS. The kind of world the news perpetuates is one that is divided against itself indefinitely, interminably. How can we alter our collective consciousness if the kind of reality the media "reports on" is one that is inherently violent? This corrupt culture industry serves to perpetuate itself, to perpetuate the same kind of insidious competitive spirit that has come to define, unfortunately, this Western world.
I find myself caught up in this world too often. When I drive into Denver for my job every morning, I feel frustrated, angry, sometimes even hostile towards other drivers--drivers who are going too slow, who make inappropriate moves in traffic, who aren't paying attention. And this anger rises inside of me and I see red. I don't see a human being in that vehicle, I see a person who is impeding my speed, my progress. I started to feel this today. I was waiting in line to get on the highway and a homeless man was walking along the median with a sign, begging for anything. Normally, and ashamedly, I turn a blind eye. I am often too wrapped up in my head, my frustrations, my thoughts to give much notice. I think about it. I worry about it, I worry about that person--and I begin to critique the system and fall into a prison of my own fury. But what does this do? What am I doing to help perpetuate human empathy? Nothing. I might as well be one of the many other unthinking, purposefully ignorant drones. Today, without thought, I reached into my lunch and gave him a banana. It wasn't much. But the look of gratitude in his eyes, in his voice, was beyond words. He spoke his heart to me. He continued to walk and I saw the man behind me roll down his window and pass him a large container of food--it looked like a fancy sandwich from a local deli. And it shook me, it made me realize the power of human empathy.
I don't write this to say, "hey, look at me, I did something charitable today, give me some praise!" Not at all. In fact, quite the opposite. If anything, I am disappointed in myself for not doing more, on a daily basis. But what was beautiful, in that moment, was the person behind me following this lead. If he hadn't seen me roll down my window, would he have given away his lunch? Would he have had the courage to do so? Did seeing someone express empathy help him do the same? How many of us on a daily basis experience the same struggles--not just in this scenario, but in many other ways? Is this how, perhaps, we can begin to transform our collective consciousness--one small, selfless act at a time?
So I think about this moment in respect to our political leaders, to our mainstream media, to the way humanity is constantly portrayed to us on a daily basis. I believe we are much more than how we are portrayed, how we, as a people, are represented. And I think we have the power to make waves in human action through empathy--genuine care for the other that has absolutely nothing to do with ego-fulfillment, stature or power. I'm not sure how to end this blog. In fact, I hope this isn't the end, I hope this is the beginning of an important dialogue that should take place, that should open us up to forming human connections not based on division or hatred--that are not borne out of class divisions. But how do we change the current of predominant, hegemonic thought coursing through the veins of our mainstream American society?
I end with this, from Allen Ginsburg's "Howl: "Moloch whose love is endless oil and stone! Moloch whose soul is electricity and banks! Moloch whose poverty is the specter of genius! Moloch whose fate is a cloud of sexless hydrogen! Moloch whose name is the Mind!"
Let's be more than the Mind. Let's start being the Heart.
