And yet, the principle of universality has a quality of rightness, of fairness and justice. It's the old "do unto others ... " approach. It states that congress and the president and all officials must abide by the same laws you and I do. It suggests that corporations cannot be endowed with the same rights as persons. It implies the real American Dream, a fair shake for everyone and a chance to live in health and peace.
Thomas Jefferson and other founders of our country were flawed, as are we all. But they had the vision to recognize the importance of the principle of universality to creating a successful democracy. And so it was written into our constitution. But that honest intent has been usurped by corporate interests and our government. And we can't fully address the problem without realizing its range and depth.
What solace there may be in our current situation lies in the glimmers on the edges of our culture. There are great efforts being made by common people around the world to make their governments more responsible and less corrupt. There are trends toward sustainability and justice all over the planet. And there's a growing realization that you can't win a war on terrorism by using violence.
The core issue is reforming our government to be, once again, sincerely based on the principle of universality. Hard to say how radical things are going to get before we throw these bums out and begin restoring our government, but it's not too soon to start.
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