Blaze, America;
Igniting a week of truth and
healing
by Stephen Dinan
OpEdNews.com
In the next ten days, America will choose its destiny and define its
identity. This is a weighty moment in history. The world looks
on with great anticipation, hoping that we see beyond political rhetoric
and fears to blaze again with our light.
It is our light, not our military might, that has attracted the world to
the American way of life. Our light blazes in our founding principles, our
inventions, our books, our technology, our films, and our explorers.
When we stand in the truth of our national identity, we demonstrate
our human potential by going beyond perceived limits. Our role is to
lead with hope.
However, we have not been blazing in recent years – we have succumbed to
a Machiavellian deceptiveness on the world stage, advancing only the
narrow interests of an elite. It has been a dark time. Our light has
flickered badly.
It is time for this epoch to end.
What we need in these final days of election is to blaze again with love
and truth, filling ourselves with respect for those on both sides of the
political divide. Anger at Bush has served to stir many of us from
our slumbers and motivate us for the long, hard hours that creating change
requires. But anger does not win hearts and minds. We need to
shift towards openheartedness.
As we near the finish line of the election, we also need to convey our
sincere commitment to create a country that works for all of us, including
those whom we have opposed politically. We don’t want a healed
America just for ourselves but for all of our fellow citizens and all of
the species on this planet. To get there means clearing
the darkness, fear, and distress that have enshrouded our land, and the
only way is via the sunlight of truth.
I therefore suggest a week of truth telling, starting on Tuesday, October
26th, at noon Eastern Time. Please forward this call to friends,
allies, and sympathetic organizations that might take it up, as well as
government insiders who may be privy to information that the public needs
to know to make a wise decision on November 2nd.
As people step forward, let us welcome their truths without rancor and
blame. Let us welcome them in the spirit of healing our country and
standing again in our greatness. Many whistleblowers have rightly feared
retribution. Now is the time to tell the story – there is safety
in numbers and there is little time for retribution if momentum continues
to build to remove the Bush administration. It’s time to let the world
know about the ways in which the administration has deceived us by the
people who have witnessed it. Potential whistleblowers can
disseminate what they know to reporters, bloggers, web lists, and online
news sites. If enough people do this in the final week of the
election, the result will be a powerful national catharsis that opens the
way for a new and healthier government.
We can imagine this as a Jubilee, which in Biblical times was a year in
which all debts were forgiven. Similarly, let us encourage insiders
to come forward with their truths and witness what they share with
forgiveness.
In one week of truth telling, we can ensure that a darkened chapter of
American history closes and a new dawn breaks. This requires opening
our hearts to those who have perpetrated crimes. Once the shadowy truths
are revealed, significant changes and measures of justice will undoubtedly
be required. But let us administer those measures gracefully and
generously, not with the hand of retribution but with the hand of wisdom.
Many good people have had their behaviors distorted by a corrupted
system. As insiders bring forward their stories in the final week
before the election, let us receive them with a compassionate heart. Just
as individuals can cleanse their sins by sharing them in a confessional,
so can the blemishes of our nation be cleansed in a week of deep honesty
and forgiveness.
Please forward this email widely so it can reach all those who might have
stories they have been afraid to share. Encourage them to share what
they know, starting on Tuesday, for a week of truth and healing that paves
the way for real healing on Nov 2nd. In this way, one chapter of darkened
history can close and America can blaze again.
Permanent link: http://www.stephendinan.com/2004/10/blaze-america.html
Stephen Dinan stephen@radicalspirit.org
is author of Radical Spirit (New World Library, 2002), and founder of TCN,
Inc. Stephen directed and helped to create the Esalen Institute's Center
for Theory & Research, a think tank for leading scholars, researchers,
and teachers to explore human potential frontiers. Currently, he is a
marketing consultant for a number of startups, political action groups,
and non-profits and runs workshops through the Radical Spirit Community.
For a full archive of his articles, visit www.stephendinan.com
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