On the Way

Then what is the answer?- Not to be deluded by dreams.
To know that great civilizations have broken down into violence,
and their tyrants come, many times before.
When open violence appears, to avoid it with honor or choose
the least ugly faction; these evils are essential.
To keep one’s own integrity, be merciful and uncorrupted
and not wish for evil; and not be duped
By dreams of universal justice or happiness. These dreams will
not be fulfilled.
To know this, and know that however ugly the parts appear
the whole remains beautiful. A severed hand
Is an ugly thing and man dissevered from the earth and stars
and his history… for contemplation or in fact…
Often appears atrociously ugly. Integrity is wholeness,
the greatest beauty is
Organic wholeness, the wholeness of life and things, the divine beauty
of the universe. Love that, not man
Apart from that, or else you will share man’s pitiful confusions,
or drown in despair when his days darken.

-Robinson Jeffers, “The Answer”

Recent times have felt dark, dramatic, frustrating, tiring, and for many, hopeless. The ongoing machinations of politics churn on, day by day, and the constant news cycle and endless coverage which makes scandals of both sides a spectacle of semingly equivalent duality, breeding a jaded cynicism. “It doesn’t matter. They’re all the same.” Or: “I’m tired of voting for the lesser of two evils.”

This has been on my mind recently because this false equivalence and apathy loom as dangerous for all of us, for the entire planet. This post is meant as a message to give heart to the importance of the lesser of two evils, and a second post will aim to help you find engagement in an even more important way: stepping forward to bring goodness, kindness, and wholeness — integrity to your own life and those you encounter around you.

The poem I’ve quoted speaks volumes. We get so caught up in abstract notions of justice and how our society would be made perfect. We yearn for our own benefit or maybe that of our closest connections, yet the world changes around us: wars tearing others’ lives and families apart and environmental changes ravaging the whole system with the full scale of its impact yet to be seen. Recent news stories tell of the death of the majority of wildlife in the next couple decades; some speak of this as the sixth extinction occurring in our midst. However, we worry ourselves about missing emails and whether candidates are really friends with Russia or not. For the choosing of the lesser of two evils, it would be wise to consider these much larger issues, remembering our place in the unity of all — overcoming the general separation that we feel from our place in that greater whole. We should ask ourselves how a candidate will improve or harm the well-being of everyone in this country and around the world. Ask yourself if this person could or would stand against climate change, the suffering of others, and the systemic problems that grow in a changing world. We’re part of it all. Walling ourselves off from each other and our environment out of idealistic reasons may strengthen the ego, but in the long run, such actions hurt you and all of us, the life of the entire planet. Choose after you have really thought about this. Make the choice that avoids open violence – against fellow men and the divine life of nature that is this precious home we live in. Instead of squabbling over ideals and abstract absolutes, make the choice that furthers the protection and health of these things – life itself – and in so doing, you can make a choice of integrity, one that is both necessary and one that helps you wake up from deluded dreams. This is how you affirm a choice that would otherwise make you feel cynical.

May this help you see the greater unity that can be served by making choices for the betterment of all.

Gassho!