There’s a lot of talk these days, both
pro and con (although admittedly mostly con) about the need, perhaps,
to nationalize the U.S. banking system in order to stem the economic
hemorrhaging.  The word “nationalization” comes with a great deal of
baggage, both politically and socially, and so raises the specter of
fear in many.  For some, it’s Socialism plain and simple.  Politically
its seen as a giant step by those seeking to undermine the intention of
the Founding Fathers. Socially, it’s condemned as yet one more action
by the Federal Government, and the “powers that be”, which continue to
erode both the individual’s rights and the free choice of our citizens.

    While I may have some personal thoughts on the subject, my
immediate concern is that the type of unity and “pulling together” we
need going forward during these challenging and transitional times
cannot be mandated or legislated by government, but rather must be born
in the hearts and minds of each of us as we realize what true unity
looks and feels like.

    The unity of which I speak is
Oneness. It is the kind of experience we often have following a natural
disaster or upon hearing of the plight of a suffering people. It’s when
we, as individuals, intellectually comprehend and emotionally respond
to the needs of someone less fortunate or in dire need. It’s
compassion…the highest expression of Love.

    It is said
that extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. In fact, it
is just this argument that has been the basis for the passing of
massive amounts of spending in recent weeks since election of our new
President and Congress. And while there can be little doubt that we are
living through an extraordinary time, the extraordinary means must be
predicated upon where it is we want to go.  As someone once said, “if you want to go to Santa Fe, you can’t get there on a road leading to Anchorage.”

    Since I believe we, as a people, want to get someplace beyond where we were before
the economic crisis hit, I think we need to go down a different road
than the one that got us there in the first place. It’s not a return to
economic boom times that we seek so much as an aspiration to a better
quality of life that holds out more meaning, promise and passion.

    Therefore, the extraordinary measure I suggest we take is to enter into a permanent state of Collective Compassion.

    Let’s not need a tsumani, 9/11 or Katrina to finally grasp that we
are all in this together…that diversity of color or culture is
irrelevant to Oneness…and that without a commitment to the highest
good for all concerned we can ultimately achieve no more than the least
of us. Let us each know deeply in our hearts that “I am not so much my
brother’s keeper as I am my brother.”

    Some may call me a
naive Socialist for proposing such a remedy. I would reply that
separation and difference, in the extreme, have gotten us where we are
today and that while we may have been able to attain and maintain a
high degree of material and technological successes for a time…we
have been unable to sustain them because what’s been missing is
the solid foundation upon which they must rest. That foundation is the
fact that all of the achievements are for no other reason than to
elevate the human condition and expand the human consciousness…for
All.

    While I would not ever want to take away our
individual right to live the life we choose and pursue the endless
array of possibilities we each hold in our individual
imaginations…these must be powered by a collective heart that feels the importance of working in unity and harmony in
every moment and by every action so that we bring no more fear or
violence into the world and instead plant the vibratory seeds of Love
and Peace.

    Will it work?

    I only know for certain that nothing else has so far so what, really, do we have to lose?

    And just imagine what it will be like if does work.

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