From early childhood Americans from my neck of the woods were expected to pledge allegiance to the idea of a country with oath. This Covenant is slipped into the porous minds of the young and underdeveloped so that the routine Pledge of Allegiance is as American as CocaCola: it is sold to be who we are.As Americans, we are sold images of who we are. It is not only Americans under the sway of advertising psycholgists (propagandizers), but because of our underdefined national charachter, there is a more malleable concept of what it means to be American. It is fraught with contradiction between the ideals from the pulpit and the actions on the ground. There are many who forecefully try to shape the national charachter but their efforts are like pulling at the sprouts of plants to encourage them to grow.
Sometimes the ideas are glorious and the actions abysmal. Sometimes unsolicited noble action brings tears to my eyes. The citizen-like action that we can be proud of has very little to do with anyone idealizing good behavior from above; it has everything to do with the tone of moments and the flourishing of our human tendencies to reach out. The complex heart of the wealthy American can be surprisingly bitter and cold; overtaxed by entitled swathes of beggars, it encloses into an isolation that thinks, "he will probably spend it on liquor anyways." Then, when no one is thinking much of it, the same burdened heart cracks a smile and does some unbelievable courtesy to someone from across the tracks, on a whim. It isn't with ideals that we overcome the challenges of our unintegrated, socially and economically disparate country; it is with thoughtless hearts well fed and good humoured.
Jesus shines through Christians when they least expect it, when they don't even know he is there. A Christian, in full conscious costume, is a bore and a castle of dogma. A Christian in action, without a name, is a glorious thing. I would say we don't even need churches to have Christians, we don't even need bibles: we just need (1) people interacting (2) sensitivity to our hearts and minds during those interactions.
The Christ-Buddha Mind is a mode of interaction that is above and beyond the social and political ideas from our Authority. It is a facet of each one of us that, if listened to with feeling, has the ability to transform this country.
Self organizing morality, in line with our natural charachter, is the foundation of rock upon which a sturdy house can be built. Our nature is complex, situational, and reactive. It is not Good nor Evil. It is a string of gems that reflect the colors of red anger, grasping greed, soft love and clear blue charity.
Start a chain reaction, beyond the borders of red white and blue, beyond blind idealism and allegiance.
Do not fly flags, for every association with a group creates a dissasociated 'other'. Enjoy common interests and goals, but do not flaunt these identities nor feel obligated to solidify them under a banner. "Us" creates "Them".
Go forth and do random acts of kindness in all of your glorious imperfection
(in small bearable doses)
like a knotted branch
striking an iron bell
--
"Doin' good fa' random strangers/
Doin good for the sake of good/
Though there is no Good nor Evil/
I would do Good if I could."
