Perhaps it's not about any fix in particular N, but as before about raising consciousness - of correctly aiming our view, our values and our motivation. So that as each single issue/situation arises we respond to it from a wise and compassionate perspective rather than a selfish one.

Buddhist teaching suggests that most of the suffering in the world follows from selfishness, or ego. And the attendant belief that there's not enough to go around. (the most basic Buddhist teaching there is - 'the four noble truths'.

If I was to draw on that to theorise about what holds us locked in our self imposed suffering it's surely the culture of selfishness we've as a result of this built over the years. Just about all of the so called wisdom taught by family, schools, entertainment, myths, popular culture and society as said before embodies the principle of rule of the fittest, the idea that you've got to put the other guy down to get ahead; that the only reason to cooperate is to help family or to put others too strong for you to deal with alone down. That and the delusion that happiness follows from material wealth.

The alternative is to live from love and compassion. To empathise so much with others to the point that we put their interests first. Just think of it. In a world where everybody thinks this way self interested actions become unnecessary, and solutions are automatically shared decisions. Love becomes the motivation rather than fear.

Many of us can theorise about this, but very few can live it. And in a world  where most are selfish those that do will suffer for it unless they are very skilful in the way they do it.

The big issue for me is the culture. Not only do we have to overcome the above, we also have to overcome lifetimes of selfish conditioning.

When we can find it in ourselves to act against our culture and conditioning it can be amazing how well things turn out for everybody - it's not as crazy as it sounds. But it's so hard to be that warrior, to act from our heart.

So my vote is for actions that most effectively will change the prevailing dog eat dog culture. Maybe it's happening already. There's certainly plenty of information out there, if not that much committed action. Maybe we need things to intensify, for the situation to become more of a do or die one for large scale movement to develop to change the way things are done.

Trouble is that when faced with such a situation the old culture dictates that we fight for a diminishing pie. So we've a lot of work to do. A lot of speaking out, a lot of showing an example, of standing up to be counted.

Management research suggests that the hardest thing of all is to change is culture. (the shared pattern of conditioned beahaviour) Company after company gets faced with changed market conditions that require new behaviours, tries to change over many years, and finds itself imprisoned by its culture. Its workers and management will destroy the company rather than change - all the while rationalising their positions.

If change occurs its usually only when all concerned find themselves facing imminent annihilation, if at all. Here's hoping the wake up call that finally gets through to humanity en mass comes in a  form we can respond to....

Eckhardt Tolle's new book 'A New Earth' seems to set out a very similar view and is well worth the read too along with the Chogyam Trungpa book (Shambhala the Sacred Path of the Warrior) mentioned by Alysia and on the other thread, but in a lot more detail. (I've not got past the first few pages yet)

first I would like to show my appreciation for Nanner with this little image

Nanner sings.

I think along the lines of Ian here that the more people work on their character to take self responsibility, the more folks might even step up to vote. it occurs to me, and I do not vote, that only a minority of the people do show up to practice democracy.
all I'm really doing by not being politically oriented is creating my own personal environment by not contributing to the problem activily, yet by omitting my vote I become guilty of indirectly contributing to the problem.
yet I see what we do here, is work. posting here is creating a mild ripple through areas we cannot be certain of the effect, but we do know that the advent of the internet enables  people and even countries to be in communication. such communication surely will yield some results, as non communication seems a state of stasis.

although I could do without the bulk folder.  so, if I were politically oriented (I did vote for that strange fellow was going to fix our economy, forgot his name, didn't do any good to vote that time.)

to bounce off Nanner's thought about a law not being able to pass until the people voted on it, is a good thought, but I'm not knowing how to get people to vote unless somebody hired somebody to go door to door, not sure how that would work, might get the door slammed in your face! I do believe we have mail in votes too for shut ins.

perhaps here again we can have internet online voting take place? I'm sure there would be bugs in that system to work out.

I believe the more of us begin to think globally is a huge step forward. I think learning to turn negatives into positives is good step forward. An even like 9/11 changed the American people into forcing us to take notice that we are not as powerful as we thought, if we can be infiltrated so easily by the opposing factor attending pilot school right on our very own turf. amazing. I think the shock and hurt it caused all of us to become overnight philosophers to think globally.
I wouldn't have chosen war, but I feel Bush was forced into that by the majority pressures. and I've heard something good came out of it, Boris, a member here has a report on that good that happened even though I don't believe in creating a war to create peace. doesn't make much sense.
if we talk about politics soon we will have a war right here on the board, so I will stay out of that as I'm not knowledgable in that area.

I do believe however that what we create on Earth follows us into the afterlife, so if we try our best to create peace here, we will be accepting of our station in peace when we transition.

Greetings,

Directing change is so tricky, Nanner!  So many actions cause a reaction and I get confused trying to make that into a dance where everyone wins. But at least we now have the win-win concept, which shows improvement over the old winner take all mentality.

When I write to a political leader about changes, I try to put some humor into my discussion, so maybe their chuckling will reinforce some part of my 'argument.' I admit that out of seven politicos I started trying to contact, only two still respond. Not good returns but I don't know what else to do.

I vote for all George Stone's changes (listed above) with one addition--more folk music! I see more PUL shared between performers and audience at a folk concert than at most churches I've attended. Lyrics are meaningful, the music plys on one's heartstrings, and sing-alongs get the PUL really moving!

Love, Bets

Yet in same turn - that what we are stearing to is called "Globalisation", right, as mentioned in another thread. Inorder to reach Globalisation we are in responsibility to "teach our younger ones" of days gone by, the wrongs of it and the reason why we all want the "tomarrow".

Is a Christian willing to sacrifice his die hard belief, a muslim ready to drop his die hard belief, a catholic ready to drop his die hard belief, a certain country ready to drop their belief that God only loves them and no one else in this world. Are the Leaders of the countries ready to act in the benefit of the "togetherness of the world" instead of their own ego? Theres lots and lots of examples which you can write too! Is the world ready to understand "consciousness of a greater value called the soul"?

Folks I believe the ONLY way any of the above is going to happen is if the world "SEES" with its own eyes something far more greater in impact than any WWII whereby approx. 60 Million people died in.

It will have to be that "interplanetary citizens" park their buttocks in the back yard of each country, so the people of the world can decide for themselves that there is something much more greater going on here. Such would strip the "human" of his arrogant way of thinking, that "he/she" is the greatest and so to speak, bring them back down to earth!

For the way I see it, the mass has always been "dictated" what to believe and what not to believe. There has never been total freedom on our planet, because of this dumb thing called ego!

Nanner