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#4132 -
Wednesday, January 12, 2011 - Editor: Jerry Katz
The Nonduality Highlights - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NDhighlights
It's good to see nondualism introduced into the American political arena.
Sheriff in
Gabrielle Giffords Shooting: Arizona Capitol of Racism and
Bigotry
January 09, 2011 01:30 AM EST
http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978893147
Clarence Dupnik Sheriff of Pima County, where Gabrielle Giffords
was shot today, told reporters Arizona had become the capitol of
hatred and bigotry. Voicing his disgust at today’s shooting
in Tucson, the sheriff seemed to blame vitriol from radio and
television as a possible contributing factor.
While speaking to the press about the shooting, which killed a
federal judge and five others, Dupnik suggested vitriolic
political statements in the media played a role in the shooting.
"This has not become the nice United States of America that
most of us grew up in and I think its time we do the
soul-searching," said the sheriff. He went on to say,
"The anger, the hatred the bigotry that goes on in this
country is getting to be outrageous and unfortunately, Arizona
has become the capitol. We have become the mecca of prejudice and
bigotry." At one point he said, "It's time to do a
little soul searching about the rhetoric we hear on the radio,
how are children are being raised."
The sheriff never mentioned any particular source of the vitriol.
However, it seems clear he was talking about anti-immigration
types and maybe conservative talk show hosts in general. Prior to
the Gabrielle Giffords shooting, the sheriff was known for his
opposition to many ultra-conservative issues such as
Arizona’s laws aimed at Mexican immigrants. In August of
last year, he announced he would not enforce the new
anti-immigration law.
Sheriff Dupnik is holding the shooting suspect in his jail and
claims the man has “mental issues.” Whether it is the
Sheriff’s political views, or just a crude observation, the
fact does remain that the social climate in America is becoming
dangerous. Many have speculated in the past that it was just a
matter of time before a Democrat politician would be shot.
However, considering the lack of mental health care in this
country, it is no surprise things similar to the Gabrielle
Giffords shooting keep taking place. What can we do to change the
public discourse in this country?
COMMENT
Chuck Solomon:
It is a tragedy for all and for government of the people, by the
people and for the people. Come on, we‘re all just people.
Some on the Left, some on the Right, and most of us just caught
in the middle and getting shot up, too.
But maybe we are all guilty for letting the vitriolic hyperbole
of fringes dominate the national debate. Maybe something like
this had to happen to shock all of us to our senses.
The American experiment is just too grand to allow the majority,
composed of reasonable Americans, to be constantly manipulated
and goaded by the fringe elements. We, the people, have to stand
up for reasonableness and sensibility that has characterized
America in more stable decades.
Those on the fringe are fundamentally judgmental, adamant,
convinced, confrontational, conflicted, non-contemplative and
closed-minded.. They just know that they are right. However,
these are the characteristics of Dualistic thinking - orthodoxy
at its worst.
From Philosophy we have the concepts of Dualism and Non-Dualism.
Non-Dualism's view of reality is not in terms of either / or, but
rather in terms of both / and.. Non-Dualism is a higher level of
consciousness that is contemplative and can entertain concepts of
uncertainty, mystery, and paradox - isn't that just like life?
After the Reformation, the thinking was that the “rational
mind“ (Dualism) - based on the earlier logic of the Greeks -
would get us to the scientific truth in all matters. Such
critical and comparative thinking yielded Newtonian physics, etc.
The Dualistic mind works to compare, compete and condemn - and is
fraught with fables, foibles and foolishness. This low level of
consciousness sets up competition between short and tall, black
and white, superior and inferior, etc. It is oppositional
thinking and ego led, as in "I'm right, you're wrong",
and, therefore, is the foundation of conflict, struggle, racism
and war.
Modern science, however, has come full circle in realizing how
little we actually know. Non-Dualism is the thinking that takes
us beyond Newtonian and into the Uncertainty Principle and
Relativity.
It is worthwhile and necessary to consider these concepts so that
we can know and be comfortable with the real truths of life and
to correctly comprehend our life and our relationship to each
other and the forces of nature that control and govern our life
in the world.
We can access Non-Dual thinking and we can still be rational, but
in a more calm and positive way. Non-Dual thinking is tolerant,
patient, happy, non-violent, accepting of others, of differences,
of love, of self. The ego does not need to get in the way. We can
be forgiving of others and ourselves. We need not blame others
and we can know that "we" are our own problem. The
great peace-makers were all Non-Dual thinkers.
We should replace win, lose thinking with the idea of win, win.
The New America could greatly use a good dose of tolerance that
comes from Non-Dualistic, contemplative thinking.
Wisdom would be to think before we shoot off our mouth - this
applies to all levels: media, government and in our public and
private lives.