In the political world, new wine needs to be put into new wineskins

Recently a longtime friend of mine opined “As a Democrat it saddens me to realize that the Dem Party has sold its soul out to the devil! They are the champion of sexual deviancy and illegal immigration!”

I was moved to respond as follows:

I know your good heart. I’m not sure what triggered this outburst. It is unclear what you mean. Are you implying that all Democrats are champions of sexual deviancy and illegal immigration? After all, you are a Democrat.

What about Republicans who claim to stand up for sexual morality and family values but then turn a blind eye to President Trump’s dishonesty and immorality? Or those who out of fear are embracing white supremacist tendencies? Have they been deluded, succumbed to the temptation of power and money, and sold their souls to the Devil?

As an Independent, I see serious problems in both the Democratic and Republican parties. I also see many good people. I admire John Kasich on the Republican side and i find hope in the quality of many of the newly-elected Democratic members of the House of Representatives. Many recognize that the problem of unequal and unjust income distribution has to be addressed.

Most traditional conservatives – who believe in moral principles, fiscal conservativism, limited government, and a sensible defense policy – have distanced themselves from the Republican Party or are trying to figure out how to redeem it. Libertarians are in a quandary.

All of the parties are suffering from being attached to old paradigms in an age of rapid transition. We need new ideas and concepts to address the changing situation.

Many of these ideas are being generated on the local level where people are solving real problems affecting people in local communities.

On a global level, new ideas are being generated by those who are willing to engage in intelligent assessment and discussion, learning from the experience and wisdom of all nations and cultures in order to promote world peace, racial and religious harmony, shared prosperity, and true family values.

We should not be taking sides in irrational discussions where people demonize one another out of fear, anger, greed, or the lust for power. Rather, motivated by God’s compassion, we should be trying to reconcile conflicting parties in pursuit of peace, harmony, and true love.

The Peaceful Reunification of Korea

Korea is one nation. The Korean people are one people with a common language, history, and culture. The peaceful reunification of Korea should be the stated goal, not only for Koreans, but for all nations of the world.

Unification flag of Korea (pre 2006)

The division of Korea into two areas ruled by separate governments is a vestige of the Cold War. Just as in Europe, the Soviet Union occupied East Germany and the Allied Western Powers occupied West Germany, so also in East Asia, the Soviet Union occupied the northern part of Korea and the United States occupied the South. Germany has reunified. It is now time for Korea to do the same.

On December 1,1943, the Korean independence agreement signed by the United States, China, and Great Britain at the Cairo Conference, stated, “The aforesaid three powers, mindful of the enslavement of the people of Korea, are determined that ‘in due course’ Korea shall become free and independent”.

In 1945, the United Nations developed plans for trusteeship for the administration of Korea. In that same year, Japanese troops north of the 38th parallel surrendered to the Soviet Union as troops to the south surrendered to the U.S. The division was not meant to be permanent. However, in 1948, due to rising cold war tensions, two competing governments were established: the Democratic People’s Republic in the north and the Republic of Korea in the south.

The outbreak of the Korean War in 1950 further exasperated the situation, resulting in the division of Korea into two hostile territories divided by a demilitarized zone (DMZ).

In spite of this, the stated aim of both governments on the Korean Peninsula is the peaceful reunification of Korea. The latest reiteration of this goal was the June 15th North–South Joint Declaration in 2000, which stated:

1. The South and the North have agreed to resolve the question of reunification independently and through the joint efforts of the Korean people, who are the masters of the country.
2. For the achievement of reunification, we have agreed that there is a common element in the South’s concept of a confederation and the North’s formula for a loose form of federation. The South and the North agreed to promote reunification in that direction.
3. The South and the North have agreed to promptly resolve humanitarian issues such as exchange visits by separated family members and relatives on the occasion of the August 15 National Liberation Day and the question of unswerving Communists serving prison sentences in the South.
4. The South and the North have agreed to consolidate mutual trust by promoting balanced development of the national economy through economic cooperation and by stimulating cooperation and exchanges in civic, cultural, sports, health, environmental and all other fields.
5. The South and the North have agreed to hold a dialogue between relevant authorities in the near future to implement the above agreements expeditiously.

Since 2001, the situation has deteriorated. Now tensions are at a peak.

But a problem can not be solved unless there is a goal and a vision.

Peaceful reunification of Korea is the goal. This goal should be clearly reaffirmed by the leaders of North and South Korea and it should also be embraced by the United States, China, Japan, and Russia as well as all members of the United Nations.

Until this goal is agreed upon by the leaders of the world there can be no worthwhile progress.

We do not want war and the maintenance of a status quo that continually foments hostility within the region is not a solution.

Obviously, there are obstacles. Some will say that the peaceful reunification of Korea is not possible.

To them I say, “With God all things are possible.”

Pray for the peaceful reunification of Korea and encourage your leaders to affirm and work toward this goal.

Why I voted for Hillary Clinton

To put things in context, this post was originally written as a comment in response to a blog Profile of a Trump Supporter, in which the writer explained her reasons for voting for Donald Trump. Her post prompted comments and discussion. I admire this person and enjoy her writing. I share many of her values. However, I did not support Donald Trump. In the spirit of healthy dialogue and intelligent reflection that her post created, I was moved to respond and explain the process I went through during the  election cycle and the basis upon which I decided to vote for Hillary Clinton.

For most of my life I have been a conservative. For most of my life, I have voted for Republicans. I only voted for a Democratic candidate for president once in 1972 during that turbulent period of the Vietnam War.

Elephant in the park

Subsequently I voted for Ronald Reagan, George H. Bush, and George W. Bush in the 2000 election. In 2004, I voted Libertarian because I could no longer support George W. Bush. I felt that he had abandoned fundamental conservative principles of limited government.

In 2008 and 2012 I voted Republican again. Not because I didn’t like Barak Obama. I felt that it was a blessing that an African American became president, but I favored the free market ideas of McCain and Romney over the progressive big government ideas of the Democrats.

In this election, I had four major criteria;

1. Who had a vision of ensuring world peace?
2. Who was promoting racial and religious harmony, both domestically and internationally?
3. Who was most concerned with creating a healthy environment for young people?
4. Who was addressing the problem of the increasing income disparity between rich and poor in America and throughout the world?

The Trickster

From the beginning I felt that Donald Trump failed each of the above criterion. It appeared to me that he was conducting a sophisticated public relations campaign that appealed to many of the worst instincts of the American people, playing on people’s prejudices and negative emotions.

I felt that he was espousing the values of greed (money), winners versus losers, pride, and arrogance. In ways both subtle and overt he catered to latent feelings of white supremacy.

I didn’t form my view based upon the attacks of others but on what I saw and heard of his own words and actions in the primary debates, his rallies, the GOP convention, and the three debates with Hillary Clinton.

Research into his past as a businessman and media personality further disturbed me. I was also disturbed by the fact that his campaign was fueled by one-sided revelations of hacked private emails criminally orchestrated by a foreign government and the bizarre one-week revival of the Email investigation by FBI director James Coomey so close to the election. A bogus investigation that proved to be of no substance yet had a huge effect.

October Nights

The campaign was bizarre and Donald Trump brilliantly employed the public relations propaganda techniques developed by Edward Bernays, the founder of public relations.

At the beginning of the primaries, I thought that I would not vote for Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton. The candidate I liked was John Kasich. When Donald Trump got the nomination I thought that I would probably vote for Gary Johnson.

In the 1990’s I campaigned against the Clinton’s and I have been consistently critical of the Clinton’s since that time. My mind has been exposed to negative information about the Clintons for decades, though I had to credit Bill Clinton with the ability to communicate a positive vision and also commend him for the beneficial results of his cooperation with Republicans in his second term.

However, in this election cycle, I gradually came to feel that the Democrats under Clinton’s leadership were the ones who were espousing love and unity, racial and religious harmony, economic justice, and a positive vision for the future of the world.

End it now!

Up until two nights before the election I was determined not to vote for Clinton or Trump. However, that night, in prayer and meditation, my mind changed and I felt that the Holy Spirit was prompting me to vote for Hillary Clinton because she was the one articulating the values of love and unity.

And so I did… much to the shock of my family and others who had known me for a long time. I think that it is important for Donald Trump and those who voted for him to remember that the majority of the people in the United States voted against him.

He won the Electoral College vote but he only won a minority of the popular vote. He did not even win a plurality. Hillary Clinton received more votes that he did. Both he and the Republican leaders need to pay heed.

I do not believe in political messiahs. Only God can save us. Only God can deliver us from the power of the evil one if we humble ourselves and put our faith in him.

Road to the Temple of Peace

America needs to forgive, love and unite if we are to solve our problems and play a constructive role in the world. I hope we can do this. I am pleased that both Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have expressed their desire that he can be a good president. I too hope that he may be humble and forgiving and that God will give him the strength and vision to lead this nation. The same for all our other leaders of both parties. With God’s help none of our problems are unsolvable.

Alexander, Philip, and Olympias

A bit more exploration of the life of Alexander the Great relating to his parents, his lineage, and his conception of the world. This is part of the series, “It is never a good idea to want to conquer the world.”

Peace, harmony, love, shared prosperity and the 2016 Presidential Election

As I said in an earlier blog, the 2016 presidential primaries have not been good for my health. That’s why I had to pause and reflect on what is going on.

In my mind, health is a multidimensional phenomenon involving a dynamic relationship amongst spiritual health, mental health, emotional health, and physical health.

Our body, our thoughts, and our emotions all affect one another in a complex relationship. I believe that as a general rule of thumb, spiritual health is the foundation for mental and emotional health, which in turn facilitates physical health.

I also like to think not only in terms of my personal health, but also, of healthy relationships, healthy families, healthy communities, a healthy society, a healthy nation, and a healthy world living in a healthy environment.

It is my goal to help bring about a mentally, emotionally, and physically healthy world made up of healthy nations, communities, families, and individuals. The foundation for such a world is spiritual health. The power that heals the spirit and maintains health is divine love.

I hope to see a global culture of peace, freedom, creativity and shared prosperity.

There are four major challenges to be overcome in realizing such a world:

(1) Armed conflict between and within nations;
(2) Racial, religious, and ethic conflict;
(3) The disintegration of the social fabric (family and community) necessary for young people to grow into confident, capable, and empathetic adults;
(4) Acute income disparity both within and between nations

I believe that leaders should have vision. I believe that their policies should be developed with an eye toward achieving that vision.

In other words, I would like to see a leader with these goals:

(1) World peace
(2) Racial, religious, and ethnic harmony
(3) A healthy physical, social, and psychological environment for children
(4) Economic development and shared prosperity

In this 2016 presidential campaign, I suggest that the candidates explain how their policies will move us forward toward these goals.

When looking at the candidates campaigns and there effects, I suggest that potential voters ask themselves,

“What kind of vision for the future of the world does this person have?”

“Is this person helping to bring about racial, religious, and ethnic harmony?”

“What kind of example is this person setting for our children?”

“Does this person have empathy for those who are suffering?”

I suggest that people consider the effects of the campaigns as well, because style and spirit of a campaign offers a foretaste of the administration that this person will  create.

I think we need a president who is decisive, but also humble, faithful, and truthful.

Given this foundation, we can then consider whether their policy proposals make sense and will be effective. We can look at their experience and see if they have an overall record of positive accomplishment in light of the above mentioned criteria.

Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich. I suggest that each voter make a scorecard and grade each candidate according to the criteria outlined above.

Pray for guidance.