May I add my two cents’ worth to the “love your enemies” thread (Connie Schultz, 5/1/21 TPP)? In my view the common usage of the word “love” is very simplistic, as it limits the definition of love to a strong feeling of affection: i.e. the valentine version. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus clearly has something else in mind when he follows his admonition to “love your enemies” with three recom-mendations for action: he wants us to “bless,” to “do good,” and to “pray” (Gospel of Matthew 5:44). All these can be done, as each of us interprets them, without feeling particular affection for those whose philosophy and behaviors run counter to the common good (my definition of an enemy). Love, as many have asserted, is more doing than feeling. There is no passivity in Progressivism.
When I consider loving my enemies in this sense, I think of the Greek word metanoia which means “a transformative change of heart” (Merriam-Webster). First, I must change my own heart with an orientation toward compassion and justice; this is an ongoing life process. Then, however I’m able, I seek to promote conditions in which all people can thrive and be happy. In the Gospel of Luke the idea of loving our enemies is presented in a more concrete way (6:33): “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.”
By definition, we Progressives must adopt ways of thinking and living that are not constrained by convention. In doing so we may advance the cause of peace and justice, not only in our own time and place, but also for the future.
The COVID-19 catastrophe holds before us an example of the Golden Rule, that what I do or do not do (i.e. getting the vaccine) affects not only myself but many other people as well, some of whom I love and others who might be complete strangers or those who- intentionally or not- wish me harm.
The poet Edwin Markham speaks to the truth of inclusion through love in his poem, “Outwitted”:
He drew a circle that shut me out—
Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout.
But Love and I had the wit to win:
We drew a circle that took him in!
And the current Dalai Lama puts this principle very succinctly when he says, “My religion is very simple. My religion is kindness.”
As a closing note, maybe we should use the word “enemy” sparingly since its use inherently sustains the disunity that we seek to overcome.
In whatever way we’re able, when we throw an iota of loving kindness into the world, its ripples fan out to unfamiliar shores and unknown people. Even, perhaps, to those we label as enemies.
BARBARA RICHARDSON, Bensalem, Penn.
The GOP’s recent actions have made their motives clear: They have totally abandoned any pretense of acting like a legitimate political party and have fully committed to undertaking numerous unethical and illegal actions in order to prevail in the upcoming elections.
Passing laws with the sole purpose of suppressing the Black vote is not legal, regardless of what the GOP shills on the Supreme Court contend. Replacing authentically-selected election officials with GOP-partisan lawmakers can only point to the GOP’s intention of creatively adjusting election results to insure the reported outcome gives the GOP candidate the win. Such an action would clearly violate our principle of free and fair elections.
Further, the GOP’s overt actions to discredit the outcome of the 2020 election, one which has been thoroughly analyzed to insure the validity of the result, such overt actions including repeated accusations that the election was stolen and the continuing efforts to once again audit state results that have already been audited and certified, with the sole purpose of sowing disbelief in the validity of the outcome, does nothing but sow disbelief in the true outcome, threatening our hope of maintaining our democracy. These actions have only one purpose: to encourage Trump supporters to take actions that would threaten our country’s stability.
As such, the GOP’s actions are antithetical to the well-being of our country and have to be disallowed. Clearly the most logical step would be for the Congress to declare that the GOP’s obvious intentions require the government to disqualify the GOP from participation in any future elections. You truly can’t allow someone who intends to thwart efforts to hold a fair and honest election from participating.
LEE KNOHL, Evanston Ill.
The combination of concentrated powers in the hands of those making decisions that affect each one of our daily lives has become a societal debacle via technology and ideological extremist mindsets to the point of disastrous outcomes threatening our very Democracy.
Whether it be the Presidency of the United States or the nine members of the Supreme Court that make somewhat lasting decisions that affect our entire citizenry, consisting of some 330 million people’s lives: a questionable process at best in today’s world of monied interests supplanting the will of the people via corrupted political interests of power and control must be changed for societal salvation itself.
What we’ve created and allowed with our politicians is a whole new class of arrogant, holier-than-thou, despicable uncaring reprobates, whose ideological leanings have become a danger to our Democracy and freedoms fought for and won over centuries of time. In a fairly recent newspaper article that questioned what was missing within our society that contributes to our nation’s ills, isms and overall denigrated status worldwide; were these characterized traits that were an issue of concern: accountability, shame, guilt, and humility.
We are a 21st-century world with 18th-century governance, with no fear of real punitive reprisal to any politician for wrongdoing and non-performance of all the duties he/she were elected to dutifully perform. Any other citizen outside of the realm of politics would have been fired or had costly punitive penalties exacted for lack of performance/work as our political polls of today’s corrupted world do without conscious or regret.
This nation needs a replication of our 1700s/1800s Era of Enlightenment to expose all of the dogmas, propaganda, religious, cultural and political lies that have contributed to our societal ills.
FRANK C. ROHRIG, Milford, Conn.
I find it interesting that Trump, Republicans and conservatives are up in arms over the fact that “Big Media” is censoring them and taking away their rights to use social media and have their voices heard while at the same time, these same people are telling us that critical race theory, which teaches us about the voting, civil and human rights of indigenous and Black people that were denied or taken away form them by our country and couldn’t have their voices heard, is irrelevant, divisive and outdated and has no place in our country’s history.
By the way, why are Trump, Republicans and conservatives trying to censor the results of the 2020 presidential election?
MIKE EKLUND, Mercer, Wis.
Would someone with a high position in the national Democratic Party or the national news media PLEASE inform people, such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders, that they are hurting MY Democratic Party by calling themselves “Democratic Socialists” when they are NOT true socialists at all. I am sick and tired of people like Nikki Haley sending me ridiculous emails in which she uses the terms “socialist,” “democratic socialist,” “far-left”.and “radical-left” as meaning the same exact things as a “progressive” and a “liberal.” I am NOT a “socialist,” and I resent being called one.
As the New York Times columnist and 2008 Nobel-prize winner in economics Paul Krugman has pointed out, the so-called “Democratic Socialists” are actually “Social Democrats,” who want to keep our market-based economic system, but want to have a lot of federal government social programs, such as Social Security, Medicare and college student loans, in order to help our lower classes and middle classes. A truly “socialist” economy has never successfully worked in any large-scale society. A true “socialist” wants to abolish capitalism and replace it with a genuine socialist economy in which the workplaces are owned and controlled by some entity such as “the state,” “the government” or “the people.” It is not my true nature to insult anyone, but for any reasonable human being to believe in true socialism in 2021, s/he would have to lack the common sense that God/Higher Power gave to little chickens.
STEWART B. EPSTEIN, Rochester, N.Y.
Editor’s Note: National Democratic officials can’t limit what candidates running as Democrats call themselves, but neither can they stop Republicans from calling mainstream Democrats, such as Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi, “communists.”
I am writing this letter in response to the article by Alan Guebert entitled “Beware of Philosopher Kings and Prophets of Synthetic Alternatives’” [7/1-15/21 TPP].
The article brought to mind a movie I saw on TV a long time ago (I’m old!). The movie came out some time in the ’60s, possibly the early ’70s. The title of the movie is “Soylent Green.” It stars Charlton Heston and Edward G. Robinson.
(The book was written in 1966 and the movie, which came out in 1973, depicts dystopian life in 2022 — Ed.)
I am not going into detail about the movie. I will suggest — encourage — your readers to find the movie and watch it. Enjoy! Keep in mind Mr. Guebert’s article as you watch!
WILLIAM E. CARROLL Sr., Pittsfield, Mass.
What are Republicans hoping to achieve by convincing their followers that they should not get COVID vaccinations? Regional reports on vaccination appear to follow last year’s election results, with counties that voted for Biden showing higher vaccination rates than counties that voted for Trump, and 98% of recent hospitalizations for COVID infections coming from non-vaccinated people. Republicans apparently hope a surge in COVID cases will harm the economy, which they think will hurt Democrats in the mid-term elections. But who do they think will be left to vote Republican next year?
CLARISSA MULLALY, Denver, Colo.
From The Progressive Populist, August 15, 2021
Blog | Current Issue | Back Issues | Essays | Links
About the Progressive Populist | How to Subscribe | How to Contact Us
PO Box 819, Manchaca TX 78652