Things seem off to a difficult start Mr. President. Your job has to be the hardest one in this country. Thank you for taking it on. All of us fair-minded people are grateful to you for your efforts every day.
I want to share with you some ideas, which you may find helpful. I have spent over 35 years studying human behavior as a counselor, teacher and consultant working in mental health, addiction, EAP, and education. We humans are constantly evolving and what I can share with you is what I understand at this time.
1. Humans are run by their thoughts and their ego's determination to build its sense of self. The ego is never satisfied. The ego is driven toward the future as part of its need to expand its influence. All human caused disasters including war are caused by the ego. The ego always wants more power and control. The main problem for us humans is we actually believe the story of thoughts and ego that play in our head constantly. These thoughts and stories are not real. Realness only exists in the moment and it is from a place of awareness beyond our ego-mind.
2. In your work as president what is real is that you have to deal constantly with the false stories in everyone's mind. Let me give you an example. The Republican Party has learned that if people are afraid they can be in power. Their present tactics of spreading fear about health care, about the census, about socialism is all to get people to be afraid. The more afraid people are the more conservative they get. So the strategy is to get everyone to live in the story of a fearful world of terrorist and an unjust government. Rush, Beck, Bachman and Fox feed the fear. The Republicans cannot compromise because they are run by fear; they believe their own stories. Getting them to work with you may not be possible. This fear strategy will work unless yourself and the rest of us spread the message of hope and compassionate action.
3. Greed and the pursuit of power is what Corporate America is run on. This is the collective ego of business running the story of the importance of free unchecked capitalism. The ego still seeking to grow its sense of power now manifests as our present economic program. This ego driven economic system is about acquiring more with no concern for what is healthy for all. Thus we have banks, credit card companies, mortgage companies, insurance companies, weapons industry, drug industry, investment corporations, utility companies, oil and much more all in pursuit of ever growing profits with little or no regard for what is right or healthy.
4. Wars are all driven by ego. Afghanistan is a battle of the ego in this case the collective ego of the military, those who want more power or to control others. The whole military mindset is unable to see that this is just a story. It cannot see the potential of building relationship with the so-called enemy because it is run by fear and the ego mind. Everyone who you are seeking advice from are all part of the ego-mindset with the story of fear as their driving force. They actually believe their story. You do not have to. Sure there is danger from the terrorist but they too are just living the crazy stories of their own thoughts.
5. What is needed is awareness/consciousness of the insanity of our own minds/thoughts/ego. That is the challenge. When we have raised the collective mindset toward the possibilities for peace and prosperity for all than that becomes the predominate story. In essence stories are neither good nor bad but just stories. Two options here: first we can come up with a positive, hopeful story which is what got you elected; second we can help each other see beyond the stories in our head, see beyond our thoughts and instead live in a world guided by the wisdom of the heart and compassion and the higher capacities of awareness and consciousness.
Your challenge is to not get caught up in anyone else's story but instead to live the story of your new presidency based on the moment to moment awareness of you and your family guided by your hearts and the collective consciousness of all of us who sense the unlimited potential in each and every one of us. Sure that sounds a pie-in-the-sky but in fact there is no reality other than what we make of it. If we live in the past or the future we miss the opportunities of the present. If you are able to impartially watch what is presented to you, you can see past the story and instead be run by the higher knowing of consciousness.
Last thoughts: Universal Healthcare is the right thing to do, the war in Afghanistan is “no win” so save our young people's lives, protecting the environment is essential for all humans, election reform by eliminating money's massive influence is key to saving our democracy, and your re-election is assured if you can help create a hopeful picture for the future.
Thanks for courageously doing what you are doing,
Joseph Bernard, Ph.D.