We are not a Democracy

More specifically, we are not a direct democracy. We are a representative democracy. The difference is crucial! In light of the recent political/ideological warfare over Muslims and gays, I keep hearing the complaint from Republican leaders that Obama/Democrats are not listening to a majority of the American people.

Here's a history lesson. America's Founding Fathers purposely instituted a representative democracy because they realized, quite frankly, the masses are stupid. Elected officials and sound-minded Supreme Court justices are not responsible for simply listening to the public. On the contrary, they must avoid the changing whims and emotions of the masses to be judicious and prudent. Otherwise, the progress of our nation will be impossible!

Take a look back: an overwhelming majority of Americans once supported slavery and denied basic human rights to colored folks. How about public segregation? Women's suffrage? Japanese internment camps? Salem witch trials? etc.

In hindsight, it seems humorous, even embarrassing, to think Americans actually supported such discriminatory policies. But, we didn't just act with indifference - we enforced these laws, suppressed minority groups, and refused to change. Our minds were ingrained with self-righteousness and intolerance. True leaders, whether in the Courts or Congress, did not succumb to the prejudices of the majority, but instead, slowly reshaped our fears and ignorance.

So, is it possible at all that we still fall to our egos today?! We can only ask ourselves as we fight so passionately, and even worse, blindly, about the issues of our time - immigration, gay marriage, Islam, animal rights, etc.

Steve Jobs
Lloyd Blankfein
Ralph Lauren
Howard Schultz
John Rockefeller
Larry Ellison
Richard Branson

What do these people (and many more) have in common? They're filthy rich. They're top CEO's of corporate America. They're male (haha). And they were all once dirt poor. They came from lower-class families and many never experienced formal schooling. In fact, two-thirds of the world's 946 billionaires created their fortunes from nothing.

So my point?

- Why not you?
- Forget choosing a path. Just start walking.
- Give before you Receive.
- College/MBA..is it honestly for YOU?
- Success was never their goal or dream.
- Tone down the cynicism.
- You are your greatest resource.
- Go for it.

Why don't we THINK for ourselves anymore?

It's a tragedy - 0ne of humankind's most pervasive (in my humble opinion). We simply do not Think anymore. Even worse, Thinking is no longer a prerequisite for survival. We no longer have to think about any of the wonders that keep us alive - from the food we eat to the water we drink. Ah, some might disagree - why, I Think and make choices every single day! I never speak in absolutes, but hear me out.

As infants, we are filled with natural curiosity and creativity. We are inherently spontaneous, explorers, empiricists. However, as our cognitive abilities develop and we progress through our childhoods, rarely do we retain our creative energy. Instead, we are nurtured and conditioned to be imitators. Our parents enforce some level of religious or moral indoctrination, our education system ingrains textbooks of information into our minds, all while creativity and imagination is suppressed to the lowest priority of our mental development (I highly recommend watching this TED talk).

As our intelligence accumulates, we copy, self-insert, and paste the thoughts of theorists, peers, professors, math books, holy texts, social fabs, etc...but at the expense of developing our intellect - our ability to reason, challenge, and Think. Our penchant to identify with a certain group - religion, company, class, culture, occupation, nation, what have you - is not only self-isolating, but also grants someone else to do your Thinking for you! How much of your knowledge is derived from another person/source versus personally discovered, reasoned, or experienced?

Why does this matter? Direct experience brings us joy, happiness! We try so hard to not be discontent, but it does not come through effort! It does not come through ambition, power, elitism, asceticism, success (you tell me, does it?). Try to recall a time when your creative juices were flowing. I am not necessarily referring to your capacity to paint a picture or write a poem. We have all experienced the moments, however ephemeral, of feeling our creative energies as we directly experience or discover something unknown to ourselves. Remember those moments? How effortless! How natural! How invigorating! How alive we feel!

Don't be afraid. To think for yourself and know yourself, how can you isolate yourself by identifying and believing - so wholeheartedly - in that which you are not? In others who you are not? Otherwise, you would not be discontent. Be like an infant again, and let your walls and inhibitions down. Explore, create, and Think for yourself - without the thousands of outside voices. What follows, will surely be.

Look inside!

One of the reasons I enjoy, or rather need, to update my blog (except for the occasional hiatus) is because doing so forces me to reflect back on my life and experiences. It's unfortunately too easy and convenient for us to live without being conscious, being awake. We can read an awe-inspiring book or watch a life-motivating movie, but the effect evaporates as quickly as the next event in our schedule arrives. How often do we consciously reflect upon these opportunities for self-betterment? We can go through an entire day and head straight to bed without thinking twice about what we learned today or what we discovered about ourselves. Heck, years can go by in the blink of an eye as if we never lived them, because we most likely didn't live them.

Some of us can be fine with it, but I bet a lot us can't get rid of the nagging feeling of emptiness-no matter how many years of marriage, number of children, our dollars in our account. So we say we're trying to search for happiness, but honestly, can you really find happiness. Happiness cannot materialize; it is derived, it is achieved through being. Our attempts, ranging from religiosity to asceticism, are searches for permanence, security, satisfaction - not happiness.

How can we be happy if we do not self-reflect to learn and know ourselves? We are unique beings (duh?). So why do we go forth following teachers, priests, and parents and expect to find the truth through their eyes? To "find" happiness through their eyes?

My point is this: look inside yourself.

How? There's lots of ways - each of us should have our own way. But for a good starting point, I am reminded of what a dear friend I met in India said to me: instead of trying to have what you want; try to want what you have!