By now you’ve probably noticed that Donald Trump’s prediction of “so much winning” seems to be holding true for the extreme Right, while the Democratic Party, despite best intentions, appears effective as a rowboat missing an oar. I believe I know why this is happening:
For pretty much all of human history, the creation and amassment of some sort of wealth has been the central focus and purpose of most societal activity, and accumulated wealth is the measure of its success. This made sense under conditions of scarcity, and was well-suited to hierarchical societies — tribal on up to feudal. More wealth equals greater chances of survival, so the creators or holders of wealth were the most valued members of society.
However, in today’s democratic, egalitarian, we’re-all-in-this-together societies, the main “fuel” is social and economic commerce. The more interactions and transactions that occur, the more robust is the society. Piling up private wealth is antithetical to this, because it starves the system of its needed fuel. Yet I’d venture that few of us, beyond perhaps me and Ted “Unabomber” Kaczynsky, think the focus on wealth/ money/ profits is now a misguided idea. Yet at this stage in the evolution of society, we can’t have it both ways -- either wealth serves the interests of humanity, or humanity serves the interests of wealth.
So, why are Republicans/Conservatives winning, despite egregiously anti-social policies? It is because, consciously or unconsciously, we all assent to the primacy of wealth. They know whom they serve, and we are resigned to go along with it. Why are the Democrats destined to fail? Because they continue under the delusion that both principles can be accommodated. Yet, “No man can serve two masters.”
When wealth is the focus of society, the central message, whether stated or implied, is: “If you cannot add to my/our wealth, you are worthless to me/us.” The result is the society in which we currently find ourselves – one filled with fear, conflict, hatred, and division. In your heart, you must know where all of this will lead.
In light of the above, the path toward a better future – and the winning political message -- is not about more jobs, more training to get better jobs, competitive edge, unions, better trade deals, tax fairness, etc. These are all wealth-fixated matters. Democrats have been talking these for decades and it goes nowhere. We currently are a divided house - and divided in our hearts. It’s time to evolve beyond the wealth worship.
The new focus that will take us forward needs to be on people — on healing division, nurturing healthy relationship, and developing whole, healthy citizens. If we are to survive and thrive, the message from on high must become:
“We care about you, and we need each and every one of you in order to build the best society possible. No one need be left behind. You are valuable, and we are here to do what we can to support you in becoming your best self and our best citizen, so that you can help us create the society of the future.”
As always, the choice is up to us.