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Karma
Talk
by Swami
Beyondananda
Can
the Body Politic Be Healed?
With
the political season heating up and voter interest at an
all time low, we decided to consult our favorite
metaphysician, Swami Beyondananda, and ask his take on
America’s political malaise. We spoke to him at his
Northern California retreat, the Punderosa, where he was
puttering in his garden.
US:
Swami, I can’t help but notice that while other
commentators are busy attending the various conventions,
you are tending to your tomato patch. How come?
SWAMI:
The reason I don’t attend conventions is simple. I am
unconventional. In two weeks, I will have produced
delicious, juicy tomatoes. Meanwhile, conventional
politics will have produced tons of fertilizer. That’s
why when I watch the conventions, I only watch the
comedians. They’re the only ones who’ve figured out
how to turn the fertilizer into something usable.
US:
So you have watched the conventions. What was your take
on Gov. George W. Bush declaring that the Republican
Party now represents minorities?
SWAMI:
Oh, I absolutely agree that the Republicans offer true
minority representation. You had only to look at the sea
of faces at the convention to see how in the minority
minorities truly were. But that is nothing new. The
Republicans have a long and proud history of
representing minorities, and if they win the election,
we can expect a minority of powerful people to have more
influence than ever before. You know how in ‘92, the
Clinton-Gore campaign song was "Don’t Stop
Thinking About Tomorrow?" Well, given the Bush-Cheney
ticket, I think the Republicans would do well with
"Duke of Oil."
US:
How about Al Gore? Does he represent an alternative
vision?
SWAMI:
I gotta say, it doesn’t look like his vision is going
to alter many natives. It’s true that he wrote the
book on environmentalism, but he sure hasn’t thrown it
at anyone lately. And when the NAFTA agreement was
signed -- well, I think he must have been in the loo
downloading some exotic tea. Integra tea, I think it was
called. Either way, Gush or Bore, it looks like we’re
going to have the best government money can buy.
US:
How important is the so-called "sleaze factor"
-- like the story circulating about George W. carrying
on at that exclusive after hours club he allegedly
belonged to, and of course the Clinton thing?
SWAMI:
I think most Americans would agree with the European
newspaper headline that announced "Clinton Thing
Blown Way Out of Proportion." Indeed it was a
spectacle, but for once I think the American public used
it the way you’re supposed to use spectacles -- to see
more clearly. So it’s not George W.’s exclusive
after hours club most folks are concerned with, it’s
his membership in that exclusive "after ours"
club -- you know, "we’re after ours, and we don’t
care about yours."
US:
What are the chances of the Green Party having an
impact?
SWAMI:
As the immortal Kermit has said, "It’s not easy
being Green" -- especially when the Green Party is
suffering from too little green, and the two major ones
are getting too much.
US:
Well, what about the pro-Green demonstrators at the two
major conventions? Aren’t they having any influence?
SWAMI:
Oh, you mean the collared Greens? Anyone who says the
Left can’t get arrested in this country should have
been in Philadelphia or L.A. And these demonstrations
have become less and less effective ever since the
"don’t ask, don’t tell" policy has been in
place. The media agrees not to ask how arrested
demonstrators are being treated, and the police agree
not to tell.
US:
Swami, I’m surprised to have to say this, but you seem
like such a positive guy, and yet you seem so negative
about politics. How can anything positive come from such
negativity?
SWAMI:
Because two negatives do indeed make a positive. As each
candidate says something negative about the other, the
voter becomes more and more positive that neither
candidate is any good. But you know, life is like
photography ... we can use the negative to develop. And
if we develop a strong enough desire, we can look
outside the box to find someone who can break the
greedlock.
US:
You mean like Ralph Nader and John Hagelin, not to
mention Pat Buchanan.
SWAMI:
Yes. Not to mention Pat Buchanan is always a wise
policy. But the other two, Nader and Hagelin, have the
power to awaken the body politic from its deep slumber.
I say find someone who really represents the interests
of the American people, and I guarantee they’ll get
interested again.
US:
So there’s hope yet for the body politic to regain its
health?
SWAMI:
Oh yes, but it’s going to take exercise. I mean, look
at 1776. With Tom Paine pumping ironies the way he did,
and all those other guys exercising their God-given
rights, they developed the strength to successfully
challenge the most powerful empire in the world. And
each time I hear the lament that things are controlled
by a very, very small minority of people, I say,
"That’s great news! Because it means there’s a
lot more of us than there are of them!" So if we
want to bring about a truly just and loving World Order,
the first step is to make sure each one of us fills out
a New World Order Form. As my beloved guru, Harry
Cohen Baba used to say, "Life is like a good deli.
If enough people order something, they gotta make
it."
*
* * *
Swami’s
quiz question for September: Here’s a rock ‘n roll
oldie: Why did Paul Revere and the Raiders switch to
Cheerios?
Answer
next month. Submit your answer at www.beyondananda.com.
You’ll have a chance to win a copy of Swami’s new
audio tape, Beyondananda and Beyond.
Answer
to August Quiz: Perhaps you’ve noticed that beautiful
sunsets seem to go on and on, but ordinary ones are over
quickly. How would old-time baseball manager Leo
Durocher explain the phenomenon? "Nice skies finish
last."
Copyright
2000 by Steve Bhaerman. All rights reserved.
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"Who
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