Spirituality and politics

By Surya Vishwa

Spirituality and politics may seem outwardly as two different realms disconnected to each other. This thinking in itself is the downfall of the world which has made democracy a farce in many parts of the globe because spiritually un-evolved beings have successfully coveted power with the use of hypocrisy, guile and playing on the insecurities of people. 

These are the people whose eyes are blinded although they think they see and who thrive on dividing people at great human and economic cost and lead their lands into destruction. So, are they alone to be blamed? No. Primarily those to be blamed are those who consider themselves wise, evolved, empathetic and spiritual who consider politics a ‘dirty game.’ Often these people have trained their minds and hearts to function from a very high unselfish manner, who have dispensed with their ego and their use of the intellect is refined and altruistic. However, they are abject sinners. Because they have allowed un-evolved, base beings who have nothing humane about them to rise in power and stature. 

Politics is a human service that should have leaders with vision, not leeches who hold their people in the ransom of blood-money while they themselves bask in luxury in the worst of times that they themselves have bought their people to; leaders who are not leaders except to lead their nations to the absolute abyss. Only persons who have truly mastered detachment (no other religion/philosophy explains this better than Buddhism) should be leaders. Those who cajole and hoodwink people to get to leadership positions just to rob, plunder and squander resources which are of the people should be anything but leaders. 

There are world leaders who have shown that politics can be the people-centric, humanistic, selfless spiritual mission that it is, where those who take on this mission do so fully well aware that they will benefit nothing but serving humanity. Apart from the most popular examples such as Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabai Patel, Abdul Kalam and Nelson Mandela, there are current examples of true selfless statesmen whose sole purpose is one of service to ease the suffering of humanity.

Some nations have systems to ensure crooks, murderers and con-men do not masquerade as statesmen. There are several very good Nordic examples and one of the best is that of Sweden. 

Possibly the reason why Sweden is one of the richest countries in the world is because they leave no room for greedy and avarice people to become leaders. The salary of a politician in Sweden is less than that of a teacher. No personal transport or security or secretaries or drivers, etc., are provided. Government ministers do their own work and travel and live just like any other; in fact, they have to live a far austere life than any other citizen. 

A modest apartment is given to politicians with strict regulations enforced such as no visitors of use of State money to entertain them. Any excess of expenditure is very strictly monitored. It is an everyday sight for the Swedish head of State or Ministers to stand in public buses and trains. They are not hero-worshiped that people offer them their seats. The Swedish parliament has just around three vehicles. For official visits these vehicles or hired vehicles are allocated to the government members but any detour has to be accounted for.

Nor do they waste the money of taxpayers by having a hoard of security cars and bodyguards for politicians. Governance is not the prerogative of men alone in Sweden and Nordic countries where the representation of women is close to 50% averaging at around 46%. The number of ministers average at maximum around 20 ensuring that ministries are not kingdoms of fraudulence and unscrupulousness which take State departments into destruction.

Political structures such as these are created on strong foundations of ethics based on non-attachment. Those who aspire to come into politics do so as a life mission, knowing that it is the lowest paid with minimum facilities and yet choose this path over other lucrative careers, despite all the representatives being of high intellectual/professional backgrounds. Their integrity and their genuine love for their people and country is their security and hence they need not have bodyguards with weapons at their side when they are in public.

No politician can love their country or their people when they each hour and minute of the day spend their time in a lazy, wasteful, corrupt, ignorant stupor, while excelling at taking their people and country to abject poverty and global shame. Naturally these types of politicians need hordes of security men to safeguard them from the wrath of the masses because these types of politicians are leeches and not leaders. 

However, it is a stark fact that the type of leaders that a nation sends to govern is a reflection of the overall psyche of the people. It may be too late when they awaken to the fact that the human beings with true loving kindness to all in their hearts, with a high sense of justice, with a carefully strived mental awareness of all their actions and the will to ease suffering do exist among them. It may dawn on them that wise people of intellect and learning who are not theoretical verbal morons but those with practical skill exist among them by the hundreds. 

The collective conscience of the general public at some point may realise that there are also highly spiritual people who fall to both of the above descriptions. Yet the fact that it is not them who represent the people authentically is a great spiritual vacuum of a nation. Those to be blamed are primarily the good people who thus have the qualities and qualifications to genuinely represent the people being one of them and not superior to them. Thus, the spiritual, ethical and economic downfall of a nation is finally the fault of the good people for decades believing that politics is a ‘dirty game.’ 

It has been a dirty game because the so-called good people have allowed it to be so. Those who the people have elected are not to be blamed as these people have been generally as one can see around the globe generally been doing political musical chairs for most of their lives, mostly as a family inherited pastime. Thus, it has become normal for the lineage of political ‘family’ to become accepted as the political normal as opposed to deserving ordinary citizens who have braved all odds to serve their country and humanity and thus qualifies to be a statesman/woman. 

Hence as we start a new year may we wish for the world that leaders are born of the people and from the people to serve the people and not themselves. May we wish that the spiritual will reign over the world and that the universal justice that comes when one lives either with or outside righteousness’ (the Dhamma as per Buddhist culture) will prevail in countries such as Sri Lanka too. 

On a summing up note; the word spirit is derived from the Greek (and Latin) word to mean breath/spirit (prana). A human is a machine powered by breath. Once the breath departs from the body the machine stops. The final breath (spirit/energy/power) departs. Some spiritual/religious traditions believe that the energy that so departs will find its way to another life source – human or animal or be trapped or released to different realms as per the actions that have either purified or contaminated the last completed life cycle. 

Especially the Hindus and the Buddhists hold steadfast the belief that the life cycle continues beyond death and that this body is but a temporary abode of an energy consciousness that may have memory of many life cycles. Hence in each life cycle we are born in a realm that befits our last actions and the final release based on absolute cleansing the self of attachment is the ultimate liberation which is nirvana 

or nivana.