2021-08-26. Democracies, Censorship, Free Press, Participation
Michael on August 26, 2021.
Michael – T/R – JL
(Beginning of political organization)
(Evolution of democracy)
(The “Forth Estate” importance)
(The individual and the state)
(The greatest threat to democracy—censorship)
(The courage required for a free press)
(True freedom takes great faith in people)
(You are unique, with a unique solution)
(Encourage everyone to be involved)
(Always be open-minded to what tomorrow brings)
Dear Michael and Mother Spirit, here we are again. We can definitely feel both of you are here with us–as always–the most wonderful company. We thank you for being our dear friends. Whenever we think of you, and wish to say, “Hello, Mom. Hi, Dad,” we know you are receiving us. It is definitely a blessing to receive the two of you.
Tonight, Michael, because of all the things happening down here on earth, today in our own country and around the world, we are seeing and registering the consequences of what we call–in the most general terms–politics. So I don’t know–it might seem a funny spiritual thing to ask–but if you could give us some insight, from your point of view, on this thing we call “politics.”
I mean that In the most general sense of the relationship of government and those governed. We know our wonderful Urantia Book has many chapters on the creation and evolution of governments over the ages, and the different ways they have influenced society. We have our own wonderful Declaration of Independence that says, roughly, “In order to secure certain unalienable rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” When we think about recent developments, we always appreciate your point of view on these most fundamental–even transcendent–relationships between individuals and their governments. Amen. Thank you.
Michael: Good evening, this is Michael and Mother Spirit. Since we are always a wonderful team, we will be glad to address that topic tonight.
So: first of all, let me say–in considering politics–the one thing we can say is: It is definitely unavoidable! As you say, your Urantia Book has given you a wonderful outline of political history, of which we can only so very briefly review since it goes clear back to the earliest tribal organizations when more than one consanguineous family got together.
(Beginning of political organization)
From the very beginning, since tribes were territorial and somewhat war-like, almost without exception they realized the profound need to have a unity of authority and command. This became a chief with his Counsel of Elders, the older men and sometimes women who were the living repositories of the tribe’s experience in history. Your Urantia Book talks about how the earliest laws came about as community held taboos, things to do or not to do suggested by what simply worked, or didn’t, in the past.
When this tribal government grew into nation-states and empires like Egypt, and earlier, thousands of years ago, their rulers were so distant and venerated, they became royal families of deities–God taking on human form, with that kind of absolute power. For the next several thousands of years all over the world, these became the dynasties of royal families, right down to just a few centuries ago when for the first time, the “divine right” of kings was challenged to the point of a parliament actually sentencing a monarch to death. So it has only been a few hundred years since you’ve had the beginnings of more wide-spread democracies, although they did appear before this, for a while, only to be extinguished.
(Evolution of democracy)
Now, since your Declaration of Independence says government derives its just powers only by the consent of the governed, this implies having regular elections on local, state, and national levels. While at first only those of a certain, land-holding class could participate, more and more recently almost anyone could run for office, if of a certain age and being a citizen. Even more recently, about a hundred years ago, women were given the right to vote in the United States, irrespective that all through history there have been queens–women monarchs of various abilities and powers.
Laws concerning regular democratic elections continued to expand from those held on a timely basis, to limits on how long a single person could hold a certain office. Think of your term limits on the presidency.
In addition, think of the wide-spread use of a system of checks and balances between the different offices of government. Your Urantia Book talks about how these exist even in the spiritual realms on high. There is an elected legislature which makes the laws that are intended to govern individual behavior. There is an elected executive who takes an oath to enforce these laws, assisted by numerous agencies. There is a judicial branch conceived as an independent group of wise men and women who are given the authority to determine the constitutionality of the previous two branches’ actions. They are often given a life-time tenure so they are not too subject to the comings and goings of different political factions and opinions.
These are the three “estates” of the modern state. Then there is something only recently called the “Fourth Estate” of newspapers and so forth, but which has been around almost forever in terms of the information allowed to be given to the people. Up until very recent times limits on what could be expressed and promulgated were enforced under pain of torture and death.
Think of my life as Jesus, terminated on a charge of blasphemy–an offense punishable by being tortured to death. Certain things were not allowed to be uttered by anyone. This injunction still obtains in parts of your world concerning anyone mocking particular religious and social beliefs.
With the enormous power of secrecy within government and its activities, the temptation and ability of government to control public information is great, whether the newspapers and pamphlets, and now with the coming of radio and television, the personal computer and internet. The very first things any totalitarian dictatorship gets control over are the radio and television stations so as they can control this “fourth estate”—the critical information able to be enjoyed by the people.
(The “Forth Estate” importance)
In one sense of “politics,” think of what power resides within this fourth estate, in modern democracies where one–hopefully not the main–occupation of those in office is to stay in office. Consider what you call “shenanigans” because they are the extra-legal immoral ways the press is controlled by those in power. This is the more cynical notion meant when someone says, “Oh, that is just political”—meaning a statement polarized irrespective of the facts, the meaning, or even the spiritual value of events. These can be twisted, misinterpreted. or even made up out of whole cloth–as you say–to promulgate and support certain policies. So “modern politics” are an extremely lively, living complexity of various forces and ways of manipulating this Fourth Estate of the information available to the people.
Let me make a small pun to make a point. You have an old saying that: You can’t see the forest for the trees–meaning the individual facts and considerations are so overwhelming you can’t see the whole picture.
Let me suggest that in modern politics the exact opposite may be employed: You can’t see the trees for the forest—meaning the overall political situation being presented—the forest–may be so polarized, prejudicial, and generalized, the lives of the individual’s—each unique individual reality, is disregarded and lost sight of. In your last century tens of millions of people have died–mostly of starvation and exposure–because their central government promulgated such policies that a great number of individuals were totally lost sight of, and disregarded.
(The individual and the state)
The individual was made an impersonal cog of the state where a man-made thing—the state–lost sight of the God-created thing, the God-created part of humanity–each individual’s unique personality and viewpoint.
This is a spiritual way of looking at society and politics. Never lose sight of the individual and what effects the grand-sounding policies are actually having, no matter how noble they sound. What affect are they having on the individuals? Because individuals are the great spiritual component of the human race in every society–each man, woman, and child.
This has been the wonderful and true progress across the ages; first the restriction of the “divine right” of the rulers, to the institution of even somewhat fair elections. Consider what one of your greatly cynical political leaders said in the last century, “It isn’t who casts the votes that counts, it is who counts the votes.” (Ed: Stalin?) How do you ensure fair—fully representational–elections in the modern age?
I’ve addressed this a couple of times before. The freedom of information is critical for a truly functioning democracy that recognizes, encourages, and vouchsafes the individual’s viewpoint. These are so various, say, from the middle of one of your enormous cities, to being out in some small town or on a farm–and all the gradations in between. Think of all the different points of view of all these millions of individuals, with all their different groupings and activities–social, political, and economic.
(The greatest threat to democracy—censorship)
Now you have the electronic ability to give everyone their free choices of information, the greatest entrance to true democracy is without any kind of censorship, whether for economic, political or social reasons. There can be no denying any particular group of people a voice.
Think about this. The greatest sin–or error–now in a democracy is censorship because a group might appear to be hateful or disruptive. So was I, once upon a time. Do not deny anyone a voice for whatever claimed reason.
(The courage required for a free press)
One of your really great political philosophers stated, “I might disagree with everything you say, but I will fight to the death for your ability to say it.”
This is the courage that is required to be open-minded, to seek out and welcome–for your own soul’s growth–that which might be completely opposite or even antithetical to what you believe. By doing so you will be welcoming another viewpoint, another soul, into your own. It often entails accepting all the growth pains involved.
One thing Mother Spirit and I would ask of you: Think deeply and do all you can with your own political power. Do your best to not only seek out different points of view across your modern media now capable of supplying a great diversity; do your best with all your social and political power to ensure this variety of viewpoint is able to be expressed.
(True freedom takes great faith in people)
This takes an enormous leap of faith in your fellows. Give them all these choices, even the ones that are different from your own. An old Chinese political philosopher once said: “When faith in the people is lost, then the faith of the people will be lost.” So have the courage to welcome everything. Just take it in. Sleep on it. Let your own soul sort it out. Let your own creative spirit expand. When your own thesis—your notions of what is, and should be–meet their opposite–their antithesis, you come up with your own created synthesis. With your own creative spirit you come up with what truly and spiritually incorporates everything you are capable of encountering.
This is the challenge before you, my dear ones. Spirit always means that which is creative and all-inclusive. It comes from, and is endowed by, the singular Creative Being who is all-encompassing, and experiences everything with his omnipresence. So if you would be more like him, venerate that spirit/creative possibility within your own personality, and feed your soul.
Now if you have any questions or comments we can do those.
Student #1: Hi, Father. Thank you. Thank you for that pep-talk. I am curious. Tomorrow I’ll have study group with this text. Is there a place in the book that might coincide with what we are going through today? Speaking of politics, and the deceit, and the rich getting richer, is there some direction in the text?
(You are unique, with a unique solution)
Michael: Oh, my dear! That direction is not only within your power, but also in your ability to respond—your responsibility. This is truly why you are a being of free-will dignity. Take in as much as you can of your present situation. Talk it over with your friends and come up with your own best creative way forward. You are unique being, so you have your own potential for a unique solution that can generally make things better. As your wonderful Buddha said one time: Your whole spiritual purpose is the elimination of suffering.
If you want a yard-stick of measuring things social and political, consider just that. The elimination of suffering is–first of all–acknowledging and feeling with your heart and soul what suffering is taking place. Then try with your own understanding, to know how it came about. This is the key to how to put an end to it. So your group has its task before them. That is your direction, my dear.
Student #1: Thank you! I just want the easy way out some days, like Divine Intervention! But: back to the books.
(Encourage everyone to be involved)
Michael: Right. There are certain things only you can do, and not only for yourself, but for your loved ones, and even your society. What society needs politically above all is for everyone to be involved and lend their voice to the choices to be made. So do your best, and please feel my peace. Be in my peace.
(Always be open-minded to what tomorrow brings)
Are there any more comments or questions this evening? Well, my dear ones, please accept my profound thanks for your opening your hearts and your minds to me. These are difficult times, but you students of history know it has always been hard times for the people living at the moment. Your last century saw maybe one hundred million die with the policies of their own governments, let alone the wars between nation-states, and what led up to those. Once a plague would came through and wipe out half the population. So consider yourselves truly blessed. You now have the opportunities within your media to seek out all the different viewpoints. Form more fully informed opinions, ever with the humility to keep in mind, they are only temporary opinions–open to tomorrow’s news.
Bless you all for seeking the broadest truth as best you can. You can actually recognize it with your own creative spirit.
Mother Spirit sends her love, and I bid you: Be in my peace. Just grab hold of it!–and rest deeply, for tomorrow is on its way. Goodnight.
