I    Bringing Back the disillusioned, Dis-empowered, & the Burnt-out (inspite of the points made in Section V.)

A    Lets take heath care workers to begin with real examples. The proverbial overworked nurse in particular, is well known for suffering from burn-out. It comes - basically and psychologically - from striving for the worthiest intangible goal(s) and/or tangible goals perceived, but increasingly perceiving (due to an overworked mental and emotional body) that increasingly more difficult work is accomplishing increasingly less towards the originally perceived goal(s). There are effective healing regimens for this condition, but attitudes do play an important part in the healing and preventative maintenance for sustained well-being under such challenging conditions.

B   Nurses aren't the only ones who suffer burnout, since the above noted challenges can be encountered by most anyone working to realise ideals. What about those who strive to accomplish worthy tangible objectives for whole nations, or even to help bring about the realisation of certain intangible ideals for same.           In the next sections, I will exlain how one might (indeed, how too many already have) become politically disenfranchized and/or psychologically distanced from the world around him/her, feeling disempowered to effect the world in any meanful way, to 'make a difference,' (thus driven to seek fulfillment in other areas of life. I will exlain how this has happened inspite of the long-term ramifications if everyone were to do this), and how too many have become apathetic about the power given up by so many - to those few who would gladly take it and use it for their own purposes. On the other hand, if you have been led to read this, you may already know by your own experience, or by that of someone you know, some ways of how it has come about and the feelings associated.

 
       II    Common Sources of Burn-Out For Activists & Would-Be Activists

A   I will restate here what was said above. Activists risk burnout by striving for the worthiest intangible goal(s) and/or tangible goals perceived, but increasingly perceiving (due to an overworked mental and emotional body) that now the increasingly more difficult work is accomplishing increasingly less towards the originally perceived goal(s). Activists strive particularly to cause the realisation of intangible ideals for whole societies or nations or even the whole planet, as well as to accomplish worthy tangible objectives for same.

B   A true leader empowers others to believe in themselves and become more than they are, to help make a difference in their world. He also encourages the availability and provision of currently viable information towards development of useful priorities and goals. The false leader takes other's power, thwarts any directions that would threaten the false leader's power or objectives, and keeps his followers in the dark about real and worthy objectives. The easiest way for a false leader to take other's power is to cause others to either believe in himself, or to believe in in-effective objectives (eg: material gain or impermanent wealth, status or very basic emotional satisfaction, a certain amount of power that is still not threatening to the false leader, or some combination of the above.

 

Questions for Disillusionment           Here are some Questions to or about that 60-80% of Americans that do not participate in voting or other socially responsible activities.           Each of the below questions might be followed up with these three questions:                 1)"To what degree is this attitude consciously held?                 2) To what degree are the ramifications of such an attitude consciously realized?"                 3) How many people do you know that you think/feel would answer "yes" to this question, and how many do you think/feel would answer "no" ?           ¤ To what degree have our youth and otherwise immature or impressionable people been influenced by, and/or taken on the values of, the attitude of "Winner-Loser" comparative name-calling? (This is the attitude that has led some people to call less fortunate or less advantaged people "losers." The attitude seemed to become pronounced in the early 80's with the "wins" of venture capitalism that caused so many people to lose jobs and homes, and which seems to have continued from the "If you've got it, flaunt it" era of Reaganonomics.)           ¤ Do you believe that all those who are suffering -- who are also without access to resources to address that suffering -- are only doing so because they have been responsible for that suffering during some time(s) since their birth?           ¤ Could their be gradations of personal responsibility for one's suffering, for one's society's suffering, in particular or various ways? And to the degree that is so, could we not address some or much of that suffering, and in a way that would not just be "feeding an addiction to hand outs"?           ¤ Is it conceivable that people with callous attitudes about other's suffering who also wield great power in the world through giant corporate activities continue to cause and/or greatly increase the suffering of others, particularly in 3rd world countries?           ¤ Do you think that many people in the 1st world nations have been convinced that 'the sacrifice of thousands or even millions of people, especially in 3rd world nations, are justifiable in order to continue a "suitable" standard of living for the rest of us?           ¤ Do you sense that very many people apparently hold such attitudes while the same so many call themselves caring and conscientious, as well as moral, righteous, and/or spiritual?           ¤ Do you feel it is just information and re-education that people need, or do they need to emotionally awaken to some parts of themselves, parts that learned long ago to protect themselves from feeling certain kinds of pain (in self and/or others), not to mention keep them from communicating such pain?           ¤ If and when given to community or planetary service, how might we be a sounding board for, and help provide resources to others, when they are ready to begin their awakening to the deeper meanings of such as the above questions. How about when their heart breaks at the realization that we (Americans) have not always been the "good guys" on the world stage (and maybe too often have been the "bad guys"), and are beginning their heart-healing processes?           The answers to these questions might determine much about our society. Who knows but that the consideration of these questions by enough people just might begin a process of healing, one step at a time as we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit? Granted it might likely be a very long term process, but also one which must begin, it strongly appears, if we are to heal the planet of apathy and of the results of that apathy. [Related notes & resources via section on "Spotting & Healing the Pain..." below]
Disillusionment on the Personal Level           I think re-education of the brainwashed is the key. But how to accomplish this I'm not sure. Mass media & "homeland security" still have the upper hand.           Warmest regards ... ~ David My Response to that:           People shut down about something (or maybe a lot of things) when they've been hurt enough to give up hope about it/them. They feel bad enough about that that the memory gets shoved under sooner or later, and they use the energy that would've been used for the original concern/desire for something that doesn't bring up the pain again, even helps keep the pain "safely" buried (soul uses the body-mind to "store" the energy until the personality is ready to deal with that issue and heal it).           This is classic denial, altho a little more specific type, and this description includes the body-mind's involvement. And we've all done it -- at least in small, relatively insignificant ways, unless you're a Jesus this life and have never given your power away to anyone ever. Anyway, when we heal that... well, that's what [this] is all about, as applied to how/when we've given up our power to create and maintain a government that represents us ...	Handling Disillusionment How well one can handle disillusionment might be DETERMINED BY the amount of stress AND contradiction that one can handle in life, but MORE SPECIFICALLY BY:           ¤ the degree to which one can consciously live with injustice by others upon self and others, even though one has very high ideals about societal fairness, and how long one feels one can postphone the gratification of eventual justice; eg: conflict between one's having what one wants and needs and the recognition of the implications of truths?           ¤ how likely one is to feel so disheartened about feeling/being not able to do something about the pain, that some kind of pain-denial coping mechanism is initiated           ¤ how much early training (via life challenges) one received and converted into stress handling and problem solving capacity - or counter to it, leading to lack of confidence regarding           ¤ how much permission felt to feel and express emotional pain, look into it's deeper sources           ¤ how likely is one to even extrapolate as to how others may respond internally and externally to such pain           ¤ the capacity for "congnitive dissonance" - the ability to simeoultaneously hold (consciously) in mind two concepts that are both "true," yet contradict one another; emotional dissonance is similar, but has to do with two equally strong yet opposite feelings about something
Have you ever heard that one's greatest strength is also one's greatest weakness?           It's just one of those interesting paradoxes that philosophers toss about, but Consider:           How does a person withstand great amounts of pain within themselves, or when sensed within people they love, or within their next door neighbor? I understand those can each have very different answers. But does it not have to do with a certain kind of toughness or strength that one gathers so that one can "just get on with life"? I would answer that "Yes." However, have you known people with whom there can there be certain types of situations when s/he invokes that strength so strongly or so often -- perhaps for a lifetime -- that it becomes a hindrance to him/herself and/or to others? Do you believes that we all work best when we all work together -- not necessarily next to each other, but in one accord, as opposed to working in discord)?           Do you see the connection here, especially when you consider the increasing effect of one person's actions and even lifestyle on another, regardless of the distance between them? Do you think that the best solution to the planet's problems is to rate the value or worthiness of different kinds of people and then ration out the planet's resources according to that rating? Of course that is a rhetorical question, but do you see how that relates to the type of nationalism and patriotism that seems to have been communicated so much in recent years? -bcp

C    I believe there has been a key relationship between how the American people feel about engaging in active citizen roles, and the actions and communications of our government, or of various elements within or associated with it. How government actually does exist in our society does so THROUGH the belief systems of citizens. However, they do not all *function* as most of us would prefer they do. In actuallity, it functions partly in fantasy, partly in disguise, and largely by default in leu of citizen participation, in what I call The Four Governments.           The notes/links on the Reference page would strongly indicate that we have every reason to believe that the current administration has a modus operandi, indeed a history, similar to that of the more sophisticated mafia's we've heard of. However, it is most apparent that the level of sophistication in this mafia is infinitely beyond what we may have conceived, let alone attributed to key members of one or more bodies of government, particularly the executive body. Whether or not this mafia has been purposefully creating a negative effect on the motivation and psychological capacity of citizens, is not necessarily the issue. The point is that no government, let alone its means of operation, can survive without citizen support, either active or passive.           I have a certain amount of respect for the blindly naive patriots - whose poor hearts it would break for them to actually realize the truth of the above. And ,if we are to heal, they will break eventually (as mine did). And then they'll get mad and want to do something about it, while dealing with the inner processes that go on in the meantime. Or they will withdraw for a time, maybe a lifetime. This is another set of folks for whom I wrote this page, although it will probably be some time before most of them will be ready for it. The sooner folks get through any disillusionment, the quicker we'll be back on our democratic feet. Because if people aren't participating, it's not a democracy, and of course, we all work best when we all work together.           [The later note reminds me of a most impressive set of webpages by a daring leader, including "We Are All In This Together". What's impressive, besides the content, is the background of the originator of these pages. "William C. Gladish earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from Indiana University. He received an Air Force officer's commission in 1982 and served on active duty for over ten years as a pilot and navigator. In 1992, he completed a master's degree in aeronautical science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He is a graduate of many professional military programs, including Air Command and Staff College. He has served as an assistant professor and has received numerous leadership awards from the Air Force. He presently serves as a Lieutenant Colonel (select) in the Air Force Reserve and continues to study the impact of large corporations on humanity and the environment and their threat to the U.S. Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights" -- A pilot no less! Holy Cow, AirForce Gaia! -bcp]

D   A sophisticated method of dis-empowerment is to teach (disinform) others to accomplish goals in an unrealistic way, or in a way that would fall short, once sufficient complications were consistently added into the path of accomplishing those goals. EG: Teach that government works in a certain way, when in fact, it has been transformed or corrupted to actually now be working in a different way, such that a) the ways taught to work that system don't work very well anymore, and b) the ways that actually do work the existing system are now primarily workable by those with the new keys to that system, that mainly being access to certain knowledge, pathways, and large sums of money. Please note: Even if this sophisticated method was in effect, there would still be ways to make the system work by the original ways, primarily through awareness and exposure of those new keys and a certain amount of correction enforced into the existing system. Or maybe I should have said primarily through faith and preserverence toward the healing and preventative maintenance, and sustainability of effective democracy and the balance of powers in and around government.

 
      III    Spotting & Healing the Pain That Dis-empowers

A

Un-earthing inner talents & resources ; Preventative Health Maintenance (Body-Mind & Basic Physical).

Ones talents and resources, and especially ones gifts, have generally been found psychologically associated to one's conscious or unconscious pain(s), as revealed by personal growth work or therapy. (As infants, we respond to repeated stressors and trauma internally so as to cope as best one can, creating a *coping mechanism* to do that. That coping mechanism begets *skills,* and the skills eventually beget *gifts*. More on that is at "...Understanding the Pattern Triad"- About Mind-Body Relationships, (from) coping mechanisms, (to) skills, (to) gifts through challenges on one's Life Path.) In the "My Beliefs" section (#F below), I say more about why anyone should consider personal growth work or therapy, and a brief practical note about the actual purpose of pain and the dynamics of emotion. And especially in/via the essay, " 'The Lords of Culture' and Listening - A story about Language, Relationship, and the Body-Mind Split, An Anthropology of Intelligence & Paradigms in Context"; On the socio-political aspects of pain, and the far-reaching implications of that; pro-active resources for individuals and communities.

B

Re-Education towards Re-Establishing faith in individuals and in the democracy than Can and Should be brought about by Citizens - even if that entails greatly increased and continued vigilence, responsibility, active questioning of and appropriate demands upon authorities, and hard work.

C

Applying solutions on personal, relationship, communal level

Again, attitudes play an essential part in the healing and preventative maintenance for sustained well-being under such challenging conditions. How one defines certain values, and manages one's believe system in that regard may make all the difference. I do not propose here that any particular spiritual belief is more suitable than another. I do believe, however, that a strong faith, one that will persist through the darkest of months and years, will be most helpful. Short of this, sources for burn-out may include most any persistant trial or threatening period of bad leadership and poor representation.

D

Thinking Globally, Acting Locally (w/ Global Effects)

Some of the most intelligent and dedicated people on the planet have developed "sustainable" solutions for the planet. The term sustainable refers to a large scale process, program, or function that does not deplete any important resource from the planet, and generally adds resources to the planet (including bio-organisms), or in any way upset the planetary environmental balance. The Apollo Alliance Project would seem to be providing a not only a positive vision, but realistic SOLUTION PLANS for a sustainable planet? More great resources for solutions are presented at the Bioneers Collective Heritage Institute of Santa Fe, NM, with sample article links at http://www.bioneers.org/features/now.html, including "The Hidden Connection: A Science for Sustainable Living" by Fritjof Capra.           Other resource links are listed in Section V. of the Political Reference Page: "Recovering Democracy, basic attitudinal change & Related Healing (Prerequisites?)"

     IV    Boundaries & clearings of Toxic Emotional Energy (Preventative Health Maintenance)

Related Resource Page for personal alignment and clearing in this regard: "Questions for Boundaries -- "Positive Response Questions" (PRQ's) designed specifically for learning and affirming effective communications of position, intention, & message; Maintaining clarity for appropriate connection, direction, & protection." Another more generally applied set of questions for enhancing one's overall awareness potential is "Questions for Inner-Resourcing" - The Use of Personally Applied Invocative Questions (Invoc-Q's) designed specifically for affirming optimal appropriate information sharing, integration, & access throughout the mental, emotional, and physical bodies.

 

      V    Spotting & Exposing the "Politics of Pain" - That is, exposing manipulation that has resulted in political dis-empowerment, manipulation that has been done (consciously and/or unconsciously) through the following [for most statements made below, please refer to the essay " 'The Lords of Culture' and Listening..." for the psychological aspects and references, and the References page for the political backup]:

A

Re-Defining Co-Dependent Pity by calling it "Compassion," Whereas on the Contrary, we know that true compassion also acknowledges the potentials of the individual

If there is not compassion, then there is not strength, because strength also means capacity to be sufficiently sensitive to the true needs of self and others, to be vulnerable to the pangs of love, and to be willing to acknowledge the power, capacity, and purpose of another in pain. Strength without compassion is false strength, or toughness.

How might we have gotten so calloused?     Leading question: What happens when someone knows how to feel sympathy or pity, but not compassion, when a friend is in pain? Then pain becomes associated with toughness, weakness, and/or pity. This is because with Strength we may pay respect to the martyr quality, but with pity we fail to acknowledge the potential of the individual and/or the opportunities available to that individual. Eventually the inner response - 'the pity thing' - becomes frustrating and painful or begets the fear of feeling pain, of self, another, or both. That will often be followed by false strength, or toughness, which in the presence of pain becomes a form of cruelty.     Put another way, when a friend is in pain, and you can't feel compassion or pity, and thence true strength (born of passion or compassion) then has no real anchor, then your resulting toughness will tend to be read as not caring, since you wouldn't consciously know otherwise what/how to feel or what to communicate about the other's pain, and your presence is felt as distance instead.

Social Implications:     If you have a large percentage of a community not knowing the difference between pity and compassion, and therefore confuse toughness with strength, then it is left with only being able to respond with pity or toughness when pain is up. Then an aloof society is presented, maintaining perhaps the image of strength and compassion, but still responding with pity or toughness. Pity mixed with toughness can easily come across as condescending, and toughness alone communicates apathy or cruelty to world nations in need.

B

Re-Defining Calloused Toughness by calling it "Courage"

Whereas on the Contrary, we know that courage is strong enough to include flexibility in direction, speed and means of attaining goals, vulnerability of the ego, and consideration of one's own falibility. "Toughness" was essential when developing our nation, like a survival tool for a very young kid out on the streets. We forced ourselves to ignore our pain, physical and emotional, in order to establish ourselves as independent and capable, in order to "win" and be "successful" in the world. Many of us taught that to our youth with the injunction "Cry and I'll give you something to cry about." The underlying message (to those expected to carry on this tradition) was "don't feel pain, or least for God's sakes, don't communicate that you feel it unless you can't continue in a fashion suitable to carry on this tradition."

C

Re-Defining blind faith by calling it "Citizen Awareness"

Whereas on the Contrary, we know when questions to authority are backed up with documented proof of extreme conflicts of interest between the White House administration & corporate interests related to current (9/11 & Iraq-War) issues. It has often been called "Paranoia" whenever anyone begs to differ on such questions. Just as Germany allowed a Hitler to reign, blind faith is not the appropriate attitude when 1% of the people have 95% of the wealth and media in it's control...°

D

Re-Defining Responsibility by calling it "Whining" as relates to (above noted) survival tools regarding courage and pain

Whereas on the Contrary, we know that there were many essential questions (asked by various Congressional Representatives) re: the Iraq-War question, War Powers, and Homeland Security employee rights related legislation that continue to go unanswered. Also, there is so much documented evidence of corporate abuse of workers' rights, yet so seldom is there any effective address of such abuses that whistle blowers legal defense associations have been set up to provide protection and encouragement.

E

Re-Defining Pain by calling it "Essential for Good Business" if the suffering was primarily endured by poor Americans and 3rd World peoples - and then creating more pain for whomever "whines" about it (eg: "Cry and I'll give you something to cry about")

Whereas on the Contrary, we know there has been the Open Selling of the values of corporate globalisation as noted here, including re: success, winning, whining, and pain. This began in the 80's with Reagan-promoted flaunting of wealth and leveraged-buy out values and the resulting job losses and homelessness of millions of hardworking people. In the 90's, the destruction of various individuals' reputations was viewer-rich entertainment on prime-time TV. As a result of our attitudes about these values (as noted here and above), as well as about courage and compassion, most people are in denial of the pain of the poor here and especially in the 3rd world -- which is probably the biggest reason we have enraged so many people enough to want to do terrorist activities against us. If you read 3rd World countries' newspapers, or even the newspapers of the minority groups in the US, you might get the idea that, when they are in pain, what they really get from the American government is the communication of either condescension or apathy, if not cruelty as well. On the other hand, they see the American people as well meaning but very naive.    The purpose of pain in the body is to tell when one is in dire need of something, when one needs to do something different to regain homeostasis, to be capable of survival. The purpose of emotional pain is similar, but relates to our need for relationship and the cooperation necessary for us to survive as a family. And since there is no major religion on earth that does not teach the acceptance of all humans as our greater family, it is important that we heed our very real pain related to the pain of the people of other nations, and to the pain of the injustices they endure at the expense of our current means of maintaining our standard of living. I am referring especially to our dependence on oil when we are more than capable of developing other means to do so - and ever-increasingly so since the 60's.

F

Re-Defining censorship of the media by calling it "Informed Citizenry"

Whereas on the Contrary, we know, simply by reading foreign media, that our national focus has been on maintaining our individual and national isolation through the Monopolisation/control of the Media (5 individuals own ALL media of US, vs hundreds of owners 20 years ago) & thereby it's Mis-use. "Weapons of Mass Distraction" is the appropriate term of refererence as coined by Jeff Cohen, author of "Myth of the Liberal Media."

G

Re-Defining World Dominance by calling it "World Leadership"

Whereas on the Contrary, we know about the blueprint for the creation of a 'global Pax Americana,' that was drawn up for Dick Cheney (now vice-president), Donald Rumsfeld (defence secretary), Paul Wolfowitz (Rumsfeld's deputy), George W Bush's younger brother Jeb and Lewis Libby (Cheney's chief of staff). The document, entitled Rebuilding America's Defences: Strategies, Forces And Resources For A New Century, was written in September 2000. For years, the American government has been Justifying the Demonisation of any key opposition, sanctioning least ethical actions, and then justifying pain of "collateral damage," even while all other peoples & nations see it for what it is (Scapegoating & Bullying)...°

H

Re-Defining the manipulation of citizens into giving up civil liberties by calling it "Security" and "Justice"

Whereas on the Contrary, we know that the most high ranking individuals in the current administration and CIA have, for many years, had large invested interests in corporations that were doing business with various Middle-Eastern concerns, primarily in oil and arms. The records of these business and military dealings, put together with their strategy for foreign and *domestic policy as related* to the above noted Sept.2000 document, "Rebuilding America's Defences..," indicate that their interests with regard to this area of the world have much more to do with a 'global Pax Americana' and forthcoming profits, than with protecting American citizens, let alone their rights.°

	I		Re-Defining Absolute Power (Dictatorship) by Calling it "Presidential Authority"

Whereas on the Contrary, we know that our government was founded with the essential principle of maintaining a balance of powers between the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of government, and that for the President of the US to ask for an imbalance of those powers, particularly in the president's favor, is an obvious abuse of those powers, and a most frightenly dangerous precedent that such as even been requested, let alone deliberated as strongly as it has been. Senator Byrd and Congressman Jim McDermott are a few of the heroic elders of statesmen who elucidated on this issue before their piers. [Documents available]

J

Re-Defining insanity by sending the clear message that "the appropriate response to insanity is [a response which would, under any personal circumstance, be recognized as insane]

Whereas on the Contrary, any person of learning and intelligence would know such responses (as in the case of the Iraq-War question) have always created more insanity, not to mention turn most every nation on the planet against us, leading to greatly enhanced likelihood of terrorism against us. Another insane response includes implying and fomenting the belief among followers of various fundamentalist churches, that we can hasten the day of 'Rapture' (when said that Jesus will save the righteous in mass) by hastening (bringing on and/or allowing) the Mid-East conflict to escalate to "Armageddon" levels...°    It would seem to me that someone is trying to convince us that Jesus needs to rescue us -- because he doesn't believe in our ability to learn and grow by exercising Free Will, and that we can't learn to become responsible to choose our own directions, even by the hard way. Do you know what psychologists say about such a "rescuer" ? A rescuer is one of three roles that compose the (pathological) martyr personality -- along with the roles of victim and persecutor. And I have a most difficult time trusting someone, especially a self-proclaimed Christian, who would call Jesus a pathological martyr. I have an even more difficult time trusting someone who would "train" or condition others in his charge to be rescued - by a policy that is obviously designed to either bring on such an armageddon or actually accomplish the ideal end of impirialism - world conquest.

K

And as the above is accomplished, so is the Re-Defining of political dis-empowerment by calling it "democratic process"

Whereas on the Contrary, we know that we have one of the lowest voting records of any democratic nation on the planet, indicating a certain hopelessness in the capacity to effect change in our government means and directions, thence a destruction of faith relative to what we have been taught should result. And that is why I have put together this outline, with my and others' professional knowledge, beliefs about, and suggestions for our remedying the situation -- at least in the long run, since our progeny does matter to us.