Many millennia ago, one of our pre-historic ancestors realized that there may be more to life than survival. This launched an eternal quest. We ponder still the purpose of our lives. One answer, I believe, is that evolution is the purpose of life. We live to evolve - individually and collectively.
The point of evolution should be to end physically more healthy, intellectually smarter, and spiritually wiser and more righteous. We Freemasons refer to this last point as "Seeking the Light." We devote ourselves to seeking enlightenment, knowing full well that it is as elusive as the perfect round of golf.
So, how are we doing, in particular, we Americans? We certainly live longer than our ancestors. Our knowledge of the universe is obviously superior to that of our forebearers. And, it seems to me, that Mankind has made some spiritual progress as well. There are holdouts and pockets of resistance but, overall, we seem more accepting of our diversity, more aware of our oneness and more compassionate to those less blessed.
On the less-traveled road to enlightenment, however, there are always miles to go and we may never get to sleep. We trudge on, for there are forces devoted to preventing us from evolving as God intended and realizing more of our innate potential. High on that list one might expect to find poverty and a failing educational system, but I see these as symptoms of a deeper malady.
The principal force now hampering our evolution is the presence of political parties. Parties exist, by definition, to seek unfettered power to impose their own agendas and reward their enablers. Humanity, and Americans in particular, remain shackled by legacy systems of government (fashioned by these parties) which have become contemptuous of the citizens they are supposed to serve. They inflame our worst passions, cloud our minds with false information, encourage our paranoia, create real problems and then propose pretend solutions, squander our treasure, and force us to choose between unprincipled and unqualified leaders. The parties are the problem, masquerading as solution.
Mankind has evolved in almost every facet of life, save one. Until we evolve politically, we cannot continue our collective journey toward The Light. The next logical evolution of governance is participatory democracy. Only under this form of government may a citizen gain control of their own destiny and move closer to their full potential.
As we took to the streets in 1913 to gain the right to vote for women, and as we took to the streets in 1965 to secure the vote for all Black citizens, so we must return to the streets in 2025 to finish the Voting Rights Movement. This time, we will march for the right of all Citizens to vote directly upon the national policy issues that affect our lives. We have been made serfs and vassals by our own un-representatives. It is time to take our citizenship back. It is time to demand the sovereignty we were promised so long ago. And, in 2025, it will be time for our political overlords to see The Light.
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