Trumpism - the personal in politics
| |

Trumpism

Who will I be in society

All politics happens in a certain mindset. While the focus in politics and in the ever-present news coverage of it is all focused on things that are being done (or said they would be done), there is something missing. The personal side. The human side. It shimmers through occasionally, mostly as criticism or bashing.

Yet, there is a deeply personal side in being both a politician and a political human being, a citizen. In the eighties, when we were close to a nuclear war and the destruction of all mankind, Sting wrote this moving song in which he prayed that „if the Russians love their children too“ they maybe wouldn’t press the red button. They did not, but here we are, 40 years later, once again at that exact point.

To simply live your life, accepting the people around you and working together to create a livable society – sounds so darn simple, and yet is apparently so hard. It all begins with an attitude, it all beings within me.

Chapters:

  • 00:00:00 Intro
  • 00:00:26 Trumpism – Solo
  • 00:02:17 It all starts in my heart
  • 00:07:18 Trumpism – Remix

Transcript

Trumpism

Is all about me
Me trumping you
Me beating you
Me is the soaring center
Of a spiral that is I

It is me and not the other
It is me and me alone
It is me against all others

Got no sisters
Got no brothers
Be with me
Or be all others

I’m the soul
Of this great country
From sea to crying sea
Torn in half
Me idiot me

How I scream
If you dare touch me
How I’ve lost that ancient dream

That love would hold us all together
Life is lived among each other
For all we ever are —
Sister and brother

©️ Laughing Brook/Peter Müller 2024

It all starts in my heart

Oh well – politics. In a complex society – meaning by now over eight billion people living on planet Earth – we need to find ways to live together. And different people means different perspectives and interests, and a basket full of apples means that you will have all kinds of apples. Juicy ones to crave for as well as foul ones. They’re all in the pot. 

There’s so much one could say about politics, and that should be said about politics. But this is not a political podcast. From where I stand, though, it is also true that everything is political, for all we ever say and do in every aspect of our lives comes from the way we look at life and reality. From our worldview. From how we are with ourselves and with others. Politics then is just another expression of who we are and how we go about life. And, of course – that’s exactly where all the dissent comes from.

All politics happens in a certain mindset, no matter what label you put on it. This mindset determines how you will act in the world, how you will be with other beings –humans and non-human –, and ultimately how you will be with yourself. It determines who you will be. And thus, who I am then is inevitably the basis for how I am with politics. That is why not only everything is political, but also politics is ultimately deeply personal. Glimpses of this are seen in great leaders, from Solomon to Mahatma Ghandi or Nelson Mandela, and in its shadowy side from Nebuchadnezzar to Julius Cesar, Napoleon, Hitler, Stalin and the their most modern likes.

We’re living in curious times, in which politics increasingly seems to be centered around the „us versus them“. We seem to increasingly loose the ability or willingness to accept others in their different perspectives, to understand how we will all benefit much more from cooperating than from fighting each other. This is a very very dangerous path, for it opens pandoras box of violence, as we can see day by day in the news. As the saying goes: War doesn’t determine who’s right, only who’s left.

Sting, the musician, once said something in an interview along the lines of: „The only answer I see for the problems in this world is a changed consciousness.“ Only a changed perspective of how we perceive ourselves, life, others, both human and non-human others, and ultimately the very fabric of reality – only such a change will allow us to be more expansive, more loving, more responsible. Better citizens, for our neighbors and for the world at large. It all starts in our very heart of hearts.

Outro:

My name is Laughing Brook, I am a poet, dancer, mystic, nature coach and man whisperer. 

If you like what you’ve been hearing and would want to support me, please leave a positive rating and a comment on which ever platform you are listing to this podcast. This helps others to become aware of it. Share it with friends. And most of all – come back for the next episode. 

This podcast will continue without any fixed schedule, as life happens and verses come. So please subscribe to be in the loop and check back occasionally for any new poetry. For more info about me and things beyond this podcast, please check out laughingbrook.net. Thank you for listening, and – keep on flowing, bumping and jumping with the stream of life.

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Why the Sun

    ByPeter Müller

    I am sure you remember moments when something has touched you so deeply that it left a mark in you – it’s going to stay with you for the rest of your life. And for all the thinking you might do as to why that is, no doubt remains about the depth of your experience.
    There is a magic about allowing yourself to let something touch you – be it a moment, a person, another being, a piece of art… Having had such an experience, the old question of „why?“ then turns into something different. Or maybe it is you who turns into someone different?

  • | | |

    Autumn

    ByPeter Müller

    Living my life fully is key to be able and let go gracefully when that final last goodbye comes around. It’s all about beauty. Rather than postponing life, it is good to ask yourself from time to time whether the life you are living is really the one you want to live. This is your one precious moment of being alive.
    Living fully is not for the faint of heart. And yet, there is nothing like knowing you have followed your heart, your calling, your passion, your intuition.

  • | |

    Towards the Night

    ByPeter Müller

    Dark and light are intertwined – like in the Yin and Yang symbol. There is power and strength in walking towards the dark deliberately and consciously. And this has nothing to do with being masochistic. It is simply that a lot of things can only be gained for a price I have to pay.
    And there is a magic ingredient to it. In the Yin and Yang symbol there is a tiny spot of light in the dark. That is the spark that shows us the direction in which to go, and in it lies all the difference for why I may choose deliberately to walk towards some darkness.

  • | |

    Give Your Love A Way

    ByPeter Müller

    Problem solving is a skill, non-action seems nonsense. And yet, we can get lost in trying to solve problems by scrambling about. For some things cannot be addressed by going at them directly, they need a different path – one that requires some sort of acceptance, stepping back, letting it be and letting go. Then something might open which is beyond our control and sometimes beyond our imagination.
    This is by no means a passive, fatalistic way of being in the world. Just the opposite, it is a way in which I flow with the energies and dynamics of life in a creative way. Such a way might look very different from how I am used to go about things, and that exactly might be what turns it into an exhilarating adventure. All I need to do is get out of my way

  • | | | |

    Clouds

    ByPeter Müller

    What would it be like to be, but be in a very different way, without an ego – this part of us, that says ”I“ and sees everything from a personal perspective? Not to want, not to cling, not to chase – just be? Well now, isn’t that how the world around us ist?
    This state happens to be very much what mindfulness practices and meditation leads us to. This episode has a playful poem that invites you to let your mind go on a journey beyond itself.

  • | | | |

    It takes a strong I to create

    ByPeter Müller

    The ego doesn’t have a good rep in our world, and we all know why. Yet, there is a place for ego to navigate through this world. It is, so to speak, the captain who runs the ship and takes care so we do reach our destination. Any destination. When used properly it is a great servant to help us realize what’s important to us and what we want to realize.
    In no field is this more important then in art. The creative act is such a deeply personal act, as in its truest form in comes from deep within me. As an artist, I make myself vulnerable when I present my art. So the temptation is great to smooth things into a palpable, nice way. But to be true to your art can require you to be without compromise, to be daring, to be extreme. A strong ego, a strong I, is needed, to stay the course.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *