Wanting to change the world is different from having to. The latter is what's expected of Barack Obama if he's elected. The huge crowds he keeps attracting aren't looking simply for a new leader, or even a reformer to undo the bad things wrought by the Republicans. They are looking for transformation. This isn't pure fantasy. Sometimes history forces change right before your eyes, and when that happens the road forks. You can tinker with the world as it is or you can remake the world as it should be.
Obama hasn't given clear signals yet about which road he might take, because the ritual and theater of election campaigns force a candidate to spend a lot of time telling people what they want to hear. The last president who drastically remade the country was FDR, and yet nothing of the sort was expected when he ran in 1932. Roosevelt could have turned into a better Herbert Hoover, rescuing failed banks, restoring trust in government, bringing people back to a sense of hope and safety. Those are all good things, and Obama is poised to repeat them seventy years later. But if he does nothing more, the world won't change. While he attacked the basic problem of the Great Depression, FDR laid down the template of the modern social welfare state. His actions didn't immediately create prosperity -- far from it -- but they expanded opportunities for millions of people, stripped the old elites of their absolute power, and gave Americans their first economic safety net in Social Security.
I would hate to see Obama turn into a better Herbert Hoover. He could, and should, lay down a template for the next fifty years. It's no secret that we need to repair our image abroad, deal with Islamic extremism in a better way, open up global markets, repair our infrastructure, shift away from fossil fuels, and attack global warming with clear, vigorous policies. For many people, accomplishing those things would be a page-tuner after eight years of reactionary neoconservatism. But they wouldn't change the world.
What would is the following:
-- Get America off a war footing. We've been armed for imminent war since 1945.
-- Develop an economy that makes a profit on peace. At present, we are dependent on arms and arms dealing.
-- Get the rest of the world not to fear us.
-- Take the side of the world's dispossessed people, who only now are seeing the possibility of a decent life in India, China, southeast Asia, and much of Russia.
-- Bring humanity and humane conditions to all of Africa.
-- Stop dividing the world along ideological lines and religious factions. We need to be a secular leader friendly to all sides.
-- Speed up nuclear disarmament until all weapons stockpiles are gone in this generation.
I hope Obama is thinking along these lines, because if he isn't, the best he can hope for is a prosperous interval, like the Clinton years, while the underlying militarism and religious fractures fester. Two presidents -- Lincoln and FDR -- heeded history's call with the utmost foresight, never compromising their vision. The difference here is that we aren't facing civil war or economic ruin. America has an opportunity to change the world through free choice, by looking at what would be best rather than what has always worked.
Visit www.intent.com to read more from Deepak Chopra and other prominent voices.
The Man Who Changed the World?
Friday October 31, 2008
Categories: Politics
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I wonder about What Obama means when he talks about change. He isn't specific about what those changes are. Anyone can say "I want change", but unless they are specific as to what those changes are, I would have a hard time understanding what they want to change. Obama hasn't said what changes he wants to make in order for me to vote for him. He also wants to increase social programs, which might look nice on the outside, but those changes would increase taxes on businesses and on personal income, which does not make sense considering what the economy is like now. Why increase taxes to pay for social programs, when lowering taxes would help make it easier to run a business, and put more money in peoples pockets so they can spend it?
Dear Richard;
Have you read either of Obama's books? Have you read anything about his plans regarding education, foreign policy, health care, the economy, or fossil fuels? If you have, then you would know that Mr. Obama is somebody who is very insightful, and he knows what he would like to see happen. It is hard to outline a complete plan for change in a debate where the candidates are to address various issues in 1-2 hours, and it is very hard to outline a plan in a 30 second ad spot. It takes serious thought and serious discussion. I do think Mr. Obama has been very clear about changes that he would like to see in the government if people take the time to actually listen to what he says.
Also, it appears more that Mr. Obama wants to invest to restructure social programs to be more efficient and to use less money. He wants to stop giving breaks to major corporations and people who honestly can afford to pay more taxes, thus not increasing the burden on those earning less than $250,000 and small businesses. If social programs can be turned around to actually function effectively, then less money will be needed to run them. If the right investments are made to get people off of programs, then those programs will have less people on them, again saving money. If we had people who actually used common sense with foreign policy, then we probably wouldn't have to live in fear or spend billions of dollars in military actions.
McCain has seemed to be less apt to look at facts, and his ads have been used to spread propaganda and fear about Obama. McCain has greatly exaggerated or even blatantly lied on everything from Obama's tax plans and his stance on abortion to his personal life. Even in the debates, McCain was caught exaggerating or omitting facts. I for one am pretty tired of the fear propaganda and lies being spread by our current administration and the McCain campaign. The Conservatives today are nothing like the Conservatives of previous generations. They have become the big spenders, and they are the ones perpetuating a bigger and bigger government that ignores the constitution whenever it sees fit. Today's GOP is a far cry from Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, and even Eisenhower. I personally have little use for a group of people who would sooner use Rove's spin tactics and operate at such a level of fear. It's about time they stop insulting the American peoples' intelligence and tell the truth.
For everyone who cares about the current politics and the world and would like to make a positive difference, I would like to recommend a new book by Master Sha: Soul Communication, which truly offers the tools to bring love, peace, and harmony to this world and beyond.
The book can be bought at www.amazon.com
I wanted to share how gloriously happy I am. I followed election results most of the night and became more and more optimistic. I started to play a computer game. Then just after 11pm, I heard a ton of yelling ourside in the apartment parking lot. People were whooping, hollering, and cheering. I looked to see that Obama had 324 electoral votes. I called family and we shared our joy. Then as Obama gained more electoral votes and McCain conceded, I heard people shooting off fireworks in the neighborhood.
It all flowed then. I couldn't contain myself or my excitement. I started to cry. I couldn't stop as I sat there and sobbed uncontrollably...tears of joy, tears of hope, tears of freedom. I just felt so full of relief and happiness. I kept looking desperately to see Indiana's final results. I missed Obama's speech, however, because my computer was acting up. I was too tired and excited to fix it. I went to bed and couldn't get to sleep for a long time from being excited, and I kept waking up throughtout the night.
This morning, there seemed to be a sweet icing on the cake. By a very narrow margin, Indiana went for Obama. The margin was so small, and I realized that my vote did really count.
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