The moral force of nonviolence…
bent the arc of history towards justice once more!
Arabic w/ English sub Voice of Freedom Sout Al Horeya صوت الحريه – Amir Eid ft. Hany Adel
Voice of Freedom / Sout Al Horeya / صوت الحريه Amir Eid and Hany Adel Singing Hawary On Guitar Sherif On Keyboards; with English Lyrics Hadeer & Shereef Marzouk Lyrics
Hello Egypt,
Thank you, again, for your fine example, and your own Song of Freedom.
After joining in with the worldwide celebration and heartfelt accolades towards the people of Egypt for your victorious and peaceful revolution, my optimism eventually became tempered by a more anxious feeling, as I began to contemplate more seriously the question of where the revolution there in Egypt–and the parallel uprisings developing these days throughout the Middle East–might lead that region (and the world).
Will some unprincipled elements of mob mentality co-opt the progressive impetus of the collective “soul’s crying out for freedom”? Or will there be some clear and positive leadership rising up naturally and automatically, to lead the people in the Way of some new enlightened democracy, say for example in the Way of a political consciousness informed by something akin to Plato’s “Idea of the Good”?
Looking for a hint of some source, some germ of “right-guidance” that might be cultivated within the collective consciousness of these various masses suing for freedom–within that same collective soul that is crying out for freedom–I came across a passage from the I-Ching:
On “Inner Truth” (중부 / Jung Bu), Hexagram number 61 (out of 64).
To paraphrase… the passage informs us about the mindset required of those who would lead in such times of conflicting interests; times wherein, from the grass-roots, there might appear a multitude of competing parties–some intractable and difficult to influence:
중 부 (Korean: Chung Bu)
中 孚 (Chinese: Chung Fu) Inner Truth
http://theabysmal.wordpress.com/2006/08/22/i-ching-hexagram-61/
excerpted/paraphrased:
A heart free of prejudices
can be open to the truth. Visible effects
of the invisible force of inner truth
manifest themselves.
Gentleness, forbearance toward inferiors;
joyousness in obeying superiors:
Such conditions create the basis of a mutual confidence
that makes achievement possible.
Ridding oneself of all prejudice,
letting the psyche of the other to
act on one without restraint; one will
establish contact, understand, and open the doors
whereby the force of one’s personality
may influence persons most intractable and difficult.
(Reminds me of Tagmemics: http://climatization.wordpress.com/tagmemics/)
The Chinese character for Truth, here, is a picture of a claw over a fledgling, suggesting a bird hatching an egg. “An egg is hollow. The light-giving power must work to quicken it from outside, but there must be a germ of life within, if life is to be awakened.”
The kind of “truth” implied by this character is an inner truth that engenders reliability, trustworthiness, sure-footedness, and great promise.
So on the matter of this period of Revolution,
In these dangerous times of transition, let us pray for a right guidance to rule the day.
In that sense, we should be glad for President Obama’s speech, even though some may rightly decry the hypocrisy of the President of “Shock and Awe War-on-Terror” America lauding such values as the Dignity of Humanity. I am glad that the President was audacious enough to seize the moment and highlight (particularly for the sake of future protests) the Dignity of Humanity that can never be taken away from those who, through non-violence moreover, championed the cause of freedom, there in Egypt.
I am glad that he was astute enough to speak (not for America only, but for humanity) and deliberately claim and frame that pivotal historical moment in such terms as “something in the soul that cries out for freedom”–describing nonviolence as “soul force,” as “moral force that bent the arc of history towards justice once more.”
All the same, I am anxious about whether or not this generation is ready to recognize the responsibility that comes with the privilege and the universal rights afforded by this hard-earned Freedom. Some seem optimistic enough in the expectation that “extreme fundamentalism will be restrained by the power of the people.” I want to join in with such optimism and add to that scenario the hope that, together with avoiding extreme fundamentalism, the global conflagration currently demanding freedom will also not be co-opted by and degenerate into excessive license.
Insomuch as the thirst for freedom really does find its origin somewhere in the “soul” of humanity, the purpose of humanity’s search for freedom is to accomplish the purpose of creation.
As man’s volition for the restoration of freedom is cultivated, he naturally seeks to create the social circumstances in which he can realize freedom. Social revolution is unavoidable when the circumstances of the age cannot satisfy the desires of the men belonging to the age. The French Revolution in the 18th century is a representative example. Revolution will continue until the freedom of the original nature of creation is restored completely.
Excerpted from The Significance of Freedom Seen from the Viewpoint of the Principle
http://www. unification.net/dp73-1-2.html#5.1
To accomplish the highest purpose of freedom (i.e. the fulfillment of the original nature and purpose of creation), we have to establish contact, understand, and open the doors whereby individually and collectively the visible effects of the invisible force of inner truth might manifest themselves through us and the through the body politic (national, global, universal).
In the beginning was The Word, The Logos, The Idea of the Good, The Ideal of Creation, The Original Principle (governing Natural as well as Social Law); The Cause, The Reason, The Aspiration that seeks (through Freedom) The Consummation of Human History, through the exercise of our free will and free action, through our own volition.
Here, I am reminded a passage from Gandhi’s “All Men Are Brothers” :
There is a stage in life when a man does not need even to proclaim his thoughts, much less show them by outward action. Mere thoughts act. They attain that power. Then it can be said of him that his seeming inaction constitutes his action… My striving is in that direction. — Harijan, October 26, 1947 (Chapter “Autobiographical” quote number 149).
I am hopeful. I do not see as a guaranteed done-deal this current transformation being automatically completed (into nations and eventually a world of true Freedom and Happiness). There is promise in the air, but promise is no guarantee. Our volition is Key, and the multiplication, the popularization of good volition (Benevolence).
1. THE PHENOMENON OF THE RESTORATION OF THE FIRST BLESSING
… The spiritual standard of fallen men is being restored. As stated above, a man of perfection becomes one body with God in heart-and-zeal, so that man and God become able to communicate with each other fully and freely…
Today man’s heart-and-zeal has reached the highest level, where people are in search of the original mind’s freedom even at the risk of their lives…
[Dignity], the original value of fallen men, which was endowed at the creation, is being restored… The original value of men, horizontally observed, is that of equality between people, and this may not appear so precious. But when vertically observed, centered on God, each and every individual bears the most august, macrocosmic value. Men lost their original value because of the fall. In the present age, however, the democratic ideology has reached its culmination, and men have come to pursue the original value of individuality endowed at the creation. This may be seen in the liberation of slaves, liberation of minority groups and liberation of the minor powers, together with the demand for human dignity, equality between the sexes and equality among all people…
Fourth, the original love endowed at the creation is being restored. In the world in which God’s ideal of creation is fulfilled, the people of this world, all having formed one body vertically with God, will naturally form one body horizontally with one another… Due to the fall, man’s vertical love with God was cut off, thus causing the severance of the horizontal love among people; and so human history has been woven with struggles. Today, however, since humanitarianism is reaching its culmination, men are increasingly in pursuit of the original love.
http://www.unification.net/dp73/dp73-1-3.html#4.1
.
I believe we are headed in this direction. I am optimistic, but realize that we must be vigilant. Whether we make it or not depends on how many people in this generation are willing to build and use their own good Karma as an investment against the proportion of this generation that is generating and multiplying bad Karma and dis-ease, though self-centered ways and means that violate the trust that inner truth would help us establish.
… In the beginning was The Word, The Logos, The Idea of the Good, The Ideal of Creation, The Original Principle (governing Natural as well as Social Law); The Cause, The Reason… The Aspiration that seeks (through Freedom) The Consummation of Human History–through the exercise of our free will and free action, through our own volition.
