Gaia: Knights & Maidens of the Roundtable - Politics - True Leadership

Re: True Leadership

http://singerseeker.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:03:05 GMT

thanks for the link, andrew, I hadn't seen that, very good.

Re: Gross National Happiness

http://keithb7862.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 13:44:51 GMT

LOL! Not sure about "givin' 'er" on this site, but I thank you Andrew. Do check, though. If memory serves me, I believe Canada's Head of State is still Queen Elizabeth II who's been on the throne since around 1957 or so.

Charles is not all that popular, I believe, but has increased in stature very slowly over the yeas following the death of his beloved Princess. I certainly like some of his ideas, such as insisting on organic farming techniques.

Now, your Prince William . . . talk about a new paradigm when he should take the throne!!! Wow! Janos may be in the best position to offer comment on the British royal family, I believe.

Under the Commonwealth of Nations system, Queen Elizabeth II is nominally head of over 50 nations. This doesn't mean the British Crown "rules" these independent nations. They're merely "linked" as friends, not unlike links we share here on Gaia. This is actually a great discussion to have on this thread.

Re: Gross National Happiness

http://andrewmarkmusic.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:47:50 GMT

i wish canada had a king like that instead of the mean spirited tyrants that we've been stuck with for 20 years!

good to hear that your still givin' 'er on this site keith.....

Re: True Leadership

http://keithb7862.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:27:24 GMT

Actually I did too. Quite logical. Quick, decisive. Of course, there will always be those who want to resist.

Re: True Leadership

http://andrewmarkmusic.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 03:59:38 GMT

i thought moore was being reasonable here....

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/message/

Re: True Leadership

http://keithb7862.gaia.com — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:58:22 GMT

I concur Janos. A perfect example of your point is health care. In the US the majority of health delivery is via for-profit entities. When "money" becomes a factor, the motivation changes. We now have huge, huge corporate insurance companies doing everything in their power to demand as much as they can from their customers in the form of insurance premiums, while simultaneously doing everything in their power to cut back paying or covering services and even denying care to those who may need it the most. All this so they can turn a profit and meet or exceed Wall Street expectations.

This is . . . idiocy! Yes, this model actually works quite well when applied to tooth paste or hair spray. But not to human beings!!!!! You don't go out of your way to dig up some lame excuse to cancel much-needed insurance coverage after six or seven years when all of a sudden the person is now diagnosed with cancer or needs an organ transplant in order to live!

And the same with our water, a natural resource, an absolute necessity for survival. In today's society electricity to run our homes might fall in the same category, a necessity of life. The same argument could be made for our air waves, or communication in general. I don't know about the rest of the world, but in the US we pay a pretty penny for cable television, Internet and phone service each month. And any attempt to bring in competition to lower prices is shot down.

So, are we talking socialism here? The huge bug-a-boo word that has such a bad rap? Or are we referring back to the Iroquois Nation? Our native peoples held everything in common. Perhaps a compromise between the two, where there is private property, but the remainder is public and held communally.

Our economic system today, BTW, is being held together by band-aids and bubble gum, nothing more. Any sudden shock, such as a great natural disaster or casualty, will send our markets over the edge. We are very, very fragile at the moment. It's conversations like this that may become necessary, should the worst-case scenario become reality.

Re: True Leadership

http://singerseeker.gaia.com — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 23:34:40 GMT

Sheeple is well-attested on the net - see
Sheeple
Urban Dictionary: sheeple
xkcd

You make some good points about Obama. The changes that are needed are so huge, though, I don't know if they could be achieved within 4 to 8 years.

Love,

Nicole

Re: True Leadership

http://goodworld.gaia.com — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 22:24:49 GMT

What a great thread! My only source of sadness is that so many participants are "no longer around".
Christine left some months ago driven by impatience with "just talking". But she did leave the warning about expecting too much from leaders whom the system is allowing to lead. I assume she made a play on word sounds: "people"--> "sheeple" (from sheep-like people).
I agree, we should not take too much comfort and go to sleep again thinking that at last we have a true leader that is fit to fight our battle.
I agree that the "Obama phenomenon" represents a unique possibility for change, but it is the people wo voted him in rather than those who allowed him to be voted in will need to make the desired changes by clearly demanding them. But we, the people, need to know what are the real changes we need to demand. And that needs some hard digging to the roots of what is rightly called "systemic evil".
My "digging" convinces me that the benefits of two fundamental monopolies need to be taken from the control of modern-day robber barons.
Those two monopolies are,

1) private control over natural resources (including land, in terms of living an working space);
2) the private control by the banks and the FED (in the US) over the currency of a nation.

Obama's greatest test and challenge is the second one: Who creates the nation's money stock and how it gets into the economy?
The people who voted for him must support him by demanding the democratisation of the money system.

What is possible and what may happen (if enough people do not wake up).

Gross National Happiness

http://keithb7862.gaia.com — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:55:38 GMT

This may not be the correct place to post this, but it's as good a place as any to point out . . . Gross National Happiness . . .

But the small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan has been trying out a different idea.
In 1972, concerned about the problems afflicting other developing countries that focused only on economic growth, Bhutan's newly crowned leader, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, decided to make his nation's priority not its G.D.P. but its G.N.H., or gross national happiness.

The official government web site is here. A site promoting Gross International Happiness is here. The Coronation address of H.M. King Khesar of Bhutan, recently crowned, is here.

Re: True Leadership

Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:53:42 GMT

Obama is the chosen ONE.

Chosen by Chase, HSBC, Exxon, Haliburton, the Queen and the Pope. And let's not forget Oprah.

They're no dummies. They know that the sheeple yearn for a true leader (like Hitler) to admire and follow in tough times like now.

Re: True Leadership

http://jlz.gaia.com — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 20:20:29 GMT

To be an Altruist BEYOND contemporary procecural and propositional knowledge bases .....yet grounded as clay and free as the wind.

Re: True Leadership

http://jlz.gaia.com — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 19:59:58 GMT

Well done Alan... you predicted Barak Obama in Power +- one year prior to the actual event ...

... I better watch the matrix again ... so you can do some more forcasting...lol

Nzira

Re: True Leadership

http://songofstorms.gaia.com — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 03:45:59 GMT

The fundamental essence of true leadership is service. Leadership in it's purest form comes from the understanding that everything is one, and that all people are essentially one. (I'd say when the royal "we" was pure, it was a pronoun based out of this understanding.) It's not a boon to be a leader, in a sense it's a sacrifice that paradoxically leads to a higher existance, a higher joy. But the base of this joy even can be found in a simple song: "love is something that you give it away, give it away, give it away-- oh, love is something that you give it away, you end up having more..." Or another song: "in the end, the love you make is equal to the love you take." The true leader makes his love in order to take more, in order to take that love and send it back out to the community. A leader is he or she that gives and gives only, thoughtlessly, automatically. As to "Why not just live my life," that's a fine way to live, and a true leader's role is to allow that person to live that way, happily. But if the world is yet in a phase of existance where that person's continued happiness would be threatened by inaction, then it's the true leader's calling in a sense to find action and take it, so that those who prefer to hear and see no evil won't see or hear evil unintentionally, by ignorinig the reasons causes and realities of that which we, in our misunderstanding, label as evil. Kind of like being a janitor but one thousand times as complex. : ) Barak Obama is the only qualified cantidate possible of true leadership because he was the only one that was urged to run and thought about it, as far as I know. The rest of them desire leadership and only a fool would understand true leadership and desire it. It's the wise fool who finds it at his doorstep, like Obama and his presidential bid, and joyously excepts what is in some senses grave responsibility. The responsibility in essense is the fact that due to the ammount of effect a true leader's actions can have-- any action-- a true leader must stay acting out of the grand design and his highest selves, at all times, in all situations, or strive to. Which is why none of us liked that video of Edwards doing his hair-- instinctually, we understand that small-scale vanity and true leadership are not compatable. Because, as in the movie Akira, when anyone recieves large amounts of what they percieve to be "power," they misuse it, because they fail to understand that there is no such thing as power, only service.

Re: True Leadership

http://jlz.gaia.com — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 12:25:09 GMT

Sept 7th --- Now December 10th

Last Night I Re-Watched the Matrix ... great fun... the fact that we are all Duracell batteries until we unplug ... C'me on peoples are you all voting labour, Tori or Zanu I dunno

... IM VOTING that once we have 144 "ACTIVE" Knights & Maidens then this Planet can Change. Till then your life & opinion & action is F U T I L E

its all written on the sands of Dune ..

ºjlz

Re: True Leadership

http://jlz.gaia.com — Fri, 07 Sep 2007 12:29:27 GMT

My views today on true Leadership, from the heart.

When I post, know that it comes from a source of an impetious abstract integrity .... in other-words, I'm considered a bit querky....

I have nothing to say as of yet, other than if you take me out of my enviornment, say, like in the "lord of the flies" .... I will hide away & leave you all to it... and that IS a QUOTE !

In the film 'the matrix' I KNOW I am not NEO or TRINITY .. I missed that "romantic potential" 10 years ago...as with most of you.. I feel like the key-maker trapped in some evil french guys dimension.... if you remember the film.

Expression ... I love re-visiting my posts to view how immature, and scatty I was
... Thats humility.

lite ºjlz jlz.zaadz.com/blog
I just re-vampt my dragon-fly story ... to cre8 a smile in everyones minds eye.

Re: True Leadership

http://katrinamae.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:50:01 GMT

I don't know if you read my big, long post at the beginning, but I spoke of "trimtabs" and that concept was brought to me through a course called Avatar, which I'm sure you would find interesting because it does just what you're suggesting - it reveals layers of old beliefs and ideas that you hold on to without being fully aware of them. It does this through a series of simple question-answer exercises, readings, and physical and mental exercises, such as a mindful walk of forgiveness. I've only just begun the course within the last month or so, and you're right - it is hard for people to come to terms with what holds them back from doing what they wish (such as getting out and volunteering, changing their career, etc). It was hard for me at first to discover within myself so many insecurities and contradicitons, but it is liberating to see myself clearly at last so that I can "deliberately create" helpful, fulfilling beliefs and actions. If you're interested, anyone let me know, and I can connect you with someone who teaches it. It really gets you in touch with your true feelings, aware of your intuition, and in charge of your thoughts. The more people we have that see that clearly, the more compassionate, active people we have to enact substantial change, you know?

Re: True Leadership

http://katrinamae.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:37:48 GMT

Oh no, Chrysallis, only I am capable of offending me - by allowing someone's words to affect me. I am in control of my feelings a bit more than to let one comment rattle my cage! ;) Thanks, though, and like I said before, your passion coupled with good knowledge (and knowledge of good, haha) is wonderful.

Re: True Leadership

http://katrinamae.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 04:30:28 GMT

We're on exactly the same page, there Chrysallis, that's what I'm saying, is that some people are "addicted" (for lack of a better word) or "need" to help others, and that just perpetuates sickness or dependency, where as if we took the approach you speak of, the Buddhist view of guiding people out of their suffering and knowing when to leave them to thier own capabilities, it would foster autonomy among the people who were suffering.

(Just as an aside, I support naturopathic doctors because they don't just focus on healing sickness, they help their patient prevent sickness and live at their highest physical level with the use of natural medicine - eating correctly, getting vitamins and hebs, moderation. They would definitely be happy and still make money doing what they love if they had no sick patients!)

Re: True Leadership

http://sunight.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 02:41:25 GMT

To follow up on Curmudgeon's last post, education and modeling the behaviors and attitudes we would like to experience from others (remember, the Golden Rule...) and see in the world, can go a long way to helping others make changes in their lives. As we know, having ideas crammed down our throats doesn't set well, and others (think globally, or for that matter the 'missionary style' that has imposed so much on generations of folks worldwide) don't like it either. The changes come from the grass roots, the folks seeing that they are respected and have an answer for their own problems, with a little education...

Some of the things I do to be an example for change is comment whenever I get a chance about my participation in the local community supported agriculture (CSA), being mindful of preparing healthy food for potlucks (i.e., for others), and cooking my food whenever possible in my solar oven. The one I bought was produced to allay smoke pollution in third world countries, to reduce time used searching for fuels, and provide an inexpensive and easy way to cook food, using recycled materials. I love to tell folks I prepared my dish in my solar oven! (I'm currently living in a 55+ RV community where most folks living here in the summer are permanent, and most of them over the age of 70. So while it may be a challenge for them to implement changes in their life, I present it just the same.)

Re: True Leadership

http://keithb7862.gaia.com — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 00:45:29 GMT

I am speechless . . . I stand amazed and in wonderment.

Mere words cannot possibly describe how in awe I am . . . of all of you.

Yes, you did ruffle some feathers, but kissed and made up . . . got off focus, but brought the thread back.

The ideas!!!!! The direction!!!! This pod is but three days old and you have already bounced things around and even come up with a "new" blueprint . . . taken from an "old" blueprint . . . which is beautiful.

I honor you all . . . each of you.

Thank you. Thank you for honoring one another and for practicing that which we desire to create . . . right here . . . now . . .