I'm sad as hell and I'm not going to fake it any more.

I think I've been in some stage of grief or another for the last two years. Since the results of Election Day 2002 came rolling in, it's been hard not to feel like a designated mourner for the nation. Activism had kept me busy up to that point. But since the loss of Paul Wellstone, the continuous stream of stories of humans picking off or blowing up other humans, and the prospect of an impending war with Iraq, I've been allowing my sadness its due.

The strength of the oppressive glass ceiling, at a time when the balance of women's voices and values is sorely needed, has helped to keep the tears flowing, as has the prospect of more damaging legislation and judicial appointments. Then there's the fact that more than 60 percent of voters opted out of their right to weigh in on their future at all. Now that's sad. Major escapism has been looking better and better as an alternative to major depression. Pass me some medical marijuana and turn on the tube. Send in the clowns.

Who can blame the silent majority for escaping into whatever avoidance of reality they prefer? Reality sucks at the moment. The fear factor is palpable. There is a lack of true leadership, creativity, wisdom, and hope for the future. Besides, there are so many choices for distraction. Scores of channels on TV, hundreds of movies and video games on the shelves, thousands of Web sites just a touch away. Sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll. Shopping, gambling, eating, dieting. Name your poison. As Aldous Huxley once wrote, "We have made the ceiling of yesterday's desire the floor of today's expectations." In this country, we've had decades of this stacked on top of each other. But how high a tower can desire build before it becomes weakened and vulnerable?

In his book Amusing Ourselves to Death, critic, writer, and educator Neil Postman compares Huxley's vision of the future society in Brave New World, with that of Orwell's 1984. "Orwell warns that we will be overcome by an externally imposed oppression. But in Huxley's vision, no Big Brother is required to deprive people of their autonomy, maturity and history. As he saw it, people will come to love their oppression, to adore the technologies that undo their capacities to think . . . In short, Orwell feared that what we hate will ruin us, Huxley feared that what we love will ruin us."

Both prospects are worth considering at present, as well as a middle path, since the other options are roads to ruin. What do we hate? What do we desire? Can we consider hating less, desiring less? The Buddha taught that the causes of suffering are desire (the craving for pleasure, material goods, or immortality) and ignorance (not seeing the world as it actually is). Both lead to greed, envy, hatred and anger. In Buddhist practice, emphasis is placed on just noticing whatever thoughts or feelings arise in an individual while trying not to attach to any of them -- just noticing.

Desire and ignorance are alive and well in the USA. The average American receives at least 1500 dollops of desire a day through advertising. A vast majority of us get our news from television. Many spend more time in the virtual world of media use than in the real world of human interaction, so questions of what we know and how we know what we know are vital. Most of the communication outlets in the world are owned by six multinational corporations. Despite the abundance of options, the subject of mainstream media is somewhat standard issue and driven by the same economic concerns. So who can blame us for our desire and ignorance?

Unfortunately, I think the rest of the world can and does blame us. While many admire democracy, the original intent of this nation, and the ideals of liberty and justice for all, many outside our boundaries are also repulsed by what we have done -- or not done -- with the precious freedoms of our birthright. They are repulsed by our ignorance of both other countries and the US role in the world beyond our borders, particularly those instances that belie our founding values and principles. A recent Oprah show focused on the perception of Americans around the world. It was not a pretty picture. While the respondents often distinguished between the American people and American government, there also seemed to be a disappointment that the two aren't more connected. I share the disappointment.

So what's a concerned American to do at this point, if not to escape into distraction? Perhaps we can start by doing something small. Asked what Americans could do to help create a better world, the Dalai Lama once replied, "Eat less." We could start there. With 64 percent of us qualifying as obese, it seems the perfect place to practice the less-is-more theory and the sharing of limited resources. Gandhi once advised, "If you hate injustice, tyranny, lust and greed, hate those things in yourself." I'd suggest the Buddhist approach instead. Just start taking notice of the injustice, tyranny, lust, and greed within. Practice bringing it into awareness. Not attaching to it. Letting it go.

I think we'd do well listening more and talking less, too. I once read that we were given two ears and one mouth so we could listen twice as much as we talk. We could listen to those around the world and to those who have been there. Only 20 percent of Americans hold passports, so not a lot of us are venturing beyond our borders very often. That means we get most of our knowledge about the Others from the media, which does not always present the world in a realistic fashion. We could listen to alternative voices trying to break through the clamor and confusion of mainstream messages. Michael Moore's movie Bowling for Columbine and Bill Moyer's show Now are current examples. There are loads of sources of alternative views on the Internet.

The UN Development Programme recently estimated it would take about $40 billion a year to provide clean water, sanitation, basic health, nutrition, education, and reproductive health care to every poor person on Earth. That's less than a quarter of last year's tax cut. Instead of just bombing everyone who we consider evil or in our way, perhaps we can start discussing the ramifications of helping instead of hurting, of healing instead of killing. It's our money. How do you want it spent? Could we try out one new pilot program somewhere?

If it's true that today's Democrats and Republicans are virtually indistinguishable from each other, perhaps it's time to move the national conversation beyond two-party politics and into the two major systems at work here. Democracy and capitalism have always been somewhat strange bedfellows, and leaders throughout our history have warned us to remain vigilant so that an economic system controlled by private individuals and corporations doesn't overpower our system of government. Some have even asserted that we can have a democratic society or the concentration of great wealth in the hands of a few, but not both. If there's a way to pull it off gracefully, let's look into it.

Jump in wherever you want. Just do it. Individually, locally or globally -- there's plenty of fun for everyone. The key word is fun. I'm sure it can be. I'll be working on that, and will report back. In the meantime, take care of yourself. Eat less (except you anorexics, you need to eat more!). And thanks for listening. I feel better already.

Pam Steager can be reached at pjsteager@earthlink.net.

Issue Date: November 15 - 21, 2002