written 2 November, 2025
published 9 November, 2025
My father was antifa (anti-fascist) years before my birth. He was one of 50 million Americans trained and armed to fight against the previous malignant narcissistic authoritarian, who was then stomping around the globe. They were victorious. While my father survived the war and procreated our family, he died from consequences of his fight 10 years later, and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery. He would be sad to see authoritarianism now waving the American flag.
But capitalism and fascism share the same illusion of exclusive gain and control. Hitler rose to power in 1933, and many US companies profited doing business with him, ignoring the morality of his social activities. Even after Pearl Harbor, a few still did business in Germany.
Exclusive gain is an illusion because the world is fundamentally whole. It is significant that every spiritual tradition on the planet has some form of the Golden Rule: do unto others as you would have done unto you. This is not about morality, but describes the appropriate actions to take in a unity reality.
The quantum mechanics of western science has come to the same conclusion, understanding material reality is not just particles, but has a wave form manifesting from energetic unity. This is validated by technologies like nuclear weapons, computers, and solar panels.
Since everything is constantly arising from the same energy field, how I treat the so-called other, affects me as well. The pursuit of exclusive gain requires ignoring that fundamental unity. The resulting adverse impact eventually corrodes the entire society.
In our country, the stock market reaches new heights each week, but most of the value accrues to the few at the very top. Meanwhile, more people are out of work or underpaid, food and energy prices are rising, and health care is becoming unaffordable, if it even exists. When essentials become more expensive, all other consumption decreases, and the economy becomes unstable. This is further driven by the changing global energy and climate realities.
At the individual level, the illusion of exclusivity is the foundation of our ego. The stronger the ego, the more detached we become, disconnecting from others, our community, and the natural world we depend upon. This has been a human challenge for thousands of years, having the inertia of a life time of programming from families, cultures, and religions.
We can see a cautionary example at the very top of the federal government, a man driven so exclusively by his ego, moment to moment, that he has no constancy, no enduring commitment to an ideal or any other person or group, taking credit for everything, but responsibility for nothing. The destructive consequences are already apparent, and are growing worse with time.
Hitler died when he was 56, still physically and mentally in his prime. But he was so identified with his ego, that he believed his personal defeat should be reflected in the whole country. Shortly before he killed himself, he ordered his generals to destroy all the remaining civil infrastructure, essentially killing what was left of Germany. His generals, motivated by compassion for the future of their people, disobeyed.
Our leader is older, nowhere near good physical or mental health. In his deterioration, rather than accepting his failure, he might also decide to destroy the country. Unfortunately, technology has advanced, and he has unimaginable destructive power at his disposal. Perhaps our military leaders will have enough compassion to avoid this fate.
Despite our efforts and desires, we can't insure a positive outcome on the national scale. But in unity, we are each a reflection of our leader, affected by our personal ego. Although this disconnects us from the larger reality, each individual has the power to choose how to respond in every moment. For however much time we might have left, we can choose to follow a different path. By choosing to intentionally practice kindness, compassion, and respect, we cultivate a conscious connection to not only other people, but to all living beings, even the inanimate physical world.
Despite the apparent chaos we see today, there is an evolution of human consciousness already in process, as people increasingly experience the wholeness of reality. As more people know this, experience this, and align their lives to practice this, the world changes. It may be easier for some than others, but we can all do this. Without such a cultural change, nothing else really matters.
