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POLITICS AND RELIGION BELONG TOGETHER.  By Bob Myers.

27/1/2015

2 Comments

 
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We are told to avoid talking about politics and religion. But what we need is more discussion about politics and religion. We are told to keep politics and religion separate. But what we need is a better understanding of why politics and religion belong together.

Politics and religion are two sides of the same coin and one cannot exist without the other. They face different ways but they are bound together by shared values.

The core values of democratic government are freedom, equality and fraternity. These values inspire resistance to domination, injustice and division. The idea is that freedom and fraternity are stabilised by equality. In other words, our lifelong struggle between taking and giving is resolved by sharing.  Many studies around the world show that nearly all social ills, from teenage pregnancies and obesity to criminal activity and terrorism, are linked to inequality. (The Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better, 2010.)

There was no separation of politics and religion for the founders of the major religions. Their religion was their politics and their politics was their religion. They lived their values. Although we claim to follow their example, we have political values that conflict with our religious values and wonder why we have high levels of stress. This is not necessary because all the religions, and our political system, claim to share common fundamental values that could be explored to rectify most social ills.

Politics and the practical side of religion are about the same thing; the relative power people have and how they use it. Politics usually refers to how people gain and use power; religion is usually seen as advocating how people should gain and use power. In that context, separating religion and politics is simply deleting the word ‘should’.

 Our political system is competitive, with individuals and groups seeking to gain and hold ‘power over’ others and, by definition, that means seeking inequality. The founders of the major religions taught about the magic of having civic leaders seeking ‘power with’ others. What we need is for our system to lean more towards the ‘power with’ way of governing, with the aim of reducing inequality and all the social ills linked with it.

 Western society has its roots in the Judean-Christian tradition and so, at least in theory, religion influences our politics in a fundamental way. However, because we live in a multicultural society, legislators have to make laws acceptable to all the religions in the community, not just those from the Judean-Christian tradition.

 Let’s put aside a few things about religion. Start with the beliefs that cannot be proved one way or the other, such as the existence of God and some form of life after death. Also put aside traditions, customs, rituals and rules that define each religion but are not part of the original teachings. We are soon left with the essence of each major religion; free choice, equality and compassion. Different cultures, traditions and customs divide people into various religions but the core forces guiding religion are the same as the core forces guiding democratic societies. This isn’t surprising because, regardless of believing in God’s laws or in nature’s laws, people want freedom, equality and fraternity. 

The stabilising force for peace within, and between, societies is equality. The cooperation and collaboration of people who are different but equal can develop a stable economy. Recognising the equality of differences guides the settlement of conflict in any situation.

The equality of all people is a fundamental value of all the major religions, even though their traditions and culture may stray from expressing that value. Most societies, especially democratic societies, also claim to be based on the principle that all people are equal, and yet all are hierarchically structured and many have a widening gap between rich and poor. It seems that religion and politics have a great deal to discuss in regard to reducing social problems.

We don’t need a new set of values. We need political and religious leaders committed to putting into practice the common values they claim to hold and we need to judge their performance by the effect they have on the gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged.





Photo: Buddhist temple, Malaysia. 


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HOW TO MOTIVATE OTHER PEOPLE, OR YOURSELF.  By Bob Myers.

5/1/2015

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Wanting to achieve some goal is what motivates people but there is far more to motivation than just wanting something. You may find it hard at times ‘to get motivated’ or you may want to help someone else ‘get motivated’. Motivating others applies particularly to parents, teachers, employers, and anyone working with ‘reluctant clients’. But even if you are just trying to persuade someone to do something, motivation requires four things:

  • You must want whatever it is, for whatever reason.
  • You need the knowledge and skills to achieve your goal.
  • You need to believe you can achieve it (self-encouragement).
  • You need the opportunity to achieve it.
                              (From Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness.)

Wanting to achieve the goal is the most important of these four conditions. If you don’t want it, you are not likely to put much effort into achieving it. Your reason for wanting to achieve the goal is the motivating factor. And you must want it so much that you are willing to get whatever knowledge and skills you need to be able to succeed. You also need to believe you can do it, so you look for, or create, opportunities to move closer to your goal.

Self-motivation could include making a plan and putting pressure on yourself to keep to it by sharing the plan with other people. Have a set time frame and, if appropriate, split the plan into steps with a mini celebration or reward for completing each step.

The above four conditions also apply when you attempt to motivate others but the emphasis may initially need to be very different, particularly if the person doesn’t have a goal or is ‘reluctant’ for some reason (perhaps a defiant child or someone on a court order who feels a goal is being imposed). The most important condition is that the other person must want to achieve the goal.  Imposing a goal that you choose is not motivating the person. It has to be that person’s goal and respecting the person’s right to choose is one way of establishing trust.

Love and fear are the great motivators. We seek whatever is thought will bring joy or avoid pain. When someone is reluctant, persuasion may be required as the first step; with the aim of showing there is sufficient reason to choose a goal and try to achieve it. This usually means discussing the benefits to be gained and the harm that can be avoided by seeking a goal. Even after the person accepts ownership of the goal, you may still need to help by discussing how and where to obtain the necessary knowledge and skills, as well as providing encouragement about being capable of succeeding.

The person may also require encouragement to look for, and see, opportunities that become available to advance towards the goal.

Photo: Vietnamese monkey.



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    Author

    Bob Myers owned and operated an electronics sales and service business before gaining a degree in sociology and further training in relationship counselling, conflict resolution and mediation. He worked in that field for more than thirty years, mainly with teenagers and their families. For 16 years he was the director of a non-government residential facility for teenagers. He is the author of three books on parenting as well as :
    Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness.

    Bob is dedicated to nonviolence as a way of life; a founding member of Pace e Bene Australia (PeBA); and a PeBA nonviolence facilitator.

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Travelling the Road of Peace and Happiness is an ebook that helps you learn more about family peace, conflict resolution, self development, relationship building and more.
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