Bringing greater balance, harmony and stability to government
I had the good fortune to visit the House of European History in Brussels earlier this year. It’s a sweeping overview of the tumults, conflict, rapprochements and cultures that make up what we know of Europe. Never afraid to shy away from the darker side of the continent’s history, and the risks it faces into the future, I was particularly reminded of the fact that Europe has already experienced both ‘extremes’ of the far right and the far left. A significant part of the museum chronicles the rise of fascism and the damage that was done with the Holocaust and the Second World War, as well as the communism that divided Europe across the West and East in the aftermath of that same conflict. It’s obviously not news but the way in which the museum presents both extremes as causing tremendous damage is particularly pertinent to some of the challenges facing Europe right now.
The attraction to extremes threatens each one of us, borne of conflicting viewpoints and the urge to distinguish ourselves differently to others. Confronting opinions that drive extreme actions and behaviour have no place in a world seeking the advancement of humanity as a whole.
We would do well to heed the lessons from other countries and cultures, particularly those of the global east, with the finer points of balance, stability and harmony as a lesson to us all. Whilst China gets a lot of short shrift politically, it is worth exploring the spiritual lessons Asian culture offers us, in it’s prioritisation of balance, stability and harmony. The fiery politics so beloved of European and North American cultures in particularly must be tempered for clear heads and warm hearts to prevail.
That will require work within each one of us as well as our leaders. As leaders in our families and communities we can seek to be the ones to bring peace to our troubled times through our words and actions and the thoughts we hold about ‘the other’, no matter their politics, race, or world view. In polarised times we must ‘be the change we wish to see’ by recognising that bringing greater balance and stability to our everyday surroundings is the call of our times. We have a job to do in strengthening our democracies from the grassroots, recognising that our rights are enshrined in our responsibilities and our own and individual commitments to the social contract too.
And what about our politicians and national leaders? Leadership is first and foremost an obligation to serve others, not oneself. It carries with it both the privilege and the responsibility for other lives and must be practiced with humility and forbearance, putting the greater good of a country and it’s people ahead of self-interest. The challenge we face ahead of us will be for our leaders to come together in that spirit of service and rise above party politics to form coalitions that are visionary and inspire meaningful actions that serve all of humanity, not just narrow interests. Principle, not politics. There must be honesty and accountability in the work needed to be done, and exemplary behaviour in how we carry out public office. There must be a gentle but strong re-alignment with that greater sense of balance and harmony that so many of us are seeking right now.
I welcome the recent mid-term results in the US as a necessary rebalancing of power. And, as France and many other countries go to the polls to elect a new president next year, I am mindful that it is not just individual votes that will count but our willingness as citizens of both our local communities and of the world at large to commit to the work that needs to be done on the ground, not just that of our leaders, and for all of us to have a larger view of humanity as a whole in order that our own individual needs can also be met with the corresponding justice and dignity for all that is the hallmark of truly liberated and democratic societies.