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07.06.2012 Feature Article

June 04 Dagger, Drama and Drums

June 04 Dagger, Drama and Drums
07.06.2012 LISTEN

June 04 arrived 33 years ago with the gun and dagger of the juniors to hold the seniors to account. A new dispensation within the social fabric began and its flames continue with question marks at the Revolution Square. The drums beat from the tidal waves of Aflao to the forests of Atebubu with the drama of divergent electoral views in their crescendos. The Swedru declaration has finally settled the Professor at the helm of affairs; but in continuous denigration. The drums of Aflao intone the tragedy of probity and accountability falling into the ditch under the watch of the Swedru declaration. The Atebubu drumbeats reply original ownership of, and confirm the good health of probity and accountability. As observers sway in pendulum fashion to the drama of the reversing drumbeats, the drums of Swedru choose to remain silent. Occasional voices from Swedru however lament the unrelenting tirades. Some wonder why the tirades are not apologetic lamentations for the Swedru declaration that was made when it was made. The harmonizing agent to produce the music that moves everybody can only be found outside regular politics and in the inner realms of the human psyche.

The corruption that invited the revolution continues its stubborn existence with sleepless nights of off-beat cacophony. Selfishness and greed coupled with high-rise flames of ego, fanned by the oxygen of fear, drive those in authority to loot state property in utter lawlessness. The custodians of the law forsake the interests of the unknown fisherman and farmer, and assign looted booties to political misfits, under the cover of verbose legalese, in parrot fashion from the courtrooms, while sentencing goat and plantain thieves to several years of hard labour in prisons. What can one expect in the future if the street children of today are left to fend for themselves while the priority of leaders is deceptions and thievery? What moral legacy are the self-seeking leaders bequeathing to the youth? This issue of the fear of the future must be addressed by the individual as well as society in seeking solutions to problems militating against progress and social cohesion.

Leadership is always the key to human evolutionary progress. Ethical living with high spiritual principles is an absolute necessity for all humanity. Leadership is conferred for service. It is an empowerment with authority to execute tasks for the benefit of society. Authority goes with responsibility and accountability. Circumstances in Nature seem to come together, one way or the other, to confer leadership and Nature has an inbuilt system for demanding accountability. Nobody has the wits to outsmart Nature. The leader who lords it over people under him usurps the power of his boss; Nature. Nature tends to pay us back in our own coins; we reap what we sow. Leaders can be given promotion for good performance or demoted by Nature. The time frame within which this happens may not be evident and this may delude some to think they can cheat and get away with it. Human jurisprudence may be subverted for personal gain in flimsy freedom but this is only a temporary postponement of the retribution that will surely come. The law of balance in the universe works with exacting precision; for progress or retrogression.

As we climb the leadership ladder, we cannot safely set aside Morality, Ethics, Philosophy and Spirituality. We can elect to set them aside but at our own risk of embarrassing downfalls. Religion is also one route but we need to recognize that it has an inner dimension as well as an outer dimension. The inner dimension leads to self realization and the outer dimension is about social norms and peculiarities. The inner dimension is the esoteric side of Religion, also known as Mysticism, and the outer dimension is the exoteric side. Too much focus on the outer dimension leads to the mistaken installation of immoral people as religious elders with frustration and disappointment visited on congregations. Mysticism encourages meditation on ethical principles for inner enlightenment that leads ultimately to the knowledge of all that can be known.

We do not fear what we can clearly see and understand in its totality. It is said that knowledge is power; power over fear also. As knowledge and awareness increase, fear reduces. It is also said that perfect love casts out all fear. Love and fear would seem to move in opposite directions. Self preservation instincts are deeply buried in our psyche. We seek to match and reconcile our actions to our principles and belief systems as we mature. Observed variances cause distortions in our nature that may result in anger or self pity. Both need to be properly analyzed and managed with the appropriate inner conflict resolution tools and resources. Leaders in various fields must one day become chelas in Mysticism to master their own selves.

As we seek greater understanding, clarity and awareness, we also drive out fear. To see what lies in our innermost selves, including our hidden fears, we need to invert our attention and look within ourselves. We need to see with the inner light; we need to be literally enlightened within. Anybody who has ever recounted a dream should also ask what light he used to see with, while his body was asleep with closed eyes. We should not doubt our ability to see within ourselves when we consciously close our eyes to look inside. This is the journey into Mysticism. It is the path of the quiet revolutionary who lights the perpetual flame within himself and listens to the five drumbeats of words within (ref. Matthew 6:22 and 1 Corinthians 14:19). The youth who see the value of the June 04 revolution have a good foundation (probity and accountability) and may build upon it with Mysticism when old age or maturity sets in.

A pointer to an exalted view of life was given to us in mystic poetry by Sant Darshan Singh Ji Maharaj as follows:-

“Let this world become a temple of love and peace.
Let love and Truth illumine the world, and the adversaries of peace awaken to its Light.

This sacred land of God has been trampled with the burden of oppression.

Life is not a dagger stained with the blood of hatred;

It is a branch filled with the flowers of love and compassion.

Life itself is restless for peace in the world.
Let its noble dream materialize.
May the garden be illumined with wave after wave of Light.

May the wealth of love grow greater and greater and enrich every heart.”

Victor Awayevoo.

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