Appendix 2:

Essay on the 2008 American Election

     On November 5th, 2008, I was landing at London Heathrow when it was announced that Barack Obama had won the presidential election in the United States. Soon after, I drafted this letter which, in my attempt to be a conscious, engaged activist, I sent around the internet.

     “Barack Obama is now the 44th president of The United States. I am deeply happy and relieved about this, for he is the first truly elected president we have had in over eight years. Still, I do not want to gloat or be so carried away in my joy that I forget what made this all possible for us in America. We all co-created this election. We dreamed a truly American dream; that it is possible to have a person of high integrity, intelligence, and energy as our next president. Barack Obama manifested as the personification of that dream. And, it became so.
      Now what? After the celebrations, the tears and cheers, the balls and cocktail parties, do we stop there? Can we now return to our lives and be once more complacent and go back to sleep, nestled in the security that all will be – once again – right with the world?

     When I wrote my book, The Buddha at War, one of the reasons why I was turned down by several American publishers is that they did not think that Buddhists and spiritually inclined readers were all that caught up in politics. They argued with me and my agent that when John Kerry was to become president, all the political hoo-ha would die down and the Buddhists and other spiritually distressed people would go back to their cushions, their mantras or whatever bliss bubble they lived in.
     Well, Kerry won. It did not matter because the election was stolen right before us and four more years of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney inspired a number of Buddhist and other spiritual leaders and writers to start writing about activism and political engagement. There was now a chorus, both spiritual and secular from all segments of society, telling us that we were not allowed to go back to sleep. We had to stay awake. And – to my mind – the sum total of this call to awaken and to action is what we are living today.
     In that regard, we have to thank George W. Bush and his administration. Disaster has always been mankind’s best teacher and the American administration under Bush’s leadership sufficiently highlighted the failing and follies of ignorance, greed, and aggression run amuck over the geo-political, monetary and environmental landscapes. We are now teetering on the brink of the collapse of civilization as we know it and it was in the clarity of the adrenalin rush that made us gather our wits, that we decided to finally act and do something about it. We should all rejoice in this.
     The American dream as conceived by our founding mothers and fathers was founded on the notion that life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness was possible only if we educated ourselves about our world and took action on the knowledge gleaned. Only then could democracy truly benefitting all not tailspin into despotism. But, even in those early days of our republic, there were those who wanted to fashion themselves in the image of the ruling elites of Europe. They did not want democracy. They had just won a continent and wanted to capitalize on its riches. For them, education was problematic. Power mongers – budding tyrants – can only rule if fear bred from ignorance is encouraged to flourish. The Founding Fathers knew of such men and formed the constitution so as to make their ascent less likely. And, for over 200 years, the power mongers and those of selfish ambition have worked their hardest to overcome every possible barrier to their ascent – which brings us to what many of us hope is the pinnacle of their ascent in the manifestation of the Bush administration.
     As we co-created Barack Obama, we must also accept the responsibility in co-creating George W. Bush and Dick Cheney. Over the past 200 years, by focusing more on material acquisition as the hallmark of success and the most significant contributor to happiness, we began to lose our connection to the land, our innate sensitivity to each other, and the inner fortitude and outer strength that is necessary to forge our reality with our own hands. We may have abolished slavery, but spawned carpetbaggers, war-profiteers, drunken corporate moguls, greed-driven corporate outsourcing and foreign policies supporting tyrants around the world, and have thus both wittingly and unwittingly built our lives on the backs of millions who still wallow in less-than-subsistence reality. Sickness, poverty, and warfare are the natural by-products of our lack of attentiveness to the source and suffering bringing us our material comfort. Thus, it is only logical that we would fashion an administration single-mindedly focused on giving us exactly what we wanted.
     In the chaos and destruction of our times and in witnessing an ever-growing chasm between the haves and have-nots of this world, we have awoken. And in this election, we have brought about the single most significant event in the possible creation of true democracy on this planet. The physical manifestation of these efforts is Barack Obama.
And so to Mr. Obama I want to say, “Welcome.” We are so happy that you are here. And, you are right. This is as much about us as it is about you. So, I want you to know that we are watching. But, more than just watching, we are with you and will continue to be with you whether you like it or not. For we cannot afford to fall asleep once again. You have been given a bankrupt country in the midst of war and the threats of terrorism and environmental collapse. You need us every bit as much as we need you. We need you, not as an answer, but as a beacon, and the degree to which you shine brightly and inspire more to join the great awakening to the tasks at hand, is the degree to which the American dream and the possibility that it promises is being lived out in intention and action by all of us.
And to Mr. Bush we say, “Thank you.” You and your secretive administration have slapped us out of our complacency and reminded us of what our Founding Fathers wanted for us. Unwittingly you have re-awoken us to dream of America. In that awakening of heart, mind, and hand we shall be vigilant and intent on co-creating that dream with the Obama administration.

     President-elect Obama, we look forward to working with you for the next 4 or 8 years. We don’t expect things to get better by going back to the way things were when we were more asleep. The world cannot afford this. And indeed, to climb a different hill or to get out of the gully that we find ourselves in at this time will not be easy. But, we do have the resilience. We do have the “Yes We Can” genes of the American spirit. It might not mean that it looks all that rosy for us, but there are future generations to think of – our children and children’s children. None of us can be so selfish as give up on our or their world anymore.
     Mr. Obama, stay healthy. Stay clear. Stay focused on boldly acting for the benefit of all with the mandate we have handed you.
     And remember. We are watching. And we shall continue to watch, not only you, but all who follow in your footsteps for years to come.

I Remain,

     Robert Sachs”