The Eyes of Democracy

See the seeing and the blind, nothing else.

Step One

“If your life or the life of someone you love depended on loving someone you hate, could you love them?”

The anger, fear and hatred so many Americans have for Trump is going to make us weak even sick. So in many ways, our life does depend on loving him but as an enemy of our conscience (suneidesis),¹ for he says and does things that trouble even sear our conscience, especially when it hurts those we love.

This is not a religious discussion. Foremost, it is knowledge on how to do it without the need for faith. It is something we can all learn, even though it is based on part of Jesus’s teaching. We will refer to it as the principle, introduced in the next article, Argument 1: The Democracy of our Conscience (Suneidesis).

Resistance to Change

It does not come natural for us to change and love someone we have been hating or feel like hating, but now is the time for knowledge on learning how to do so. With or without religion, it only takes a conscience (suneidesis)² or the desire to feel it again, as hatred is the absence of a conscience or the lack of awareness of it.

As we know, many of Trump’s followers feel the same way about us for two well-known reasons, abortion and homosexuality. Despite their beliefs, which they have a right to have like us, they do not love us as enemies of their conscience (suneidesis) any more than we love them. We will examine these two issues, but we may never resolve our differences. Therefore, loving one another as enemies of conscience is our best hope of building a bridge over our national suneidesis. However, if we alone love them this way, we can still build it to reach them and resist their actions responsibly.

Our Predicament

To learn this teaching, read the articles below preferably in order. Most of them are relatively short, but this is not a predicament we can just walk away from. Give yourself a couple weeks to think them over. Give your country a couple of weeks. Underlying all of them is the truth that the very concept of democracy is rooted in the human suneidesis, caring for one another, so loving the enemies of conscience strengthens our suneidesis and saves our democracy.

The first hurdle is overcoming our yearning for simple solutions. Yes, there is a simple aspect to this teaching, but we cannot put it into practice without understanding its depths. It is written within the common reasoning we all possess. Although we need to look at the human conscience, there is zero judgment.

Another hurdle is our social taste for writing style over revelatory content. Many of us love exquisite writing, myself included, without really searching for anything new. On the other hand, many of us do not have the formal education to completely break down the writing of ideas, while being quite capable of understanding them. For this reason, everything is written in an attempt to break down ideas for readers, so we can all be on the same page.

The final hurdle is how you may see my approach to writing about the teaching, appearing to some as though I believe that I have mastered all of the subject. We do not listen to a teacher of architecture unless they have mastered the subject, but when it comes to the heart, we face the contradiction of expecting a teacher of the heart to have mastered the subject on some level—but not realize that such mastery may appear as arrogance to the rest of us who have not mastered it.

An Architect

In our analogy of an architect, I, not I but on the shoulders of others, have mastered the subject of building a house of knowledge that is capable of two things. One, it empowers us to love the enemies of conscience (suneidesis), and two, by necessity, it frees us from addictive thinking found in prejudice on all levels, addictive patterns not every thought. It does not empower us to be perfect, and yet, such freedom and the power to love this way gives my writing a level of confidence that may make it appear as though I think I am. Far from it.

While power often corrupts, love and the power of knowledge together humble a person. To teach these though, one must use the confidence derived from them even if it may be misinterpreted as a lack of humility, depending on the culture.

This is especially true when I must speak in spiritual absolutes. For even if they resonate as true in the minds of those of us who live by the relatives of science, they may take it offensively. Likewise, those of us of faith may see my approach as having a lack of faith and too philosophical.

So bear with me when I address the scientific/philosophical community or religious community. I may appear to be an atheist then later a Christian. To avoid confusion, I use the word Name to mean God or Life depending on how the reader chooses to hear it.

I do not share my beliefs to keep the focus off me and on the subject of loving the enemies of conscience, staying neutral, invisible, neither liked nor disliked, like a window. This is facilitated by my remaining anonymous.

Every builder knows that you must put all your focus on the house you are building. We probably differ on some interior and exterior designs, however, this teaching is only about how to build your own house of knowledge—according to true structure. I am talking about the truth of what it means to love the enemies of suneidesis. Only by loving the enemies of conscience can we truly strengthen our suneidesis, giving us the best chance of saving our democracy.

The Teaching

The first five articles introduce details about the principle to remove any doubts about its role in our suneidesis, democracy and construction of the house of knowledge. Discussion 1 reviews these things and presents The Spiritual Story of Democracy. The four other discussions cover the importance of the story to the structure of our house and saving of the spiritual story of our democracy. The seven contributions cover the key issues needing to be resolved or at least better understood so that we can meet on the bridge across our national conscience. Note that Contributions 1 through 7 are not yet finalized, but all of the concluding and additional articles are.

The six concluding articles are a summary and lay out The Practical Guide, the seven rules to loving the enemies of suneidesis. I encourage you to click on it now to see where we are going. But remember, many things are covered to reach that point, so some of it may not be easy to grasp until you go back and take the journey yourself. But know that we are the people of the United States, depending on each other to do our part at this critical moment, to take journeys that hold out the hope of meaningful success.

A mature people are not hindered by those who reject this teaching without laying out their reasons publicly, so read the comments after each article to see how such reasons are answered, starting with the comments of this article below.

Index of Articles

Argument 1: The Democracy of our Conscience (Suneidesis)

Argument 2: Establishing the Principle

Argument 3: The Principle over Moral Standards

Argument 4: Democracy and Addiction

Argument 5: Blindness is Ultimately the only Enemy

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Discussion 1: The Spiritual Story of Democracy

Discussion 2: When Reading “The Spiritual Story of Democracy”?

Discussion 3: Saving the Spiritual Story of Our Democracy

Discussion 4: The Spiritual Drama of Democracy

Discussion 5: Names in the Spiritual Story of Democracy

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Contribution 1: Restoring Good Boundaries to the Democracy of our Conscience (Suneidesis)

Contribution 2: Eating and All Other Addictions in the World Conscience (Suneidesis)

Contribution 3: Abortion and the Second Stage of Democracy

Contribution 4: Information in the Democracy of our World Conscience (Suneidesis)

Contribution 5: The Two Singularities in World Democracy

Contribution 6: The Mature Mind of Democracy

Contribution 7: Capitalism in the Democracy of our Conscience (Suneidesis)

Concluding Articles————

Spirituality and Democracy The Practical Guide

Spirituality and Democracy Plus One Two Levels of Polarization

Spirituality and Democracy 2 Learning How to See Spiritually

Spirituality and Democracy 3 The Voices of Hatred will be Silenced when the Voices of Unconditional Love are Respected

Spirituality and Democracy 4 Wrestling Name and Word on Level Three

What is your el-elohe-name? The Conclusion on How to Love the Enemies of Conscience

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Additional Articles—————-

Jane and the Image of Woman

The Bridge with Eyes

Can’t Be Spiritual Children Forever

Spirituality and Sexuality

A Legitimate Question

An Empathic Spirit of Kindness

Let’s Get Spiritual

A Room Full of Experts

1. Suneidesis, pronounced soon-eye-day-sis, is a Greek word that joins our natural awareness with our sense of conscience. Click on the link for a detailed explanation. It is central to this teaching. Using this foreign word regularly in discussions helps us get accustomed to experiencing something new and positive working in our awareness itself. When the word conscience is used, it will refer to the aspect of suneidesis that involves right and wrong, but this aspect cannot be separated from our co-conscientious awareness of all things.

If I understand that my awareness of something as simple as a cup includes co-conscientiousness, I do not allow myself to get blinded by the cup alone but know it as part of all creation at the hands of the Creator or the universe, depending on one’s beliefs. Spiritual maturity does this naturally.

2. The repetition of suneidesis is meant to challenge you to consider this dimension in your awareness. Apologies, but it will only be a necessary annoyance until it becomes natural.