Obama, McCain and the American Shadow
In April 2002 Deepak Chopra spoke to the Mobius Leadership Forum at the Harvard Business School. He said that leaders who fail to become aware of their role as symbolic of the soul of a community will not be able to lead effectively. When leaders turn bad, said Chopra, it is probably the result of shadow energies–the dark side of the soul. This side of the soul is ignored at peril.
Shadow energies defeat us by, in Chopra’s words,”…countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision.” We must see the shadow energies, recognize them, and say No! to them. Just as you and I must say No! to our personal shadow impulses, a nation must say No! to whatever shadow impulses it harbors.
Hints about the nature of the American soul can be found in its sacred documents and collective prayers. “…in Order to form a more perfect Union…promote the general Welfare.” “Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” “God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood.” “All men are created equal.”
The American soul is inclusive. It yearns for union. The politics of division, of slicing and dicing Americans into categories to be played against one another in such a way as to insure a 51% majority, is a strategy born of the shadow side of the American soul. The politics of division appeals to and heightens our fears about one another. It is the foundation of a politics that has come to be called “Rovian”, and was described by one political operative as having only three messages, “He’s not like you. He doesn’t understand you. You can’t trust him.” Or her. Its most striking modern symbol is Willy Horton. It echoes throughout current immature and simple-minded name-calling: elitist, liberal, terrorist, socialist, Muslim.
Beyond the issues of the day, beyond Obama’s experience, McCain’s temperament, two wars, and an economy in decline, lies a pre-eminent issue: will we refrain from nurturing the side of ourselves that defeats our aspirations? Will we say No! to the shadow energy that seeks to divide us? It appears today as though we will, and that is our best hope.
Afterthoughts
1. Chopra has continued along these lines in Obama and the Palin Effect (Part 1) and (Part 2)
2. It is critical that shadow energies have a voice. They are most dangerous when they go underground, becoming unconscious. Helping us to remain aware of them seems to be Sarah Palin’s primary function.
