From the Other Side of the Edge…..
Ghandi’s “Seven Deadly Sins”, …The New American Way
By Joe Facinoli

There are times, it seems, when a man’s work is never quite done.

It’s been sixty six years since Mahatma Mohandas Ghandi was assassinated in India, …over eighty years since he accomplished some of his most renowned work, in that country, …and over a century since he tried, in vain, to end apartheid in South Africa.

But little did he know, that here and now (well into his prophetic future), he somehow would manage to create a modern American “blueprint”, for accepted personal, public, political, and social behavior.

It wasn’t supposed to work out like that.

When Ghandi outlined what he believed were the “Seven Deadly Sins”, of the vicious and highly stratified society around him during his time, he railed against the policies and practices of corporate, governmental, religious, and other leaders, who ignored basic “truths”, and lead their lives, and their people, in the most self-serving, and non-principled of ways.

He also, unknowingly, laid out a “solid” plan for how a huge percentage of modern-day Americans, and especially their leaders, from all stratas, groups, and social callings, could choose to lead their lives, and their people, with nary a shred of responsibility or accountability, …muchless having any scrutiny passed their way.

It must have been the power of suggestion.

Let’s count down his Hit Parade, and see just how prescient he really was.

1) Wealth without Work.

This is an ideal that most would hope for, but which Americans have made an artform. The “something for nothing” creed of the Entitled, which allows them to sit at home guiltlessly, on their couch with both palms up, open, and ready, to collect checks from other people, for doing nada.

Thank you FDR, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama.

And don’t forget the other end of the economic ladder. That’s where the big bankers, lawyers, and finance people dwell.

They of the terminally irresponsible, and unconscionable business practices and behaviors, which drive businesses, smaller banks, and even states and cities into the ditch, while these guys get huge bonuses.

Creating imaginary markets, massive loopholes, and uncountable profits, for the Uber Banks, shell finance networks, and “too big to fail” corporations.

They ain’t workin’, …but we are, paying for all that vomit inducing nonsense.

2) Pleasure without Conscience.

This can go in a lot of directions, and be read a lot of ways, but to me, it clearly talks about our modern American demand of: “Me First!”, and “Where’s mine?”.

Or, “If it makes me happy, or feels good, then it must be the right thing to do!” Again, with no responsibility nor accountability seen anywhere, not to mention maturity. Go ahead, be as independent as you want to be, but know too, that there are consequences to be paid, …in most selfish endeavors.

3) Knowledge without Character.

Intellectual or academic expertise, and its development, without “practical” knowledge and experience, …is wasted.

Like so many modern American bureaucrats and academics, who have spent their whole lives in sheltered havens (on campuses and in vast govt. agencies), never seeing the true light of any day, nor anything that really matters, or has relevant meaning.

Yet these are the folks who are usually wind up in charge of making policy or rules, or our laws, and who end up being our judges, Congressmen and women, and even the President.

The “character” which comes from real world trials and tribulations (like running a business, or meeting a payroll, or being held to a strict budget), …trumps “book knowledge”, every time.

4) Commerce (Business) without Morality (Ethics).

Economic systems, and political happenstance and machinations, should be based on some kind of moral reality. Fairness, and even simple kindness, should come into play there, somewhere.

True, textbook Capitalism has this at its heart, as well as a responsibility to do the right things, to a mutual benefit. The Golden Rule, …would be nice, once in a while.

But, …was that ever true?? And if so, how long ago did that stop? Decades? Centuries?? Millenia???

5) Science without Humanity.

We are now slaves to our modern technology, and fall victim to our “instant” communication, far too often, and in ways we don’t even realize.

Slowly, our privacy, and any care for others who are “out there”, in that supposedly wonderful, anonymous cyberworld, has eroded, and now is almost gone.

The vast stores of information, available at our “fingertips”, with near immediate access to it, are nothing without a semblance of an idea as to what to do with it, and how to use it.

Playing video games incessantly, and creating huge social network files and friends lists, say all kinds of bad things about what we’ve become.

Talk about a “gap”!! How ‘bout a “reality” gap, or “reality” inequality.

6) Religion without Sacrifice.

I’ll let others better discuss the depths of this sometimes touchy, and sensitive topic, …but my view of organized religion is simple:

Too many people buy all the show, and all the pious faux “gravitas”, or glory, and miss the true meaning of what it’s really all about.

Saying you’re “religious”, without walking the walk, is not only hypocritical and a bit self-centric and self-deceiving, but makes all that talk and bluster, …mostly meaningless.

We all can do better with this one, but our sacrifices don’t have to be so dramatic, and showy.

If we would just swallow some of that false pride, in order to help out others, and perhaps do some real good, and then re-direct (or re-think) our biases and judgmental prejudices, enough to give those others some real opportunities, …that might be more than enough sacrifice.

7) Politics without Principle.

Principle. Now we’ve finally reached the core of Ghandi’s teachings.

It is at the center of all the things on the Laundry List of Sins, above. Without it, …really, …there is nothing.

And with it, if all can’t be conquered, then at least we will have the knowledge that our best effort was attempted.

Principle is not cheap, and can’t be used falsely (people always know).

It is simply the foundation of everything, …and everything comes from it.

The Truths that Jefferson, and Franklin, and John Adams spoke of in our Declaration of Independence, were called “…Self-Evident…”, which means: they just are, …cannot be changed by mortal man, …and need no explanation.

If one has to explain, the twisted use of their “principles”, then they simply cease to be that.

Principles make it all happen. In this nation, The Constitution, flawed though it may be, calls on them to create our basis of law.

Politics, try as it might, …does not.

We have never had a time in our history, when some bending, prodding, and massaging of the Constitution, has not been the order.

But we have NEVER had a time, like this time, when our most sacred document was so punctured, tortured, and ignored as today, as has been done by the current group in Washington, on all sides of the political spectrum.

One could argue that Ghandi was a bit naïve, politically, and that he was also a little inflexible. But this served him well, …as he sought “his” truth.

He dedicated his life to discovering the Truth.

Couldn’t we just have, …maybe, …a little of that, today??

It would certainly be a novel approach.

Keep the Faith (and don’t let history get twisted),

Joe Facinoli
--Joe can be reached at: joefacinoli@gmail.com
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© Copyright 2014, Joe Facinoli