--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <jst...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Gillam" wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" wrote: > > > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Patrick Gillam" <jpgillam@> wrote: > <snip> > > > > > Did anyone listen to Fresh Air today? The > > > > > first interview talks about a Christian > > > > > group that believes people in power have > > > > > been granted their power by God, and hence > > > > > those people need to be cultivated to use > > > > > their power responsibly. It's been described > > > > > as "trickle-down fundamentalism." I mention > > > > > it here because the belief parallels what > > > > > we used to hear from Maharishi. > > > > > > What does "responsibly" mean here? The fundie guy > > > supposedly excuses the brutal excesses--including > > > murder and gross sadism--of King David and Ghengis > > > Khan on the basis that they were presumably God's > > > "toys," following a higher purpose. > > > > > > I have trouble seeing that as a parallel with MMY. > > > > I don't believe the fundie guy is excusing > > the excesses of King David and Ghengis Khan. > > He's saying God selects who's in charge, and > > if we want to change things for ordinary people, > > we need to work on those people whom God has > > placed in power, even if they're not nice people. > > I didn't get that he was saying the people (or > rather, devout Christians) to make the leaders behave > better, but I'll take your word for it. > > > Such was Maharishi's practice, as it has been > > the practice of foreign policy pragmatists > > throughout history. (I'm thinking of American > > leaders who shook hands with Saddam Hussein in > > the 1980s.) > > > > In a related story, there's this op-ed from > > Roger Cohen in yesterday's New York Times: > > > > http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/opinion/02iht-edcohen.html > > > > From the column: > > > > "'Moussavi was supported by people who have > > lost faith,' [the conservative cleric] said. > > 'We [the Iranian power structure] believe > > legitimacy comes from God. They believe > > legitimacy comes from the people, from votes.'" > > See, here's where I get stuck. MMY always said leaders > reflect the level of consciousness of the people, which > doesn't seem to me compatible with the notion that > leaders are chosen by God regardless of what the people > want.
I see what you mean. I've been conflating "chosen by God" with power gained by any unseen force, such as karma or collective consciousness. Still, I can't drop the notion that there are parallels between the articles above and Maharishi's policies. For one, he disdained the legitimacy of democracy (although that attitude probably arose out of impatience more than anything). And he praised leaders to the heavens in hopes of persuading them to do good by their people.
