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Whenever someone says they are abstaining from voting because of “moral integrity,” I wonder if they hold themselves to the same standards in the actions of their own life. Usually not.
It’s hard not to see moral purity as the projection of self-aggressive tendencies. 1/
It’s hard not to see moral purity as the projection of self-aggressive tendencies. 1/
We are constantly projecting the anger that comes from our inability to live up to our own idealized perfectness onto others, especially leaders.
Of course it is crucial to have leaders who strive towards decency and move through the world with transparency.
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Of course it is crucial to have leaders who strive towards decency and move through the world with transparency.
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But perfect leaders don’t exist because the idea of perfection itself comes from self-aggression. From a Buddhist perspective, perfection is a huge obstacle. In my own life, and for so many of the students I work with, the quest for perfection only leads to paralysis.
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Because we can’t do the perfect thing, we freeze and fail to take pragmatic steps along our path. But all transformation and awakening actually comes from taking the next simple step in front of us.
This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have standards of decency and integrity.
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This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t have standards of decency and integrity.
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But it does mean that our basic approach to life should always be “doing the next right thing” as my friends in recovery like to say.
Otherwise, our ideals become an obstacle, and they only lead to paralysis, which is exactly what abstaining from voting is.
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Otherwise, our ideals become an obstacle, and they only lead to paralysis, which is exactly what abstaining from voting is.
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