Times change. There was a time when we could look at Supreme Court Justices with great respect and admiration. They were people who had a high standard of right action, a commitment to the Constitution of the United States, with no bias favoring specific political parties or agendas. They supported ethical behavior and the ideals of democracy.

Not anymore. The Supreme Court has been corrupted by inferior elements.

As we wave goodbye to democracy and accept the fact that powerful corporations loyal to stockholders and money above integrity, liberty, fairness and decency are running our country, we are left with the sad fact that there is no one we can turn to for help.

Our country’s leaders, Democrats and Republicans alike, are damaged goods. They are a collective body of wealthy liars and thieves with little interest in patriotism, democracy or justice except when they can use the words and symbols of these ideals to fool us into thinking they care about us.

As we’ve watched the descent of our country into immorality and decay, most of us seem to think it’s one party’s fault or the other. It’s not. It’s our fault.

It’s our fault for tolerating the lies. It’s our fault for not even knowing when we’re being lied to.

It’s our fault for placing people we have decided to trust for emotional reasons (because they have seduced us with their rhetoric and passion) on pedestals, and taking everything they say at face value as the gospel truth without caring to look at the evidence and discover the truth for ourselves.

It’s our fault for putting our faith in these people and institutions, accepting their inconsistencies, hypocrisies and outright lies and propaganda simply because we trust them, despite their being no real basis for the trust.

It’s out fault for not insisting that they be held accountable for the things they say and do.

It’s our fault for choosing to stop thinking for ourselves and allowing them to think for us.

Bottom line: The politicians and corporations have not sold us out. We have sold ourselves out. We have betrayed ourselves. We have failed this country. As a result of the choices we’ve made to give up our responsibility as caretakers of our liberty and democracy, we are now on a sinking ship.

So what can we learn from the Supreme Court? That it’s time to wake up, start thinking for ourselves, and begin a new policy of only electing people who tell the truth.

As soon as we catch anybody in a lie during their election campaigning, we decide they won’t get our vote and we let them know it.

It doesn’t matter who they are, how much they’ve accomplished, or how wonderful their reputation is, because truth be told: If someone lies to us one time we cannot trust that they won’t lie to us again. If we can’t trust them, we shouldn’t elect them to an office that is going to dramatically impact our lives and affect the well-being of our families.

If we do this, if we reject every political candidate we catch in a lie, big or small, over time we will most likely replace just about everyone currently holding office with honest people who say what they mean and will do what they say.

Martin Luther King once said, “A nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded men purchases its own spiritual death on the installment plan.”

He also said, “Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

We are now officially the oppressed, living in a pseudo-democracy that has frightening fascist elements growing stronger everyday, as the recent Supreme Court decision demonstrates.

Only we, the people, can stem this tide over time.

Martin Luther King made reference to a dream that people “not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

We must now apply this concept to the politicians we elect to public office, in the sense that we not judge them by the facade they have constructed about themselves but by the integrity of their being.

If we catch anybody in a lie on the campaign trail, they’re out. Case closed. On to the next guy until the politicians get the message that nothing less than honesty and ethical behavior will be tolerated.

There can be no other way. The lies must stop if this democracy is to survive and prosper.

So what can the Supreme Court and Martin Luther King teach us about relationships?

When we are in the courtship phase of a relationship, if we catch the one we’re courting in a lie, we bail out immediately, rather than look the other way and get entrenched in a relationship which will one day either fail and/or cause us great emotional suffering because the foundation of the relationship was flawed from the start.

When we have the courage to walk away from shiny objects that offer great promise but are actually composed of paper mache covered by glossy paint, we will spare ourselves a great deal of grief and give ourselves the opportunity to find real value and meaning in this very strange world we now inhabit.

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I was looking for an identification card. I was certain I hadn’t thrown it away. Unfortunately, I had put it someplace where I could not find it. I presumed I had placed it in a particular desk drawer, but having gone through the contents of the drawer twice already, and quite carefully, I was starting to wonder if I had indeed thrown it away accidentally.

That concept only lasted a few seconds. I knew there was no way I had tossed that card. This left me with the unpleasant awareness that the card was somewhere in my house and that I had to keep looking.

As I was about to embark on my search, leaving the desk drawer in the dust despite knowing that the desk drawer was the most obvious and rational place I would have put the card, I recalled something that had happened when I was looking through the desk drawer’s contents the second go-around.

While searching for the card I noticed that a software CD had found its way into an envelope containing entirely unrelated materials. I removed it from the envelope to avoid future confusion when down the road I would be looking for that CD. But I hadn’t thought much else of it at the time.

Suddenly the thought popped into my head: If the CD found its way into an unrelated envelope, then it’s possible that the I.D. card I’m looking for could also have found its way into an unrelated envelope, and that before moving into my Nicholas Cage-seeking-national-treasure-mode, I should go through the desk drawer contents one more time.

As I picked up in my hands the entire contents of the drawer to put it on top of the desk and give myself more space to do the job meticulously, I spotted the I.D. card! It had cleverly wedged itself against the inside front wall of the drawer making it invisible to anybody looking for it unless they first removed all the contents of the drawer like I had just done.

Problem Solved

Thanks to Arthur Conan Doyle I might add: One thing that always struck me about Sherlock Holmes was his insistence that truth be treasured for the factual foundation that it provides, and not be ignored, denied or distorted.

The truth was that I had to have put that card in that drawer and nowhere else. It would have made no sense for me to put it anywhere else. Therefore, the card is in the drawer. But I looked. Twice. I didn’t find it. That doesn’t change the fact that the card is in the drawer.

Okay. If it’s in the drawer and I looked and couldn’t find it, then it must be hiding and rather than look elsewhere where the card isn’t, I need to get more focused in my search, mobilizing the no stone unturned approach.

As soon as I accepted the logical conclusion that the card was in the drawer camouflaged in some way, my mind approached the search differently, and the card was found with no further effort.

So what’s the take-home message? When you’re looking for the solution to any problem (whether that problem be of a personal, relationship, occupational, economic, political or religious nature), respect the facts and don’t discard them because they don’t seem to be getting you the results you desire, unless you enjoy wild goose chases.

Instead, stick to what you know to be true and keep looking for solutions that are compatible and consistent with the facts, despite seeming dead ends.

Truth, facts, and logic will ultimately prevail if we remain calm, avoid catastrophic fear thoughts, keep our eye on our goal and persist in our efforts.

Eureka!

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In the world of Doctor Who, the last of the Time Lords, when he is near death he is able to regenerate. When this happens he is transformed into a new version of himself. He looks different and his former identity recedes into the background. However, he retains all his memories and all his talents and knowledge.

He also retains his tremendous joy for life, adventure, risk, and danger, and an immense optimism as well.

Last night, Doctor Who regenerated while traveling away from Earth in the Tardis, his time machine/spaceship. During the regeneration process, the Tardis was damaged.

As the new generation of himself is born, so to speak, and the transformation is complete, he needs a few moments to orient himself to reality and his new identity.

As he does this, one final elusive thought suddenly occurs to him, that the Tardis is speeding downward to Earth and he is about to crash.

And with that realization he starts giggling like a small boy, all whoops and hollers, excited about his latest predicament, and optimistic that he will prevail.

As he grabs onto a chunk of the Tardis, he shouts “Geronimo” with excitement and glee. No fear. No panic. Whatever will be will be.

One thing’s for sure: Whatever happens, Doctor Who is going to make the most of it.

So that’s our lesson: Be happy with whoever we are. Be happy with wherever we are. Be happy with whatever we’re doing. Be happy with whoever we’re with. Be happy to be alive. Jump into life’s predicaments with optimism and positivity. And enjoy the ride!

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