Questioner: Dear Ramji, thanks for your response to my questions. The main thing I am working on now is how to see Trump and McConnell as part of the One without judgment. I know there has to be contrast in the world so there is an opposite to goodness. Is that a dualistic way of looking at life or is it just part of yin and yang? I guess the key is acceptance and non-judgement, according to Buddhism. Trusting that all is happening as it should be? Is there a practical Vedanta tip for dealing with Trump? What do you do? No big rush to answer since I know you are busy even without in-person workshops, but if you have any tips when you have time, I could use them. Maybe you could include something like this in your newsletter since I am sure there are many people who need a more positive perspective. Thanks!
Ramji: Okay. Here’s a tip in the form of The Gospel According to the Great Ramji.
Trump didn’t create himself, did he? God made him that way for a reason. He wouldn’t be Trump if he could help it. He tries is best to love himself but he’s unaware of the deep self-loathing brought on by his ignorance of his divinity. His behavior is a learned compensation that masks it from himself. At the same time he loves his kids, his wife, food, golf, money, power and his cronies according to his limited capacity, which shows that love is his nature. Sixy million people love him like crazy, mostly against their own best interests, which shows that love is their nature too. Even the nature of the sixty-three million who don’t love him is love because hate is just love functioning through a disturbed mind.
We have to be fair when we form our opinions, not just go with our conditioning. Because he is unapologetic, he comes across as authentic. People are sick of negative self-judgments and criticism from others. Hillary was probably the most qualified for the presidency in the history of the republic, but she lived behind a mask, a typical politician. She was obviously phony. She was as big a whiner as Trump; she just hid it behind a smarmy smile. He makes no bones about his dissatisfaction. She was equally arrogant. However, she was much better at concealing it – but not that good. People see through these politicians. Pelosi is much more spiritual than either Trump or Hillary. Yes, she’s a partisan but she has dignity.
There is no sense thinking about his copious negative qualities; the list is long. It is upsetting for a reasonable person. A spiritual person wants an objective balanced mind. So when you hate someone, you need to look for the reasons to love them. Everyone is worthy of love because they are all created by God. Only ignorance puts us on one side of the dualistic divide or the other. We stand on the top of the mountain and embrace the good and the bad.
Then we need to look at it from Isvara’s perspective. Isvara put him there for a reason. I believe it was because both political parties were not looking after the “deplorables.” That statement, more than any other (throw in the personal server for government business) got Hillary unelected. It’s a deplorable statement. The arrogance! I grew up around working-class America. They are good people, just very limited in their outlook. Everyone is good, meaning made by God.
When asked for his definition of politics, Clement Atlee, the post-war prime minister of Britain, said, “Politics is the organization of hatred.” Hating or disliking anyone is hating or disliking one’s self, which is not separate from God. If you need to hate anything, hate the sin, not the sinner, because the sinner is just your own lovable self in disguise. There is only one of us.
I actually pity Trump. It doesn’t take a genius to see how miserable he is. Just look at him. He’s tight, tense, angry. He’s totally perplexed, unaware. He can’t understand why everyone doesn’t like him. It should be obvious, but it’s not obvious to him. He thinks, “What’s not to love?” It’s so sad. Everything is a big act to make him lovable to himself. Is his selfishness hurting the country? Depending on who you talk to, the answer is yes or no.
He’s God’s wrecking ball. The political system is corrupt. We need to overcome our differences and learn how respect people who don’t think like we do. We need to learn how to accommodate the wishes of other people. Will I vote against him? If I voted, I would. But if he wins, which right now doesn’t seem likely, I won’t slit my wrists and end it all. It will shine a light on the Electoral College, which is a completely undemocratic institution. It was reasonable two hundred years ago, but not anymore. It will also show how much more we need to come together. This is a moral and spiritual crisis. It should cause everyone to reflect upon themselves in light of the non-dual nature of reality.
~ Much love, Ramji