Summary

The article reflects on the timeless wisdom of the 13th-century poet and philosopher Rumi, contrasting his spiritual insights with modern political rhetoric and emphasizing the need for leaders who transcend divisive notions of right and wrong.

Abstract

The article, titled "The Ideas of Rightdoing and Wrongdoing are Merely Perceived," uses the teachings of Rumi as a lens to critique contemporary political discourse. It suggests that Rumi's focus on love and spirituality offers a stark contrast to the self-serving and often deceitful actions of certain modern politicians. The author argues that true leadership should be guided by principles that resonate in the hearts of people, rather than by the narrow confines of political righteousness. By invoking Rumi's vision of a world beyond binary perceptions of morality, the article calls for a reevaluation of the qualities we seek in our leaders, advocating for a return to the core values that have historically made the United States a beacon of hope and unity.

Opinions

The author believes that the political rhetoric of certain figures, such as those who claim "The election was stolen," lacks the spiritual depth and moral integrity that Rumi's teachings embody.
Political leaders who engage in lies and insurrections will not be remembered favorably by future generations, as their actions do not reflect the universal values of truth and justice.
The article contrasts the divisive and often hateful attitudes of some politicians with the inclusive and unifying approach of leaders like FDR, who were respected despite physical limitations.
It criticizes the current state of political leadership, suggesting that the charisma of the previous administration was not aligned with the deeper qualities needed for effective and ethical governance.
The author expresses a desire for leaders who can embody strength, wisdom, and charisma, while also upholding the separation of church and state to prevent oppression and ensure that government policies reflect the best interests of all citizens.
The article implies that the true measure of a nation's greatness lies in its ability to foster love and unity, as exemplified by Rumi's teachings, rather than in the pursuit of power and self-interest.

The Ideas of Rightdoing and Wrongdoing are Merely Perceived

A Practical 800-Year-Old Lens to Examine Today’s Political Rhetoric

Illustration by **BSIENKART** (with written permission by artist)

Rumi said, “Out beyond ideas of right-doing and wrongdoing there’s a field. I’ll meet you there.”

For a guy who lived in the 1200s, he had a lot going on. You probably don’t know much about Rumi¹ but the name actually is associated with the Roman influence in the world. He is more widely known in the Middle Eastern world as The Master. He was a poet and a religious leader. He founded the Sufi Whirling Dervish sect. He thought that listening to music and dancing was a very good way to understand spiritual principles. Rumi had a pretty good grasp of what a man’s mission on earth is to be. Written on his tombstone are these words, “When we are dead, seek not our tomb in the earth, but find it in the hearts of men.” He also understood a method of expressing spirituality that we see very little of with recent political personages. In one of his couplets he states:

“The lover’s cause is separate from all other causes

Love is the astrolabe of God’s mysteries.”

I don’t think he was talking about the same lover as the Gaetz boy talks about either.

If we were to take Rumi’s observations at face value, we could surmise that people who champion lies and insurrections will not be remembered in the hearts of men. Who is going to want to hold in their memory as a guiding light, “The election was stolen?” I won’t. I’ll remember it not as something that is true, but as the kool-aid that the de facto leader of the Republican Party tried to sell the country. If we go beyond the ideas of right-doing and wrongdoing we have to arrive at a place where we can observe reality as it is, as opposed to how we want or wanted it to be. I don’t know about you but I’m looking for political leaders who have enough spirituality in them to understand that right-doing and wrongdoing are, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder.

Those ideas may be nebulous but at the same time, we all know which is which. I don’t want my grandchildren and great-grandchildren to disdain my life in their hearts and I don’t think anyone else does either. But we as a nation are not on a path toward endearing ourselves to our progeny. We are ignoring the very environment in which we live and in which our children must live and in which their children must live. We are expressing as a nation our disdain for other peoples and their way of life. We even express our hate to one another. When Rumi died even the Christians and Jews of his home city walked with him to his final rest.

I don’t see that happening for the Hawley boy from Missouri or for that Abbot fellow who pretends to be the governor of Texas or even for that Cruz guy who puts on airs like he’s a respected senator but is really nothing more than a galavanting gossip who says things he knows are not exactly true. These people will not be remembered at the funeral for their contributions to humanity. Compare this bunch to people like the Cheney girl from out in Wyoming or Old Joe himself. Joe and Liz are not gun-toting zealots, they’re down to earth honest citizens who are doing the best they can to express the world they want to see perpetuated. I don’t see how anyone will want to perpetuate the world that Ronny from Florida wants, nor do I see how anyone will want to live in a world that that Johnson guy from up in Wisconsin wants. They are not in the same league as a man like Rumi. There are trash talkers in the NBA who make more sense than these Republican wannabe’s.

Politicians are not usually held to a spiritual lens to examine their behaviors. It’s often quite likely that the populace will want their leader to be strong and powerful while exhibiting the best qualities of the people he represents. But, if I remember some of the most influential politicians in US history, I have to consider FDR who was barely able to stand on his own. He even met with Stalin and Churchill while seated in his wheelchair. Truman didn’t even want to be president but he had to decide what to do to end the war so he dropped the atom bomb on Japan.

Compare Dear De Facto Leader to those men and he doesn’t hold a candle to their light. All that guy can even talk about is right-doing and wrongdoing. Let me check here with my friends from New York. Would we call someone who acts like that a putz or what?

So listen up all you Democrats. I’m not looking forward to feeling all blue after the midterms. I want to be a little smurfy around the edges though. I do so hope you folks in the Democratic consideration of things, can find someone who can represent strength and wisdom to the American public. Joe is effective as a politician but I think we can all agree that he is not the most charismatic person on the global stage. We need charisma on that stage. The last guy had lots of charisma but it wasn’t and isn’t that charisma that I want to see and I have a strong suspicion that not many folks really want that charisma or attitude of approach on either the national or international stage.

The thing that Rumi understood is that government policies don’t really make any difference or even change much for every day life of citizens unless the governor is a despot, of course. If we can apply Rumi’s idea of the lover’s cause being separate from all others or stated a bit more clearly the cause of love is separate from all others then we must come to realize that the United States of America is a beacon of that cause throughout the entire world. It is we who carry the words on Rumi’s tomb in our hearts. We are truly palatable expressions of who that man was. We must hold ideas that are beyond rightdoing and wrongdoing because that is how we got to be the most influential country on earth. We did not get there by being selfish egotistical liars, now did we? We arrived at that vaunted status by a few good men doing the best they could at that time for all the people they represented. Those few good men were not hypocritical about their religion. They knew that church and state must forever be separate or the government would oppress the people. Rumi thought, as did those few good men, that God was in every one. He wrote, “The Light of Muhammad does not abandon a Zoroastrian or Jew in the world. May the shade of his good fortune shine upon everyone! He brings all of those who are led astray into the Way out of the desert.” I don’t think anything changes no matter what name you give God. In the words of Shakespeare, “A rose by any other name smells just as sweet.”

You see…the word REALLY is not the thing.

References

1. Schimmel, A. (n.d.). Rumi | Biography, Poems, & Facts | Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved August 3, 2022, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Rumi