Constitutional Evolution

By Agni Lakshya

As I return to my continuing series of posts about the New Atlantis, or what we call the New America, it is best to reset our expectations about what this transformation looks like (earlier blogs) and what sort of timeline it will take to complete it.

Like you, I am not naive to think this transformation will be an overnight thing. It is more likely a generational thing taking place over time as societal and political will evolves. We have a wonderful Constitution provided to us by our founders, who I have stated were many Freemasons and Rosicrucian. They applied esoteric wisdom to craft this new order for a new country, bringing forth ancient knowledge to change the world.

This process is evolving as esoteric people like me return to continue the work of rebuilding the ancient Atlantis civilization in this modern era. It isn’t that the old principles in our Constitution are wrong, only that they need modernization to better suit the needs of the modern society we have created. Just like technology, philosophies and ideas must evolve over time.

We do not wish to replace the Constitution; we wish to improve it by embedding new ideas and guiding principles that match the times we are in. If we are a true democracy, then changing our framework must be something done by the people, and for the people. Yes, our elected officials will make the changes, but we help guide the discussions and ideas through the political processes in place.

As I have mentioned in past blogs, there is an inherent corruption at work in our politics today, but that is something which naturally occurs as powers rise and fall over time. This corruption must be the first thing addressed before we can move forward in building the new framework. We cannot throw out the proverbial baby with the bathwater, but we must evolve continuously with our current framework, modifying and improving through each iteration.

If you look at our Constitutional Amendments today, you observe that the process has worked over the span of our country’s existence. We once had slavery, women couldn’t vote, and our military was once an afterthought. But look at us today, and you see the political will of the people has changed our trajectory over time. That is still happening and will continue as we reshape this country into something even better than it is now.

Baby Steps

Revolutions are the only thing I know that moves political change at a breakneck pace. But revolution is violent and often bloody. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think that is reasonable in modern times. We love our lives, we love our comforts, and very few are willing to throw that away for instant change.

I realize it can be frustrating to wait for change when you believe you see the proper direction now. This is the ‘messiness’ we talk about when we describe democracy. Yes, it is a messy business, but worth the wait and frustration. Think about our founders. They were not all of the same mind and ideas when they started, but over time, through discussions and debates, they eventually compromised on a framework they could all agree upon.

Was it perfect? No, but it was a beginning, like planting a seed. We are the ones who have benefitted from their compromise and iterative process. We are the fledgling tree that grew from that seed, but we are not yet the mighty oak. Yes, they had a revolution, but not with themselves but the oppressors from across the Atlantic. They first had to unshackle the chains which bound them to the old royalty which ruled much of that world.

If we truly love our liberty and democratic process, then we must exercise our democratic powers to hold it together and change it over time. That requires patience, something many of us no longer have. Believe me, I am fully aware of that frustration after working in public education for over twenty years. Change comes slowly, and the ideas of the workers trickles up into the political sphere at a snail’s pace, but they do trickle up.

We don’t want nor need a revolution, but the extremes of both the right and left of our political sphere are attempting to create one despite the serious danger it presents to our populace and our country. They want change yesterday and are willing to throw away their current rights and the rights of others in pursuit of their ideals. I am not willing to give up my rights for instant change, and neither should you.

Idealists and demagogues are willing to risk everything for their narrow view of reality. Do not be sucked into their narrow view of our world and keep an open mind to the larger reality beyond our country. The idea of isolationism is an ancient relic when travel between country’s could be long and arduous. Today, you can travel the world instantly through the internet and share ideas with other cultures and political spheres. Yes, those people are human too!

Our Constitution is the bedrock of our foundation, but it is time to rebuild it into something that fits the world as it is today and not as it was in the late 1700s. As I constantly mention in many of my blogs, if you dream of the America in antiquity and yearn for those lost days, you are delusional. Everything changes over time, and it is folly to believe our Constitution and democracy shouldn’t also.

Will of the People

We the people hold the power for change, but if we defer that to demagogues who promise much and deliver little, then we have abdicated our right to a proper democracy. We must collectively agree upon a new framework and a new way of governing, and we must all participate in the political discussions and process to make that framework a reality. Yes, compromise is a necessity of that change. It should never be ‘my way’ or the ‘highway’.

To stand and say that these people are more important than those people, or your ideas are the only ones that matter is not a democracy but the beginning of a fascist state. That leads to rounding up people, detaining them, and suppressing their voices while oppressing them with your overwhelming might. That is not a democracy, because in a true democracy, every voice matters and counts.

We must all walk in another’s shoes before we judge them and their ideas. We must embrace that the majority is all of us and not just a select demographic. We must understand, debate and compromise if this great republic is to survive. The idea of us versus them will tear this great nation apart and destroy everything our founders created.

A united people under a common framework created through compromise is the only way the will of the people shall prevail, and when we attack our neighbors for their views and ideas, we attack the very fabric of this great nation. The Civil War is a testament to that very fact, and those who are willing to relive that dark past in our history have no place in this democracy. That is the ancient belief that only the strong survive while everyone else perishes.

We the people rule, and when we finally realize this and pull together to create something wonderful, the change you so desire will occur. But it will take time and it will take patience. We can fix this. We are intelligent, we are capable, and we now have the technological power to affect change.

A Common Vision

What do you want? What favors all rather than a select few? What are you willing to compromise on? What will make this the greatest country in the world? What do you want for your children and grandchildren? The past can inform us, but it cannot replace us. Your children and grandchildren do not want your old world; they want the new world they were promised. A world that fits their needs and not your needs.

They want a world where everyone prospers. They want a world where everyone is safe. They want a world that does not tell them what they can and cannot be, or what they can or cannot believe in. They want freedom, liberty, justice, and free will. They want a world where their children and grandchildren are better than they are. We have the resources, we have a framework, and we have the freedom to make that happen. Do not separate yourself from this country but embrace it fully and see what it can be, not just what it is today.

My blogs and rhetoric about a New Atlantis are nothing more than an idea, like the United States of America was an idea. It is not some grand manifesto I wish to inflict upon everyone; it is a list of ideas to fix this great country to make it even better. It is the beginning of a dialog, not the end of the discussion. It should inspire thought, create debate, and turn everyone’s attention to the task at hand, which is how do we remake this country into something better?

We must start somewhere, and I chose to start with what is wrong, why it is wrong, and how we might consider changing it to correct these problems. I don’t have all the ideas, but I have some pretty good ones. I do not want to hurt the baby and throw it out with the bathwater. I want to nourish and nurture the baby to help it grow and thrive. If you are an American, you should want the same thing.

I challenge everyone to think about this bigger question of how we can change this country into something better where everyone thrives. Turn away from the ideas of how this country can help you and turn towards how it can help everyone, so your children and grandchildren have a thriving democracy where they flourish and are nurtured. We only succeed when everyone succeeds.

Yes, this thinking will challenge your views and your ideals, but that is what a democracy does. It constantly challenges us and forces us to look at things we would rather avoid. But that is our charge as citizens of this great nation, to challenge ourselves, challenge others, and compromise to create a common vision as our founders did. It will take time, determination, and a willingness to look at all viewpoints equally.

We have evolved beyond survival of the fittest and must build a world of survival for all. We are all human; therefore, we are all brothers and sisters. The newer generations know this more intimately that the older generations who suffered great wars, cultural divides, and racism. They struggle to let go of those old paradigms and accept everyone as their family. They still perpetuate those old paradigms to suit their survival and do not think about the survival of those who come after them.

Despite those differences, we can still create something new and better. Education, dialog, debate, and compromise is the fuel of this creation. Start talking to those who differ in ideas. Engage with those who do not share your culture, your upbringing, or your ideals. Walk in their shoes, even if those shoes walked thousands of miles just to have a taste of what we all take for granted.

A common vision is not so hard to define, but it requires dialog and the sharing of ideas. The internet, for all its faults, facilitates that sharing of ideas. I see it through the eyes of my children when they share those new ideas with me. Are they right? Are they wrong? Sometimes yes, and sometimes no. Without ideas, we are no better than the animals. It is our intellect and the sharing of ideas which changes reality, so tear down your fences and let the world of ideas in.

Evolution not Revolution

I share my ideas, so people begin to think about a world beyond our current one. Eventually, I will create a working draft of a common vision and build a blueprint for how that might come to pass. But it is all of us who will create it, not just me. I need everyone onboard with the idea of creating a new reality rather than accepting the reality we were born into.

You don’t like something in your current reality, then create ideas and a vision for how to change it. Share that vision and open dialog with others to discuss how to make it come to pass. It will evolve into something co-created with your brothers and sisters you share this world with. Over time, it will eventually enter the political sphere and influence and reshape the thinking of our elected representatives. Be a part of the process rather than one who criticizes it. If you cannot participate, then you are nothing more than a whiner drowning in self-pity or self-righteousness.

John F. Kennedy once asked what you could do for your country and not what it could do for you. Take that challenge and affect change. A democratic citizenry who does not participate has no right to complain about what is created in their absence. Be present, create ideas, and share them with everyone you can. The youth have social media as their tool to share, and it reaches all around the entire world. Never has a citizenry had so much power in the palm of their hand.

For now, the elite powers of this world have hijacked those social media platforms to sell their vision. But we can change all that. We can use it to create and share our vision, and there are more of us than them. Do not feel powerless, because you are not. You have more power than you know. Through your power, you can affect elections, affect commerce, and affect change. Do it knowingly rather than accidentally.

My blog is just the beginning, and it will transform into a podcast as my vision takes more shape and requires fresh input. I will use social media to get my message out and learn more from others who may or may not share my same views. I will have dialogs and debates, changing minds and ideas as they evolve in the social sphere, we are an integral part of. That is your challenge. How will you affect change through your social media. Is it only for cat videos and memes or is there more you can do to participate in your democracy.

This is a new frontier, and we do not need a revolution but an evolution so that our country evolves with us. Stagnation leads to revolution, but the exchange of ideas leads to evolution. Do not fear that which you do not know but make it your mission to learn more about it and participate in the discussions. Buddha once said, we make the reality we experience, and until we truly understand that suffering will continue.

Do not suffer, participate!

Peace Profound

Agni