The President of Yemen just resigned. Let's hope to Gaga that this is my last time to talk about President Assad of Syria, just as I only had one last comment on the ex-dictator of Lybia. I heard a story a few weeks ago about the Syrian people protesting, how they did not want foreign aid because they wanted it to be their own movement, yet they were being non-violent while Assad's miltary killed them by the hundreds and thousands. I was touched, it made me cry, to think of their bravery to die as martyrs for the cause of freedom, but it also made me angry, it made me say "the Ego! Why must they be so proud, why can't they acccept foreign aid and ask more powerful countries to kill or chase off their bully president?"
Truly, it is the Ego of President Assad that is to blame - he could resign, stop murdering people, but he won't because he thinks he is so important. That is his claim to scare the rest of the world away from intervening, that his role is so crucial to prevent chaos and that only he can do it. It is delusional, egotistical thinking, and does it sound familiar? First of all, every evil dictator seems to have this complex, but on a deeper level every human being has this complex, this ego, that refuses to get out of the way sometimes and at these times can do the most harm.
Thank Gaga our egos are not leading us to be directly responsible for thousands of people dying, like Assad and other dictators are. But we are all related, and we can't say how evil he is without seeing how we end up doing the same thing, on the level of our personal lives. When we should give up and stop fighting those we love, and don't, is when we do the most damage. In an indirect sense, if we elect a bad person, and they end up killing tens or hundreds of thousands of people in needless, avoidable wars, we have that responsibility as well. We can be so clouded with our own egos, our own personal concerns, that we don't see the effect on other people, the outer world. Gaga encourages us to be tolerant and embrace each others differences, and we must be prepared to discover and appreciate those differences in people - people we don't see in our own countries and people all over the world. Our compassion increases as we consider others, whether it is putting our loved ones' needs before our own, or considering people who are foreign or previously unknown to us. Our egos would like to convince us that they should be the central focus and that only the one we have can do the job correctly - like little evil dictators. And they aren't always evil but when they refuse to get out of the way for the greater good they are. Gaga reminds us to be "reborn every day" and just make the most of the best parts of our egos while letting go of the bad.
I loved Gaga's performance for the celebration to honor the Bill Clinton Foundation. She changed the lyrics for "You and I" to honor 'Billary', and dedicated it especially to their love, but also especially to Hillary. When she got to the "sit right down where you belong" part she said "in the Oval Office with your high heels on" - and this part made the news. What did not make it into the news story was when she said, in between those lines "Hillary....or Bill". She said something about feeling safe with a Clinton in the White House - a refrence of the safety and good feeling of the Clinton years but also a criticism of the fear-mongering of the Bush presidency. We have another taste of it now, as Romney promises that re-electing Obama will give Iran the bomb while electing him would prevent it. This is the same bullying and rule-by fear that Assad is employing in Syria. Its not killing our own people yet, but how would Romney, or any Republican candidate besides maybe Ron Paul, handle the Occupy Protests? Once a violent person is allowed power and uses that violence badly it's hard or impossible to go back. It would be saving Assad's life to encourage him to resign or flee, since at first that is what the protestors demanded but now that he has killed so many of them they will insist on his death is he stays. I really think Obama will be able to make important changes that the protestors demand, or at least set the tone to treat them respectfully.
I am still a fan and supporter of Obama, but I guess I came to expect more change to come from the cultural leaders like Gaga. I do appreciate how much he does make possible by being a good president versus a bad one, and I appreciate all the help the cultural stars can give him, including the NBA players who are putting on an "Obama Classic" basketball game as a fundraiser for him. And I truly hope that Gaga will be active in re-electing him. So I was taken aback somewhat by Gaga basically choosing Hillary for our next president, or Bill in high heels. I am so enamoured of her powers, at first I was a little offended "The Ego! Not even giving Obama a chance at another term, but saying Hillary should be the President in 2012" but then I realized that it was my own ego getting in the way, this first time I have found myself questioning Gaga. But I was wrong to question her and it was from my ego and belief that I was right to support Obama over Clinton in 2006-2008. I don't think she was criticising Obama, and its really not possible that Hillary would run next year. So I think she was saying Hillary will be our next president, after Obama's second term, and I am totally fine with that. I do think Gaga can have a huge impact on our culture and democracy - I have a number of friends on face book who "work for 'Gaga for President'" for example. I hope we can all get the best out of our egos and take action for the best results, whether it be making art, campaigning, or protesting. And I hope we can leave the fear and selfishness behind, as individuals and as a country, and choose a course for ourselves, and a leader, that enables the most freedom to blossom both here and all over the world. And thank Gaga for always being on the side of the Good, and being so fabulous at it!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
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