President Ford’s Timing and Blessing(s); Bill Gates’s Revolution
Former U.S. President Gerald Ford died just recently, at the very advanced age of 95. When I saw some of the features on the news channels about him and his presidency, I was struck by the basic humanity of the man. He was not actually elected; in fact, he took over the presidency in 1974 upon Richard Nixon’s disgrace and resignation following Watergate. So, much was made of Ford’s attempts to heal and reunite the country after the divisive tumult of the Viet Nam era and Watergate.
The stories also featured pictures of Ford with his team, including, prominently, Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney as much younger men.
At some point, mulling it all over, I had the odd but very strong feeling that, though he never would have said so, President Ford may well have only felt free to let go into death after these recent congressional elections. I had no basis for this feeling in anything I’d ever heard of him saying. But there it was. My sense of the man’s soul was that the Democratic Party’s “thumping” (Pres. Bush’s frank assessment) of the Republicans, regaining control of both the House and the Senate, may have reassured him that the health of the American government of checks and balances was strong again. In effect, his party’s loss may have given him the blessing he needed to die after a long, rich, extraordinary life as a servant of his country.
I didn’t even mention this feeling to Linda. Not that I wouldn’t have; it just seemed so off the wall and impossible to prove. But it was there, very strongly, and I mulled it over on and off for several days.
Then, last night on the news, there was the revelation that Ford had done a secret piece of a televised interview with Watergate whistle-blower Bob Woodward (interesting that he was willing to do this with an opponent of his party). He had only done the piece on the firm stipulation that Woodward not release it until after Ford’s death. And in this simple snippet of interview, Ford said–this is not an exact quote but it’s pretty close–”I believe Bush, Rumsfeld, and Cheney made a mistake justifying the war in Iraq” to the American people, Congress, and the world.
Wow. So this then was his second blessing, this time one that he gave us in his time of departure. A former president standing in the role of statesman, patriot, and also world citizen, stating bluntly feelings that perhaps only a very few intimates had heard from him before. (I’m not following the followup, so that may turn out not to be true.) Hearing this unprecedented statement, seeing him say those words on camera in his obviously advanced old age. prompted me to share my earlier sense of his timing.
I hope it makes a strong impact on everyone, especially those with power to get us out of Iraq and onto a new track in our international relations. I fear George Bush and even his new team won’t altogether get it, though. In any case, it’s another good sign that America is not down for the count and a new era is opening up. Thank you, President Gerald Ford, and blessings on your journey, wherever it may lead!
*****
On another note, I was watching ad genius Donny Deutsch’s “Big Idea” show last night featuring Bill Gates. What most impressed me was Gates’s recounting of how he and Paul Allen and their friends had anticipated the “revolution” of getting computer power into the hands of individuals, out of the corporate mainframes and institutions–and how amazed they were that no potential competitors seemed to notice.
That was inspiring and encouraging. To me personally.
I feel that the advent of “21st Century Enlightenment” in the form of realization of the HEART is like a tsunami still mostly out at sea, or only perceptible yet to a very few of us. Yet it’s my strong conviction and my passionate intention that this quality of awakened living, with so many unprecedented distinctions from the kinds of enlightenment that were available in the past, is destined to break upon the world with immense power and become commonplace among intelligent, authentic, self-aware people, in this century. All over the world.
That’s what Linda and I are fervently working to help bring about. In every way we possibly can. I also believe that it’s potentially a far more transmissible and popular revolution than even that of, say, the Integral perspective–precisely because it doesn’t require a whole lot of mind and conceptual thinking to appreciate its essences. It can be communicated between and among people almost by osmosis, especially as more time goes by and the community(ies) of those living on this basis become more communicative and attractive to all manner of sensitive, hungry hearts.
I’m well aware that this may seem preposterous to some, or grandiose, inflated, etc. After all, we’ve been doing our thing for nearly a decade and a half, and we’re still largely unknown.
I’m fine with that. I know the process that I am living and transmitting. I feel very strongly how Linda and I and others, in our quiet, apparently everyday ways, are nurturing Heart-realization in countless other human beings in the mystery of the Onlyness. So, time will tell. I hope and intend!