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When people want to make a difference in the world they are attracted to the categories of the hour. These categories have not been the same in every culture, nor have they been the same throughout human history. It is only recently that politics became the focus of those who wanted to create a peaceful world. We have rewritten history to give emphasis to politics from the beginning, and encouraged people with charisma and heart to pursue politics in order to maximize their ability to do good.
As a result, everyone's lives are being dominated by politics. In the American Bible Belt, people cannot believe in the power of their church unless it fights on political positions. The Dalai Lama is judged by his political effectiveness rather than his social ability to create peace. One must first submit to the monstrous institution, and only by surviving it can one truly be called a power player and a focus of attention.
This is a scary proposition. Society is beginning to self-alienate at the most basic level. We accepted legal institutions to replace one-on-one dispute resolution, to the extent that we fall back on filing lawsuits rather than willing ourselves to learn how to reason and love. Now we are being asked to embrace and learn the workings of a further abstraction: the political institution, the promise machine.
Ignore all categories. If you have charisma, it is time to encourage what you know is right regardless of whether you are straying into the sacred realms of politics, religion, law, homes, schools, public spaces. All of these categories are impermanent human inventions; with enough individual effort, they will pass away. What is truly sacred is what you know to be sacred.
Don't choose the path of religion or politics. Choose the path of life.