The Buddha has some awkward advice for the liberal left.
Hating Donald Trump is easy. He supplies the material, the media supplies the pictures, and social media supplies somewhere to shout. Everyone goes to bed furious and wakes up ready for another productive day of being furious.
Meanwhile, the harder question remains: why did enough people vote for him? Were they all really that dumb? Manipulated? Catatonic? Or simply not paying enough attention?
The Buddha offered advice that is unlikely to go down well at a Democratic fundraising dinner:
Look not to the faults of others,
nor to their omissions and commissions.
But rather look to your own acts,
to what you have done and left undone.
The instruction is inconvenient. We were hoping to discuss Trump’s faults. There is plenty to discuss. And a willing audience.
Applied to politics, the Buddha ‘s teaching asks liberals – ye of the bleeding hearts- and Democrats to examine their own failures. What did they promise and fail to deliver? Which anxieties did they dismiss? And did they start speaking as though people struggling with the cost of living needed little more than platitudes to assuage their anger?
A voter worried about rent cannot pay the landlord with ideology. So that’s a non starter.
Calling that voter stupid offers a moment of satisfaction but it is a questionable recruitment strategy if you denigrate their hero
This matters because liberal socialism ought to have something substantial to offer. Its central belief is that individual freedom and social justice belong together. People should be free to speak, believe, disagree and live as they choose. They should also have access to decent housing, healthcare, education and work that allows them to live with dignity.
Socialism challenges concentrated wealth and power, supports public provision and gives workers a greater say. Neither billionaires nor government officials should be granted unlimited authority over everyone else’s life.
Democrats are not all liberal socialists. But anyone claiming to champion freedom and fairness should expect to be judged by what those words deliver.
The same lesson applies to opponents of the far right. Condemning racism is necessary. Examining why people become receptive to racist explanations is necessary too. If housing is scarce, services are strained and communities feel ignored, a demagogue has something to exploit.
You cannot defeat his explanation merely by announcing that you dislike Trump. Have you tried to listen to what he is saying and identify what it is in his words that got him elected twice.
He may be all wrong, but he’s doing something right.
Listening does not require agreeing. Listen and emphasise.
Listening does not mean that you absolve Trump or the far right of responsibility.It also takes the hatred out of your heart.
Hatred keeps Trump at the centre of everything. He sets the subject, provokes the reaction and occupies your head without paying rent.
The Buddhist challenge is to recover your attention: examine what you did, what you neglected and what you can change.
Then build something people want to vote for.
Trump can survive another angry post. A credible alternative might cause him considerably more trouble.
