Below, one short take and an excerpt from an article about Dennis Kucinich, and his zen-like attitude that has carried him into and out of office with equal aplomb. How does he do it? What quality of awareness does he embody that is immune to both the corruptions of power and the corrosive acid of anger against injustice? An excerpt from a third article may offer a clue, and here’s the key sentence: “In his inner office sat a shelf bearing an illustration depicting “light consciousness” and a bust of Gandhi.”
I’ve been reading a little book, “Gandhi and the Unspeakable: His Final Experiment with Truth,” and came upon this exchange, made early on, while he was still in South Africa, and subject to fury and persecution there. To this question, “Supposing the whites carry out their threats, how will you stand by your principle of non-violence?” Gandhi responded:
“I hope God will give me the courage and the sense to forgive them and to refrain from bringing them to law. I have no anger against them. I am only sorry for their ignorance and their narrowness. I know that they sincerely believe that what they are doing today is right and proper. I have no reason therefore to be angry with them.”
Likewise with Dennis Kucinich. I have a feeling that he has internalized Gandhi’s awareness, and that whatever he does next will continue to inspire all who share or aspire to light consciousness.
www.flickr.com/photos/seiu/374553937/
Kucinich Blasts Targeted Killings, Says Defeat “Has Never Had Power Over Me”
March 8, 2012
by Abby Zimet, Common Dreams
Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich has blasted targeted killings by the U.S. as a chilling “assault on the Constitution.” Having just lost a brutal primary battle, he says he’s not sure what he’ll do next but is feeling peaceful and open to “whatever possibilities are out there.” More on what one admirer calls “the conscience of the Congress.”
“I’m no stranger to defeat. But defeat has never had power over me. It’s never changed me. Nor has victory. So I’m at peace with where things are.”
Dennis Kucinich: Conscience of the Congress
March 9, 2012
by Robert Scheer, Truthdig
“Dennis will be back, you can count on it; he’s on the right side of things.” I recall those words from a printer in Cleveland who had rented Dennis Kucinich a room in the back of her plant when that city’s former “boy mayor” was living in suddenly reduced circumstances. He was as sanguine then as he was Tuesday night when I spoke with him by phone about his gerrymandered eviction from the U.S. House of Representatives. Although he had just lost the position he has held for eight terms, by the end of our conversation he was optimistic and promised to continue the fight: “I am not about to abandon what I stand for.”
A.K. And here’s the excerpt from a 2005 article that spoke volumes to me.
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October 30, 2005
by Evelyn Theiss, Cleveland Plain Dealer, via common dreams.org.
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| On May 4, Elizabeth Harper walked with her boss into Dennis Kucinich’s Capitol Hill office for a meeting and immediately noticed three things. In the reception area, she saw a visiting nun in white robes. In his inner office sat a shelf bearing an illustration depicting “light consciousness” and a bust of Gandhi.She studied the lean and intense congressman and felt an attraction.
“Now this is an interesting man,” she thought.
Dennis had also closely observed Elizabeth, a statuesque Englishwoman with waist-length red hair. “I saw her eyes go to the light consciousness picture, then to the Gandhi bust, then to me,” he says. “It was like one, two, three. That’s when I knew.” |
