Ubiquitous Universalism

The Book of Isms by Peter St. Andrade defines more than 100 “isms,” from absolutism to Zoroastrianism, many of them long forgotten. By virtue of their suffix, isms become principles by which people live. Some isms, patriotism or feminism, for example, can evoke a sense of self-worth. Some illustrate personality types: pessimism, optimism, perfectionism. There are isms named after people whose ideas become so widespread that they become doctrines, names like Confucianism, Darwinism and Marxism. Others pit individuals directly against each other: racism, sexism and ageism. Then there are the isms that move from the personal to the political, such as, communism, capitalism, socialism, imperialism, fascism, militarism, nationalism, totalitarianism, fundamentalism... These isms are the most powerful because they cause masses of people to move against masses of “other” people. They are based on fear that another group of people will become more powerful than ‘my’ group. These are the isms people are willing to fight and die for.

I started thinking about this during an interview with the founder of Whole Foods. The title of his new book grabbed my attention: Conscious Capitalism. Conscious consumer and frequent Whole Foods shopper that I am, I tuned in to hear his ideas. As he described his vision for a world where profits can be achieved (keeping stockholders happy) while sustaining the environment (keeping the many species happy), all the while paying a decent wage (happy workers), or as he calls it: “Win-Win-Win,” I was all smiles. You don’t often hear the words “sustainability” and “profitability” in the same sentence. This was good stuff. I admit that somewhere in my subconscious I was simultaneously packing away one-liners for future reference when the inevitable conversation about politics rears its ugly head at the next family gathering. And then, Ka-Blamo! Out of nowhere comes the word fascism. It nearly stopped me in my tracks. When asked about one of the president’s policies, he unabashedly equated it with fascism. Not an assessment of where he thinks the president is going too far and reasons why, but a downright claim that the policy is fascist. It was a surprising twist to an otherwise positive and progressive stance on many issues.

The word fascism is charged. It is galvanizing, in fact. In the political arena, the word ‘fascism’ is thrown around like rice at a wedding. I recall when Bush was president that he was accused of fascism, as well. It has become a standard in the toolbox of punditry, to illicit images of feared leaders, like Mussolini, Stalin and Hitler, in the minds of listeners to move them toward the ballot box in one direction or the other. Capitalism, socialism, communism, fascism, totalitarianism are all buzz words because they were the big isms of the 20th century that are dredged up like ghosts of the past to haunt us. Isn’t it time, perhaps, for a new ism about what kind of leaders we have or even desire today? I like conscious capitalism. It has a nice ring to it. So does compassionate conservatism. It seems we need to qualify our isms to update them. What new ism can we inject into our vernacular that might serve as a centripetal, rather than centrifugal, force in our culture? Maybe strategic socialism or moral militarism. (I’m not sure if that’s possible, but I’m thinking outside the box here.) Freedom-loving fascism doesn’t really work, but you get the picture. How about ubiquitous universalism where the belief that we are all connected becomes widespread, and we begin to see ourselves in others, even our perceived enemies. If we are all one, there are no “others.” If we can’t rise above the isms, we might as well create one that unites us rather than divides us. “Imagine all the people living life in peace… You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one. I hope someday you’ll join us. And the world will live as one.” (Lyrics to “Imagine” by John Lennon, 1971).