MR. NICE GUY, WE MIGHT FINISH LAST

1.
Yesterday, before we began our weekly practice session, my friend and I briefly discussed politics. Not only a good amateur musician, my friend is also wise, and, as one might suspect, knowledgeable regarding one of the greatest wisdom traditions of all, Sufism. We were lamenting the deterioration of Pakistan. He informed me that years ago, when more and more Pakistanis were turning to a radical interpretation of Islam, The Rand Corporation came up with a bright idea: to counter the increasing threat of radical Islam in Pakistan by providing financial and moral support to Pakistani Sufis. We thought about Graham Greene's novel, "The Quiet American," about a do-gooder American who, after reading a few books at college, is ready to reform the world. (Aldon Pyle, the American in question, is sent by the United States government to Vietnam--the novel takes place in the 1950s--where he, of course, screws up.) My friend and I put Bach aside for a while and laughed at the Rand Corporation's naivete. Sufism is a form of wisdom second to none, but as such, alas! will always be a minority movement. You have to be ready to receive its teachings. This readiness includes the realization that one is not the center of the universe; that one's neighbors are neither better nor worse than you; that one should not only help and love oneself, but, especially, others too. This presumes a good deal of maturity before one can appreciate Sufism. This is why, Kabbalah, the Jewish version, was to be taught only to mature men, that is, married and over forty. Unfortunately, most Pakistanis are below forty, many of whom are in a state of rage intensified by hate and hormones. I read that a radical Pakistani recently stated that the first thing to be done when the Taliban assumes power is the destruction of every Sufi shrine in the nation. Those in the Rand Corporation who advocated a Sufi approach remind me of modern, silly versions of St. Francis, willing to wade into dangerous waters, to preach vegetarianism--to sharks. Must one lose one's legs before wisdom arrives?

2.
Mr. President, are you, too, wasting time trying to win over sharks? Are you guilty of preaching Sufism to American radicals? It is one thing to believe that all people, deep down, are good; it is quite another to ignore the degree to which this goodness can be corrupted.
Mr. President, many progressives expected you to make sweeping changes. (I thankfully admit that you have, despite everything, accomplished much.) I always believed, however, that you were more centrist than liberal--not at all bad, in my view. I knew you were--and are--a passionate advocate of capitalism. After all, once you got enough money you bought a luxurious house; you send your children to elite schools, etc. You are no Che Guevara, not even a Jerry Brown. But I knew you knew--and know--that for capitalism to work efficiently its rough edges must be smoothed. We simply cannot prosper as a capitalist nation if large swaths of our population are unemployed, without health care and without access to decent education and adequate housing. Sure, Sufis might hope for something more than the minimum, but you, as a good man and a good politician, know that trying to impose justice by force--which is a good deal different from trying to smooth capitalism's jagged edges--might result in forms of tyranny much worse than capitalism.
Yes, Mr. President, what you are trying to accomplish is very good. Good people, great and small, support you still. But what about the sharks? I cannot believe that you don't know the source of Republican inspiration. Haven't you followed the money? Don't you realize that Republicans are almost to the person out to destroy you? They wanted to get Clinton, since he, to their thinking, threatened their thirst for wealth; they got him with his pants down. You they try to destroy by lies, with a subtext of race. You want to provide some help to those in need, not only for justice' sake, but to help capitalism function better. They call it socialism and redistribution of wealth. You want to extend unemployment benefits, a way to help those in need and a good way to stimulate the economy; they say you are a reckless advocate of big government spending. (This from people who supported Bush's reckless spending, resulting in deficits greatly exacerbated by tax cuts!) Mr. President, you can't expect reason from those whose raison d'etre is greed. How can you have a conversation with those who have only one thought, tax cuts?
All right, I admit, sharks are also living things; it is decent of you to treat them with respect. But there are better fish in the sea. If you continue to turn your back to these, Mr. President, in a misguided attempt to reach out to a group of great whites, the good fish that are still behind you just might swim away.