Count Down - 7 Days to the Election

Inching up on All Saints Eve, indulge this Christian reference as Wikipedia describes,

The Seven Deadly Sins, also known as the Capital Vices or Cardinal Sins, is a classification of objectionable vices (part of Christian ethics) that have been used since early Christian times to educate and instruct Christians concerning fallen humanity's tendency to sin. The currently recognized version of the sins are usually given as wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.

Okay the bold text emphasis on capital vices was mine as I thought it fitting when talking of the last 7 days of this 2012 election season in a time when capitalism in the US has gone stark raving mad.

Evidence of all these vices are buried in clips posted on this blog and EYNU this year. The one semantics adjustment I would make is that über consumerism or affluenza is the new gluttony.  This borders on hyperbole, but let's be clear.  The opposite qualities of

1. peace 
2. generosity 
3. engagement 
4. humility
5. equanimity 
6. empathy  
7. wabi-sabi 

are not qualities to be found right now in city council chambers. That last one in the list is unfamiliar because we don't have a word in English to describe the opposite of our hyper consumerism.

Wabi-Sabi – Much has been written on this Japanese concept, but in a sentence, one might be able to understand it as “a way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.” 

If I were to choose a legacy for my generation and my role in community building, I'd like the qualities to be front and center: peace, generosity, engagement, humility, equanimity, empathy and wabi-sabi.  And I admit I love to say the last one - a lot. I like the sound of it and the idea of it even better.  I believe these are achievable qualities and that's why I voted for Lisa Shaffer and Tony Kranz.