Gandhi, and the Climate Justice Fast Part 3. Emerging Ethical Qualifications for leadership

[Aunty Kamala]

On the 42nd day of their Fast on water only, six whole weeks, the Climate Justice Fast team called for a day of International Prayer and Fasting on Thursday, December 17, 2009. It was a massive effort to create the necessary moral atmosphere that would assist our political leaders and UN negotiators in standing up and committing to the moral choices facing us due to the climate crisis.
By the Wednesday evening, over 5000 people from around the world had either emailed or contacted CJF to tell them that they would be participating on this day. Thousands more joined in.
In the Oxsmallen Hall, behind the Klima Forum, a group assembled at 10 AM, and the day began. Along with the Climate Justice Fast, the hall was also used to air the activities going on in the Bella Center. Thursday was the day of international political leaders arriving at the Bella Center to add their two cents ( which more often than not, far exceeded the 3 minute limit set by the Chairwoman ) to the Climate negotiations.
From what this UN observer could see, from the speeches one could detect if the leaders were for the emissions and carbon counting games, or if they wanted to stand up for real change. Many speeches were notable, particularly Bolivia's Evo Morales, who called for the 'Friends of the Earth' to stand up, and take charge rather than wating for political leadership to get its act togther, to move away from capitalism and its cult of Earth destruction, and France's Sarkozy, who exhorted the leaders to stop giving the speeches and get down to business, and cut a deal in the less than 36 hours that remained, that was going to make a real difference or face the fact that they have totally FAILED the people on the planet. Sarkozy kept asking, “Who dares to deny” the different facts of science on the climate crisis. Other's like Trinidad and Tobago's Patrick Manning, asserted committment to natural gas use, ( Trinidad and Tobago have abundant supplies ) while adding words about brotherhood and love.
In the evening, the Climate Justice Fast turned off the screens, with Youth organizer Deepa Gupta commenting, “we've heard alot of talking...” and held a candlelight vigil asking people to write down their thoughts, reflections or visions on a small piece of paper and offer it with prayer to the center of the crowd gathered in a huge semi-circle. We taped our lips closed to symbolize both the non-eating of the Fast, and the silent sacrifice that the Fast embodies. Beautiful, original songs were sung, and Sara Swensson gave a simple and moving speech about the power of the ordinary individual to assist in the changing times to come, that a new life awaits us, with more time for families, relationships, to be in Nature, to quietly enjoy living together, responsibly, loving the Earth. Anna Keenan spoke about how the different movements, united, can transform the Earth, that we all have the power within us to make the necessary changes.
With that, the International Day of Prayer and Fasting, officially ended, with most people still Fasting. Sara. Matthew and Anna are continuing their Fast.

Has the call for ethical leadership been heard?

Interestingly, 1 month before the UNFCCC COP-15, the Danish government sent out postcards to each and every UN delegate coming to the COP, requesting them to refrain from using the prostitutes in Denmark. Prostitution is legal in Denmark, but the society has recognized that it is a virtual form of slavery, that even if chosen, results in a very rough and unhappy life for the women involved. Many efforts are on by people's movements to bring Denmark society back from the precipice of social destruction that leaders have brought it to, beginning in 1960's with the legalization of pornography. A first that rocked the world, and aided in Scandinavian women becoming the most heckled women outside their countries. But, it seemed that the interests of political leaders had less in mind than the sanctity of their women, the moral safety of the daughters in Danish society. Now, its been four generations, and youth have become addled by the strange expectations that adult society has held out for them.
Unfortunately, with a legacy of past meetings trailing them, the UN official delegates have earned themselves the reputation of being glad exploiters of psychologically damaged women and men sex-workers. It was before this crowd, slightly inebriated from the lunch and dinner cocktails, that the Youth of the world, the sons and daughters of the Earth stood up, that the Climate Justice Fast young women, Sara Svensson and Anna Keenan, both 24 years of age, stood in silence.
With such a moral record, can we, the parents, and those who could not attend, feel secure in feeing that political leaders were able to hear or respond to the ethical call of Youth?
Gandhi saw that political and social leaders have a hefty responsibilty. Its a position of service, of self-sacrifice and duty. Gandhi felt that if the adherence to Truth on behalf of the leader was sincere and strong, the environment under the leader, beginning with the people but extending into all Nature also, would be in harmony with Truth as well. He held the leaders in communities and society as being accountable for untruth and moral lapses in people they represented and stated:

“Untruth is more poisonous and more subtle than any poison gas whatever, but it dare not enter where the head of the institution is wide awake and has a spiritual outlook on life. Still, if it is found to have effected an entrance, it is a warning to the principal worker, who may be sure that he must bear his share of responsibility for this infection.” (Gandhi, M.K., Ashram Observances in Action.

Gandhi saw that leaders had a responsibility to stand for moral and ethical life. He gave this example as to how the leadership in his ashram communities responded to dishonest speech and behaviors:

“Whenever someone was found telling a lie in the ashram, effective steps were taken to deal with the situation as symptomatic of a serious disease. The Ashram does not believe in punishing wrongdoers, so much so that hesitation is felt even in asking them to leave the institution. Three lines of preventive action were therefore adopted:
The first thing attended to was the purity of the principal workers in charge, the idea being that if they were free from fault, the atmosphere about them was bound to be affected by their innocence. Untruth cannot stand before Truth like darkness before the light of the sun.
Secondly, we had recourse to confession. If some one was found practising untruth, the fact was brought to the notice of the congregation. This is a very useful measure if it is judiciously adopted. But one has to be careful about two things. The public confession must not be tainted by even a trace of force [as peer coercion] and the confession should not lead to the person confessing
taking leave of all sense of shame. If he comes to believe that mere confession has washed off his sin, he is no longer ashamed of it at all.
Thirdly, the worker in charge of the ashram as well as the wrongdoer would fast as a matter of penance. Of course it is a matter for the wrongdoer himself to decide whether or not he should undertake a fast. But as for the worker in charge, he is clearly responsible for intentional and unintentional wrongdoing in his institution.” (Gandhi, M.K. Ashram Observances in Action)

Gandhi was a hard task-master, hardest upon himself. To rid the atmosphere in the ashram of untruth, Gandhi felt that in certain cases `bodily penance’ in some form was the only effective cure that a leader could use. He said:

“Bodily penance has a threefold influence, first over the penitent, secondly, over the wrongdoer and thirdly over the congregation. The penitent becomes more alert, examines the innermost recesses of his own heart and takes steps to deal with any personal weakness that he may
discover. If the wrongdoer has any pity, he becomes conscious of his own fault, is ashamed of it and resolves never to sin any more in the future. The congregation takes a course of self-introspection.
But bodily penance is only a means to an end, not an end in itself. By itself it cannot bring an erring person to the right path...Fasting in order to produce this effect must be taken in its widest sense as the exercise of control over all the organs of sense with a view to the purification of oneself or others...”

Given this criterion, of exercising a sense of universal responsibility towards those whom a leader leads, who stands before us as leaders today? It is our Youth.
Our Youth are calling for ethical and moral leadership by those who have ammassed political power. Our intellectual capacities are not separate from our actions. Given the seriousness of the position of a leader, it is imperative that political leaders follow certain ethical guidelines. From the experience of the UN delegates at the UNFCCC COP-15, it is proposed that all government officials, delegates and leaders adhere to the following ethical guidelines, in order to carry out their responsibiities to the people they represent with care, attention and transpearent honesty:
1. While holding any office of service to the public weal, and during the entire tenure of that office, officials should not use alcohol or drugs at any time. As a leader, their duty is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week until they are removed or step down from their office. The necessity for 24 hour vigilance is due to the fact that it is impossible to say when, as leaders, they may be called upon to make a decision, and whenever that time comes, the public needs to have confidence that they will be alert and capable of making that decision in the best interests of the public and the creation, with all their faculties.
2. People who have psychiatric problems and medication to help them cope with life should not hold official positions until they are over those problems, and no longer require medication.
3. People who have no hesitantcy to violate and exploit and degrade others as prostitutes or slaves and servants, will not be allowed to hold office. If they are found to be holding office, they should step down, as by doing so, they have proved themselves unfit to serve the public impartially, or with a fair eye.
4. Salaries will be kept within modest bounds, and associations with lobbyists will take place only in the public eye to minimize corruption.
5. All financial transactions, including the use of personal salary will be posted in public, preferably on internet.
Through these means, it is hoped that the officials, and their families and attendents will be ever conscious of their moral duty to the great public Trust that has been given to them and act accordingly.
Our leaders need to be alert, so that we, the public can rest.
Looking over the faces of most of the political leaders on the screen, one is hard pressed to find any face exuding kindness, concern and caring or even forthrightness. These are, by and large, faces with a thick mask of power, position, prestige and posturing.
By instituting mandatory ethical guidelines, we will 'cull the crop' of political aspirants, so to speak. By adding more ethical guidelines in the future, we will refine and redefine the definition of what it means to be a political or social leader into a position of service that we can all deeply respect.
This is what our Youth is calling for. This is what our Youth have demonstrated that they are capable of. Why should they be led by lesser minds?
This is what the UN FCCC delegates, and much of political leadership has caused the public to demand by their inaction and uncaring behaviors.
Let us toll the bell for a new day in political life – the rise of ethical leadership.