SPOTLIGHT: The Politics of Unity: An Invitation to the High Road by Michael Cuddehe

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“The wealth of a nation is like the blood in the body. It needs to circulate everywhere in order to maintain optimal health.” Michael Cuddehe

When the author of the book Michael Cuddehe told me that the purpose of "The Politics of Unity" is to enliven Dharma in public life, my interest in his book grew. As I read more and get to know Michael better through my interactions, I realized that the reason he wrote the book is different. Yes there is a mix of ego i.e. get to be known as an ‘Author’ - probably make some money and get invited to talks etc. but more importantly, I believe he wrote the book from the historical perspective and with a political purpose. There is a good mix of Aesthetic enthusiasm as well, which makes the book more readable as well.

BRIEF NOTE ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Michael Cuddehe is a veteran market analyst, trader and fund manager. He has spent the last 35+ years tracking and analyzing global political and economic developments and is currently the Managing Member of Strategic Global Advisors, LLC. He is the publisher of Risk & Opportunity, a quarterly political and economic newsletter, and the author of "Chronicle of Catastrophe: A Contemporaneous History of the Bush Years."

Mr. Cuddehe has been active in politics as a candidate for U.S. Representative and as a member of the Platform and Executive Committees of the Natural Law Party. He is a Certified Teacher of

The Transcendental Meditation Program, and a founding member of E2 (Environmental Entrepreneurs), an NRDC affiliate, which works with business leaders dedicated to promoting environmentally sound public policy and business practices.

HIS INSPIRATIONS

Purpose – to make a meaningful contribution to Humanity.

CHALLENGES

Satisfying my editor.

QUOTES FROM THE BOOK

    “The wealth of a nation is like the blood in the body. It needs to circulate everywhere in order to maintain optimal health.”

    “Left/right, conservative/liberal are the left and right legs of the body politic. They are both needed to move forward.”

    “A self-realized individual, giving expression to his/her full potential, will spontaneously live and operate in harmony with natural law, becoming an asset to society. Brick by brick, a society composed of such self-actualized individuals will spontaneously become an ideal society.”     

    “How different our national life would be if the universal perspective of the wholeness of life were a lively backdrop to political process and policy considerations. It would provide a supportive foundation for mutual respect, honorable process, conflict resolution and the crafting of policy solutions meeting the needs of all parties, and society as a whole.”

These quotes summarize the practical application of the principles of balance, transcendence and natural law which, when enlivened, will mark the rise of dharma in public life.

THE BOOK

Our technological ascendance is presenting us alternately with the means to create heaven on earth, or to destroy ourselves utterly. The outcome of this transition is dependent on how we organize our affairs and conduct our relationships with each other—our politics.

In 'The Politics of Unity', Michael Cuddehe identifies the primitive thinking, perverse incentives and political dynamics keeping us divided, distracted, and stuck on the low road of endless conflict, and then lays out 10 steps to the restoration of a healthy political process, opening the door to the creation of a better, more sustainable world, utilizing our technology for the good of all.

"The Politics of Unity" is a guide to the high road in the political process; a social blueprint for a better world.

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Michael tells me that the first draft of the book was done in 1990 and the final iteration took a year. He thinks of his book as a guide to the high road in the political process; a social blue print for a better world. When asked if he would stop writing if some one asked him to, he says that it is unlikely. If he did, then he would probably continue his focus on markets and trading, and/or teaching. The favorite spot for his writing is his office. The energy of the place and the organization is supportive and he finds no disturbance, which is conducive to his writing style.

He is a world class trader, in 80’s was in top five Commodity Trading Advisor and adds with a smile - a good father as well.

He is currently developing a workshop entitled “Bridging the Partisan Divide: Nonviolent Politics” to offer…

- A model of healthy politics that will produce optimal policy without partisan warfare.

- A method for engaging in constructive dialog with people who disagree with you.

- Understanding of the forces systematically creating division, mistrust and conflict in our society.

- The knowledge and tools needed to neutralize the impact of these forces on your life.

He also plans to begin publishing on his blog to coincide with his workshop.

SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT HIM

I am 94% Irish, the balance Scottish and English; grew up in the Navy, moving every few years; went to Catholic school. I love the mountains - have been to Gangotri, Yamunotri and Kedarnath. Met Bichendri Pal, the first Indian woman to climb Mt. Everest, on the path to Tapovan, after her climb of Shivling mountain. Love the ocean too – lived in Malibu and Laguna Niguel. I am a private pilot, multi-engine and instrument rated; owned a Beechcraft Baron

HIS FAVORITE BOOKS

GENRE: Historical Fiction

Narrative history and historical fiction. Learning about different times and cultures in the context of good storytelling and character development.

BOOKS:

City of Thieves about the siege of Leningrad
The Art of Racing in the Rain, for sheer delight.

TO BUY HIS BOOK “The Politics of Unity: An Invitation to the High Road” … CLICK HERE.

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– by Shashi 

CEO & Partner Interior Contracts Firm ICUBE Projects

Speaker | Author of “Songs of the Mist” & "Kuhase Ke Geet "
Haiku Poet | Writes India’s #1 Spiritual Blog “Shadow Dancing With Mind”
(Global Ranking #36)

List of SPOTLIGHT authors of Jan and Feb '17

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Shashi

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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READER: The English Teacher by R K Narayan

Some times some books chose you rather than you choosing them to read. In the three years that I have been reading some lovely books through our 'Sans Serif book club' initiative, this book connected with me at deeper level. The tentative steps taken by R K Narayan - one of the Indian pioneers of writing in English, is endearing and courageous. 

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This book also connected well with all of us in the book club as some of the members have had the privilege to interact with R K Narayan personally while he was alive and gave us beautiful account of their interaction with the author himself. 

Discussing 'The English Teacher' at our Sans Serif Book club
@ Apparao Galleries

The story, seemingly a book about a life of an English Teacher, turned out to be more than a simple story of a person. It moved from being a persons account of tribulations of living to an account of three person's mortality and beyond in case of the death of the English teacher's wife. The connection beyond living, so lovingly brought out by R K Narayan, seemed natural and touching. Some times when we lose some one we love, the bonds remain, sometimes so strong that the person is not able to move on and that's what this story highlighted in its essence. That's the first loss in the book that made the English teacher look into his own life and living. Here I must note that it was one of the best writing skill of the author that even though the loss was immense, he was able to mention in such a subtle way, without the necessary drama of a loss that most of the authors succumb to, that I had to go back and read the lines to convince myself that the English Teacher's wife was really dead.

"After the car (doctor’s) had gone, a stony silence closed in on the house, punctuated by the stentorian breathing, which appeared to me the creaking of the hinges of a prison gate, opening at the command of a soul going into freedom." - R K Narayan in "The English Teacher"

The second loss was of perceived demise of the Head Master. In his going, he had prepared himself to rise above his own short comings and left his home to be reborn again as the teacher he was. Some times the enlightenment comes in different form and this was one the most powerful highlights of the book.

Finally, did the English Teacher die too? Well I will leave this question unanswered as I feel that this discovery is needed to be made by yourself - the reader.

I remember meeting Alexander McCall Smith in this year's Hindu Lit Festival, where he extolled the beauty of R K Narayan's writing and his lament still rings true that we, the Indians, don't appreciate the beauty and the power of an Indian Author's writing in English. I had promised myself after the discussion with him, to read his books and I am so glad that I did. It opened not only my eyes to an era, beyond Malgudi days, to the dirt track of villages, writing letters and making of an ink. A process my grandfather used to employ in my own childhood.

Alexander McCall Smith at Hindu Lit Festival 2016

The another beauty of R K Narayan's writing that comes out so powerfully in this book is the handling of flowering love - an under current that ran through the book so deeply that one wonder's why the new breed of authors have to resort to uncover a body to bring the excitement of love into love making. R K Narayan made love deeper than the river's flow that has breeched the banks. I loved it.

The mystical approach that he took to connect with his departed wife may sound far fetched but I was given to understand by the friends of the family - some of the members of our book club, is real. It seems so too to me. I have had many mystical experiences, while travelling in Himalaya with Sadhu's, Fakirs and wandering monks and could vouch for the connection of the spirits beyond the physical world. Even if it is not true, I personally feel that the experiences shared rings true.

Picture of actual transcendental writing from R K Narayan's departed wife

The best part of reading this book, along with the Sans Serif Book Club members is the fact that you get to hear different perspective, not only about the book, the story but about the author as well. I am so grateful to Prema Ma'am for the insights she gave of the Author, who she used to meet quite frequently in her younger days since he was a family friend.

One of the book club member even highlighted the way he started off with the book as cliched English writing and moved on to immensely powerful portrayal of quaint life.

But in the end, I felt that this was one of the book, in which you can see the transformation of the characters within the pages, growing out to be more fleshed, mature and powerful as the story progressed. What I could actually relate to, was the way the author's love life blossomed within the pages as she took over the day to day life within the house. 

An engrossing discussion at the Book Club @ The English Teacher

It is a beautiful book and if you have not read R K Narayan, not seen Malgudi Days on T V, then I think you should start with this book. 

Now I will leave you with a brief note about the Author and then share some of the words from the book that connected with me and I could relate to...

A Brief Note...

R. K. Narayan (10 October 1906 – 13 May 2001), full name Rasipuram Krishnaswami Iyer Narayanaswami, was an Indian writer, best known for his works set in the fictional South Indian town of Malgudi. He was a leading author of early Indian literature in English, along with Mulk Raj Anand and Raja Rao.

Image curtsy Wikipedia

Narayan's mentor and friend, Graham Greene was instrumental in getting publishers for Narayan’s first four books, including the semi-autobiographical trilogy of Swami and Friends, The Bachelor of Arts and The English Teacher. The fictional town of Malgudi, was first introduced in Swami and Friends. Narayan’s The Financial Expert, was hailed as one of the most original works of 1951, and Sahitya Akademi Award winner The Guide, was adapted for film and for Broadway.

Narayan highlights the social context and everyday life of his characters, and he has been compared to William Faulkner, who also created a similar fictional town, and likewise explored with humour and compassion the energy of ordinary life. Narayan's short stories have been compared with those of Guy de Maupassant, because of his ability to compress a narrative. However, he has also been criticised for the simplicity of his prose.

In a career that spanned over sixty years, Narayan received many awards and honours, including the AC Benson Medal from the Royal Society of Literature, the Padma Bhushan and the Padma Vibhushan, India's third and second highest civilian awards. He was also nominated to the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of India's parliament.

Curtsy Wikipedia

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Some Thoughts and Quotes from the Book - The English Teacher

Sans Serif Book Club Members @ Apparao Galleries

I loved this room because the sun came through a ventilator, bring in a very bright beam of light, and brilliant dust particles floated in it, and the two boys who sat on the second bench looked all aflame.

My father’s letter brought back to me not only the air of the village and all my childhood, but along with it all the facts …

[God said to his assistants, ‘Take this man away to hell’ and they brought him down to the hostel bathroom passage, and God said, ‘torture him’ and they opened the room and pushed him in…]

She watch these containers (carrying rations for the month) as a sort of barometer, the level of their contents indicating the progress of the month. Each had to be at a particular level on a particular date.

There are no more surprises and shocks in life, so that I watch the flame without agitation. For me the greatest reality is this and nothing else…. Nothing else will worry or interest me in life hereafter.

Our nature adapts itself to circumstances with wonderful speed.

Tree twigs have a sense of humor and adopt funny shapes. I think it is one of Nature’s expressions of humor, if only we can see them that way….

It gives on the feeling that it is a place belongs to Eternity, and that it will not be touched by time or disease or decay.

A man takes to drink to forget sad thoughts, but after a while they return with gathered force.

She sees me and perhaps takes in naturally, since children spontaneously see only the souls of persons. Children see spirit forms so often that it is natural to their condition and state of mind.

When I watch them (children), I get a glimpse of some purpose in existence and creation.

For all of us, our possessions turn to mementoes.

Between thought and fulfillment there is no interval. Thought is fulfillment, motion and everything. That is the main difference between our physical state and yours. In your state a thought to be realised must always be followed by effort directed towards conquering obstructions and inertia - that is the nature of material world.

The law of life cant be avoided. The law comes into operation the moment we detach ourselves from our mother’s womb. All struggle and misery in life is due to our attempt to arrest this law or get away from it or in allowing ourselves to be hurt by it. The fact must be recognized. A Profound unmitigated loneliness is the only truth of life. All else is false.

The kitchen is the deadliest arsenal a woman possesses.

This education had reduced us to a nation of morons; we were strangers to our own culture and camp followers of another culture, feeding on leavings and garbage.

Success must be measured by its profit-less-ness, said a French philosopher.

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Shashi 

ॐ नमः शिवाय

Om Namah Shivaya

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How to Write a Book - Milan Kundera