As political tensions rise and a resolution seems out of reach, a Western Carolina University (WCU) professor is writing about how spiritual politics may be the only answer.
Dr. Michael Lenz is a political science professor at WCU, and he believes the answer to current global issues is spirituality. This spirituality is not religious, but instead about embracing peace, hope and unity.
Lenz has been teaching introductory level political science courses at WCU for five years. He is also an author and traveling inspirational speaker as well.
Lenz new book, titled, “Spiritual Politics: A remedy to the political corruption of our times” explores how current issues would find solutions in unity and draws connections to major historical moments like Gandhi leading India to independence, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s role in the Civil Rights Movement and the 1960s and 70s hippie movement.
Spiritualization of politics is defined as the infusion of morality and ethics into politics aimed for governance through service and sacrifice. This is key to fostering public good and nonviolence, rather than rigid violent ideologies. Spiritual politics is increasingly growing its influence in the political science and public affairs field as many people realize a new solution to global issues is needed.
“We need to inject more peace, compassion, and unity into the way we approach political issues,” Lenz said regarding a discussion on the problem with current global leader strategies on handling global issues. He believes their current methods are fueled by greed and self-interests.
Lenz believes the current political climate is full of friction and division within the United States and with the US’s global involvement. Democrats and Republicans have an extreme amount of hatred built up between them.
“Anger, fear, division, and resentment are the underlying characteristics of our political discourse right now,” Lenz said. “The world is on a path of self-destruction and devastation.”
Lenz discusses how climate change is another example of the world destroying its own home for profit and other selfish reasons. With all of these struggles, discourse and harm, it is clear a solution is needed, and the complex idea of spiritual politics could be the answer.
Lenz has been researching his idea of spiritual politics as a new topic and has relied on qualitative data as case studies. He emphasizes how a strong leader or peaceful mindset can bring together a country and lead to concrete change.
Lenz first uses Gandhi and his ability to unite India to fight for their independence through nonviolent resistance. He was able to build hope in a society, encourage civil disobedience and successfully help them break away from British rule.
Gandhi was known for living simply and being a devout Hindu. He embraced spirituality, and that propelled him to the leadership, harmony, and success he found with liberation.
Lenz’s also used the example of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his role in the Civil Rights Movement. MLK was a beloved preacher, and he used his Christian beliefs to give him power for building peace through practicing nonviolent resistances like protests and boycotts.
Lastly, Lenz’s data draws on the 60s and 70s hippie movement. The hippie movement embraced harmony and was strongly against violence during the Vietnam War. They promoted peace, love, kindness and environmentalism as a foundation for social change and their antiwar movement.
“So, currently, I argue in this book I’m writing, that the U.S. is embroidered, stuck in a stew of toxic politics,” Lenz said. “The consequences stemming from our toxic political culture are apparent to all. Widespread corruption, greed, dramatically growing gaps between rich and poor, and partisan gridlock.”
Lenz describes how serious of a matter the current conditions of the United States are and how the country is heading down a dark path. One side making decisions, everyone chasing profit and searching for solutions to their individual problem has not been helpful.
His idea of spirituality and unity has historically proven to lead to positive social change with Gandhi and MLK, but who this leading person, group or organization is still unknown. Lenz is not researching who or what exactly this spiritual movement might be, but instead focuses on the desperate need for one. This is on purpose as the spiritual movement is not just about one person, but instead a community and their willingness to set aside personal motives for collective political harmony.
“I show in the book how a new spiritual politics, founded on the principles of compassion, peace, and unity, is the remedy to the political corruption and divisiveness of our times,” said Lenz.
This book Lenz is working on draws inspiration from two of his other book written under his pen name, “The Hippie Revival,” and “Humanity Spiritual Rebirth: Lessons Lived and Learned from a Pandemic.”
“Additional themes that are also addressed in these writings include: the sacredness of the natural world, the commune as an alternative model of social organization, the intersection of social revolution and spirituality and a questioning of the meaning behind ‘progress,’” The Hippie Revival summary states.
“And the ideas in this book were actually influenced by those two books I wrote before,” Lenz said.
All of his writings embrace a common theme of unity, and the hope for society to recover from the current prominent negativity. His research and books are also inspired by other writings that share this higher consciousness belief, like The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz.
Lenz emphasizes how he has been inspired by authors like Ruiz and applauded his agreements, specifically his second agreement, “Don’t take anything personal.” This idea that nothing someone does is directly because of someone else connects to Lenz’s idea of there being a much bigger picture than just one person’s desires.
Lenz is still developing this idea, which does lead to questions and concerns. This idea relies on qualitative data and results from historical moments. This leaves room for questions on what adjustments will need to be made to fit the current political system.
The role spiritualty can play in healing global politics is an underdeveloped idea. Lenz is currently the only political science professor at WCU who is studying, researching and trying to bring this idea to public light.
The hippie movement is known for promoting peace, and the Civil Rights Movement demonstrated how unity can be used to fight for social change, but they are often not brought together. While research has been done in the past, the inspiration of spirituality on global issues in the last five years has not been yet connected in a major movement.
It’s unknown how much spiritual politics can do to help the current state of America and the involvement in global issues, or if it is even possible for people to unite in this way again. While it may be hard to see how a spiritual revival could heal current circumstances, Lenz remains optimistic and hopes his first book written without his pen name will become mainstream.
“So I’m hoping what this book does is it spurs like a new vision of how we even relate to our politics,” Lenz said. “That’s where that’s where we got to go. It’s a direction. And it’s funny, I don’t think the world will ever be a more peaceful place unless we inject spirituality, like true universal spirituality that’s central to all religions.”
