Question
You often have strong ideas about a wide variety of subjects, such as sports, education, and health… Is there such a thing as spiritual politics? Do you have a platform? As a monk and Zen master, can you get involved in social politics?
Colette
Answer from Master Kosen
Yes, of course: free-market liberalism, yes, but for everyone.
First, levy the Tobin tax on stock-market profits and use that money to fund governments, which could then stop taxing small businesses, allowing them to prosper, multiply, and employ more people. The economy and employment would then recover. And the stock market would more than recover the percentage taken, and so on.
People talk to us about democracy, but we are not a democracy. Every five years, we vote for a new government that does not keep its promises and forces the population to endure its schemes, which it calls reforms. That amounts to voting every five years for a new dictatorship. And no one is happy under dictatorships.
All important laws should be put to a popular referendum. The people themselves should also be able to propose votes, provided they first gather a certain number of signatures.
This kind of voting could take place by neighborhood, city, region, country, continent, and so on.
You will tell me it is complicated to have so many votes, that people will get tired of it.
When you consider that today it takes a year to get a voter registration card.
Obviously, there are ways to simplify the process considerably: www.vote.com. You enter your social security number and click yes or no from anywhere in the world.
Then all laws would be debated and understood by the people, who would feel involved in politics and in their country’s choices. No more stupid strikes and demonstrations that cause disruption and cost so much. We would move from childishness and ignorance to responsibility and cohesion.
These are two simple, feasible examples that would change the face of the world.
Kosen