Zen Super Tuesday

02.05.08 | Category: Zen Government

Sumi-e Elephant Donkey

We are the country of “Winner Takes All.” There is only One National Champion, One Best Picture, One Album of the Year. If you happen to be #2, you might as well not exist.

But who is in a position to select a single winner? Who said that Michael Tilson Thomas’ Mahler is greater than Haitink’s Beethoven? And that the Dixie Chicks are even greater?

Today we are taking a major step towards selecting the One and Only presidential winner. At first glance, this selection seems more objective than choosing the greatest scientist, artist or musician. But what constitutes a victory: winning most delegates? Winning the electoral vote? Winning the admiration of future generations? Sometimes it is hard to distinguish the winner from, well, the loser. Or, as Jean-Paul Sartre said, “Once you hear the details of victory, it is hard to distinguish it from a defeat. ”

In this world of “Winner-Takes-All,” I am so glad that Silicon Valley is an oasis of Zen “Non-Winner-Takes-All.” Which one is the best social network? Shopping website? Photo-sharing website? “The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass” (Dogen). Silicon Valley is formed by many dewdrops. Yes, you can win it all– but then you stop being ValleyZen and become Microsoft. Or Google.

Drue Kataoka

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6 Comments so far

  1. Susie 02.05.08 at 7:36 pm

    If zen is a form of enlightenment, then surely Silicon Valley may consider itself the heartbeat of political zen – a state that this good country of ours must not let slip beyond its grasp. Drue’s neat turn of phrase, depicting our give-a-damn Bay Area as an oasis of Zen Non-Winner-Takes-All, reminds us of a philosophy we should all be striving to embody…selflessness, community first, random acts of kindness, WE THE PEOPLE. Brava Drue, for your relevant and insightfully vibrant blog on this super Zen day.

  2. Borcho 02.05.08 at 10:20 pm

    It seems like there will be no democratic winner determined today. Beautiful painting!

  3. M.Slavin 02.06.08 at 9:38 am

    How can we reconcile a “winner-take-all” mentality with the fact that
    victory is not always clear cut.
    The results from Super Tuesday bear this out.
    What candidate actually “won?”

  4. Howard 02.06.08 at 4:43 pm

    It seems particularly Western to me to see everything in win/lose, black/white, right/wrong terms.

    One of the quotes I most appreciate is from Bertrand Russell.

    Someone asked the great philosopher if he’d be willing to die for his beliefs.

    “Of course not,” he replied. “I might be wrong.”

  5. Robert 02.07.08 at 12:06 am

    Very well said Drue. It seems Super Tuesday was a draw, so I wonder what will happen in the upcoming primaries.

  6. Vlasta Diamant 04.17.08 at 4:11 am

    Coming from the backwoods of involvement in politics:

    1. When have we heard of “superdelegates” in previous elections? It seems a buzzword and a political entity in this election, just as “chads”, previously unheard of, featured big in ‘04 election. Every election seems to have, or wants to have a new buzzword. The perennial one is “change”!

    2. I wish senator Biden had a chance! Collin Powel recently stated, that none of the delegates will be able to follow up
    on their promisses: bring the troops home! I would stretch this statement to a wide range of campaigns’ promises. Each candidate has obligation to people who contributed to their campaigns. People don’t throw hundreds of thousands into a pot out of altruism.

    The wisdom of Jean-Paul Sartre on victory is what should be heard by all “eager winners” & their followers.

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