THE AMERICAN SOUL

Jacob Needleman sent me this remarkable book, which I had not seen before, even though it was published 12 years ago. Subtitled 'rediscovering the wisdom of the founders' it is nothing short of a new moral vision not only for America, but also for any country and individual that wants to contribute to the creation of a true civilisation. The idea of America is a hope, a vision for the future, a new beginning and a sense of unfolding destiny. It is an idea and an ideal that America itself has failed to live up to, but it is nevertheless a source of renewed vision for the future in embodying the inner meaning of the principles that formed the basis of American democracy in the late 18th century.

As human beings we exist between two worlds, 'an inner world of great spiritual vision and power, and an outer world of material realities and constraint.' In this sense, freedom is understood not as indulgence of desires but as obedient submission to a deep inner law whereby we become instruments of action for the expression of divine law and love, which proceeds from our common cosmic Selfhood, as Emerson also understood. This combines inner freedom with outer engagement, metaphysics with spiritual psychology expressed in politics. Arnold Toynbee also showed in his Study of History that the origins of civilisation lie in the inner life of humanity and the corresponding decline when civilisations succumb to outer forms (image) and decadent materialism. Pitirim Sorokin reached a similar conclusion.

Jacob begins with his own experience of being inducted into American identity, first through the flag but then in a deeper sense of understanding the philosophical identity of America 'composed of ideas of freedom, liberty, independent thought, independent conscience, self-reliance, hard work, justice.' As he shows, each of these ideals can be distorted, but it is always possible to return to their original meaning and intent as envisaged and embodied by the founders of American democracy. He goes back even further to the writings of William Penn on the inner light and his reflections on the relationship between contemplation and action. Benjamin Franklin is the first seminal figure to be considered with his key influence on the formulation of the constitution and his initiation of the American tradition of self-improvement. He made an inner demand on individuals, calling them to express the highest in themselves.

The section on Washington is quite fascinating. He was a man of great physical presence and moral authority who made way both militarily and politically at crucial points, thus reinforcing and embodying the idea of democracy. He was a man of great strength and maintained within himself the paradoxes of, for instance, ambition and self-sacrifice, passion and impartiality, the all too human alongside 'highly developed powers of will, courage, impartial love and the capacity for right action.' This seems to stem from his striving towards self-mastery from a very early age, developing the force and quality of his character and following in Franklin's footsteps. It is ultimately inner freedom that bestows moral power, as Nelson Mandela also demonstrated in our time. His farewell speech, quoted and analysed at length, is both eloquent and moving. He urges his fellow citizens to observe good faith and justice towards all nations and to cultivate peace and harmony with all, guided by exalted justice and benevolence. In this, he is also concerned to moderate the fury of party spirit.

Jacob now moves onto Jefferson, again painting a vivid portrait of the man in all his complexity and brilliance. For Jefferson, self-government is the incarnation of our free will and happiness not merely the satisfaction of desires. The American ideals must be interiorised if they are to achieve true political expression. In contrast to Calvin and Luther, Jefferson had a positive view of human capacities, while also recognising human frailties. It is important to remember spirit of the Enlightenment and its understandings of reason and freedom while reading all this. Following a spiritual logic, Jefferson sought to create a form of government and constitution 'that allows the liberty of free, potentially divine human beings, while at the same time checking the bestial, egoistic forces that in fact dominate our fallen nature.' The situation is no different today in that we are still both inwardly free and inwardly slaves the same time, 'great and fallen, strong and weak.' Jefferson proposes the communal self as a reconciling force in this process.

A short chapter on Lincoln follows with an interesting reminder that the exposure time for photographs was very long, which explains why Lincoln's humour does not appear in his face. Lincoln was an individual in the true sense of the word as a responsible man who was also a force of human presence, both engaged and detached.

Earlier in the book, Jacob remarks on the blindness of both Washington and Jefferson with respect to the status of slaves in relation to the equality expressed in the constitution. This next section treats the historical crimes of America, principally against the American Indians and the slaves. He explains the native Indian understanding of peace, justice and conscience, relating this principally through stories, for instance about Hiawatha. He argues that a state of being was lost through the crushing of American Indians, but this spirit is surely coming back in our time.

One of the most powerful sections of the book, and worth buying for this alone, is the analysis of the speech given by Frederick Douglass (1818-1894) on July 5, 1852. I must confess that I knew very little about him before reading this book, and imagine this will also be the case with many readers. Douglass had been brought up as a slave, but at the age of 15 he resisted and confronted his tormentor and became inwardly free, contacting his deep Self and realising that he was not afraid to die. This is genuine inner revolution. He begins his speech by asking whether the invitation to speak signified: 'do you mean, citizens to mock me, asking me to speak today?' The speech must be one of the greatest, most eloquent and most moving ever given, and I urge you to read it for yourself. You will be profoundly touched and rather shocked that his sentiments took over 100 years to reach fruition in the civil rights movement of the 1960s. His accusations of inconsistency with respect to freedom and equality are truly excoriating, a denial of the sacred in humanity and a manifestation of barbarism and hypocrisy. Historically, though, it was not the Civil War that broke America's heart, but Vietnam. Given these crimes, one easily understands both the vision and the illusion of America and the implicit invitation to return to the true meaning of those founding principles.

At this point, Jacob tells the story of the community established at Ephrata in 1728 by Conrad Beissel. In 1735 a certain Peter Miller was appointed leader of the community and a local businessman, Michael Widman, became his tormentor, having nothing but contempt for the community, even to the extent of physically assaulting Miller and spitting in his face. Widman eventually turns traitor and is condemned to death for treachery under the jurisdiction of Washington. When Miller hears this, he makes the long journey to plead for his forgiveness. Washington assumes that he must be a friend, at which point Miller explains that Widman has been for years his most persecuting enemy but that his religion teaches him to pray for those who despitefully use him. After a long silence, Washington issues the pardon on one condition: that Miller takes it himself. After a further walk of some 20 miles, Miller finds himself standing in front of Widman, who already has a rope around his neck. On seeing him, Widman actually asks for forgiveness and must have been quite astounded to learn that Miller himself had pleaded for his pardon with Washington. This is one of the most moving episodes of moral courage and power that I know.

Whitman is also quoted in upholding the wisdom principles embodied in American ideals before Jacob concludes his reflections on the nature of the inner America: 'it is a deep, hidden power of consciousness and moral power within every human being, a force, an intensity of feeling and knowing that defines us as human beings, that defines our place in nature, on earth and with each other.' The deeper meaning of character is represented by inner revolution whereby we realise that we are not only flesh and blood individuals but can become instruments of impersonal greatness, both a personality and a soul. In this respect, it is critical to give priority to the soul. He muses that the future is another word for the soul while remarking that this requires a specific human effort to create, or else hope will disappear: we have to choose 'to love and serve the common good under a freely chosen obedience to a higher law.' As I think the reader will understand, this is a profoundly inspiring book that speaks to the inner condition of both us as individuals and as a culture, at the same time inviting the reader to become an expression of their highest self in service to others.