How did the man that was become the man that is; the President Elect?  Lately I have heard people ask this puzzling question over and over.  As news and events place an overlapping trance upon last years news we see contradictions in our national identity and leadership so utterly apparent that we fear for our own reality. Some folks say our new leader is reformed, has had a conversion and is a new man.  Others buy into lies and factual contradictions so transparent that we cringe and protest to no avail.  The Meta-Trance of the internet must not prevail in the next years over the more sacred duty of witnessing the suffering of neighbors 

There is the old maxim: “See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil”.  I initially thought this saying was a warning, but in my research I found I was wrong.  The three  monkeys were in their origin a 17th Century Japanese maxim of positive instruction for virtue called The Three Wise Monkeys.   Gandhi apparently further popularized those charming little Macaques monkey’s Mizaru,(see) Kikazaru,(hear) and Iwazaru (speak) [thank you Wikipedia].  Only in more modern times did this story morph into a caution against turning a blind eye, deaf ear, and closed mouth to all the apparent wrong in the world.  But did you know there was a Fourth monkey ?

The lesser known fourth monkey, Sezaru, symbolizes the principle of “Do no evil”.  The fourth monkey of wisdom dates back to the era of Confucious. In this next few years this monkey may be this age’s most important symbol. We can hope our new leader has reformed and will learn on the job, but we can’t count on it given the history.  Witnessing the future will be the challenge.  When the fourth Monkey’s maxim of do no evil is violated, we must be ready with the courage to see, hear, speak  and in the name of good, resist.  The Wise Monkeys built character in a different age.  In the age of democracy we the people are the conscience of the nation and need to keep our eyes and ears open, speak when we see the doing of of the fourth monkey’s admonition. In a democracy the once virtue of ignoring unto ignorance may well become the prime vice of the time. We must resist the Meta-trance of reality revision. Only then can we respond with the courage and integrity required when evil is done.