“Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: if you’re alive, it isn’t.”
—Richard Bach (as cited in Pim van Lommel, 2010, p. 1)
I want to write a treatise called Machiavelli’s Sister! It will be the polar opposite of The Prince, by Machiavelli. My goal is the spiritual ideal, not the cutthroat Machiavellian ideal. I plan to take his unscrupulous leadership strategies, mainly as they occur in politics during wartime (and arguably, at times, in academia), and subvert them by homing in on spiritual and harmonious ideals. While some people might say ideals are impossible, it’s not true. If one person or leader can demonstrate a spiritual ideal during wartime, as some of the Jewish Holocaust survivors did, it may be enough to change the world’s dynamic toward the light. At the very least, pursuing ideals during wartime, even if they lead to one’s demise, culminates in a noble life.
I will apply for funding next year for the research stage for the book through an arts foundation. If I receive funding, I will research the philosophies of Paul Friedman (from The Marriage Foundation); the many religious, spiritual, and self-help texts I’ve read; various philosophers on idealism I’ve yet to read; biographies of spiritual icons during political unrest (such as Gandhi, Anne Frank, and others); accounts of heavenly encounters by people who temporarily die (called near-death experiences); and, of course, the book The Prince by Machiavelli, and put them through the synthesis machine to produce a spiritual-idealistic philosophy of war. I guarantee it’s not protesting against our beloved Jewish community; in fact, it’s not harming any community. And it’s not pointing fingers and saying, “But look at what they’re doing!” It’s looking at ourselves and saying, “What am I doing, and how can I achieve the spiritual ideal?”
I will start with research on the ancient philosophies of idealism. My beautiful philosophy professor, who passed away from H1N1, will guide me as she speaks to my soul. I’ve heard her talk to me on many occasions since her passing, once shockingly so, where she said, “I love you,” with such clarity that it shook me to the core. In her class, I performed a creative presentation on Plato’s story of near-death experiences, although I was an atheist then. I believe she is guiding me and all her beloved students, although no one would admit it for fear of being committed to an institution.
The ideals for the book Machiavelli’s Sister will be formulated as they might exist in heaven (or even higher heavenly realms, such as the Christian third heaven or the infinite degrees of heaven in Sikhism). In other words, whatever generates bliss and unconditional love for all encapsulates ideal states. So why not theorize in a way that brings heavenly ideals to Earth during wartime?
My beautiful friend, who had four near-death experiences, said that visions of future war were presented to her during her heavenly visit. I saw other NDEs who say they were presented with visions of future possible war outcomes for Earth. These people often say that we must change the horrific outcomes by choosing unconditional love. My friend believes that the opposite of love is not hate but selfishness, which may explain why great wealth can contribute to mass suffering.
Whether my book will be funded is a gamble, but it’s a goal, and when we keep throwing stuff at the wall, something eventually sticks. And what better pursuit to make than one that advocates for unconditional love for every soul, as love is the purpose of life, and love is who we all essentially are?
