Every so often in this blog, I am compelled to step back and comment on the material reality we as humans all share in this world.

So while my search for answers to the larger questions of our existence are intriguing and challenging and offer me the opportunity to--at least intellectually--transcend the mundane, the object of what Buddhists call the Four Noble Truths, suffering, continues to affect the lives of humans all over the world.

Most thinking people today understand that we are living in a critical time in history because of the serious problems associated with the downturn in the world economy; the foolish, deadly and costly war in Iraq; and the increasing disparity between the world's "haves" and "have-nots".

But more importantly, for the first time in human history, there are serious questions as to whether we have effectively created the means to our own destruction through the wanton and irresponsible exploitation of resources and a total loss of connection to Nature; from which we've become estranged through our own arrogance, greed and ignorance.

It's difficult then, not to wonder how the concept of karma plays out on the world's stage. It would seem to me that if karma works on individuals based on their actions, it also works on the actions of groups or even nations.

As a citizen of the United States of America, I grew up with a sense of pride that, while it may be flawed, our country always tried to do the right thing. That idea was pretty much blown out of the water during our debacle in Vietnam with massive CIA-drug smuggling, the irresponsible and widespread use of defoliants on the environment and the indiscriminate carpet bombing of civilian villages in both Vietnam and neighboring countries.

As a result, what I learned was to question anything coming from "authoritative sources"; government, media, teachers, priests and parents. This happened not just to me, but to millions in my generation. Sadly, subsequent generations haven't had to face the same questions we did. Even today, with the endless war in Iraq consuming so many lives, the fact that no one is being drafted to fight there means that the soldiers who have gone there are already predisposed to accepting the lies they were told about this war and why we got into it. So while the all-volunteer army is a boon to those who will always want to wage war for various reasons, it is bad for the lack of civilian redress.

Today, the United States is still the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the world. Many even believe it to be the most moral and caring on earth because of how much money we give to help alleviate suffering around the world. Unfortunately, a more critical look at this country's history skewers that idea too.

Two important books I've read recently opened my eyes to the fallacy of this indoctrinated idea: "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" and "The Secret History of the American Empire". Both by John Perkins, they outline a case for the accumulation of bad karma in the last century that only adds to the enormous sins commited since this nation was created.

One has only to start with the two most evil actions people can inflict on others--genocide and slavery--to begin to understand how psychic scars can form in the body politic. Today, nearly 150 years after the end of slavery in this country, racism and bigotry are still epidemic. Native Americans who weren't decimated by the attempts in earlier times to exterminate their race have been marginalized to small pieces of land, where for the most part they live in poverty while their rich traditions and history are slowly being forgotten.

Meanwhile, despite efforts to create a more equal society for the descendants of slaves, most are still relegated to the ranks of the poorest in this nation, and in neighborhoods where children must learn to survive by joining gangs to create self-identity and pride.

For white society, the slaughter that goes down on our streets daily because of gang violence is all-but-ignored, as long as it stays in their neighborhoods and ghettos. Ironically, just as white flight starting in the 60's created a population explosion in suburban America, it was only a matter of time before the same conditions that existed in the inner cities would migrate to the suburbs--along with its violence.

Meanwhile, our culture has lost focus. For most of those who do make it beyond high school, there is only one direction to go: into business. Where once, a liberal arts education was considered broadening and beneficial, now taking humanities courses constitutes an unnecessary diversion from the real reason to get a higher education; that of getting out into the real world and making money.

Then there are those damning statistics.

• 21% of all children in America live in poverty
• 47 million people have no health insurance
• The US is ranked only 43rd in lowest infant mortality in the world
• The United States has the highest prison population rate in the world, some 686 per 100,000

And statistics like these go on and on and on...

Even now, when we know that global warming is a critical problem, Americans blithely drive around in their gas guzzlers without a second thought; except that they're getting increasingly irritated that the cost of gasoline for their SUV's and trucks is skyrocketing.

Under our current President, the government's role has been to do three things: continue to deregulate corporations, wage war and redistribute the wealth towards the wealthy. Unfathomably, American bought all three goals--twice. If it wasn't for the sheer incompetence shown in the waging of the Iraq war, we'd probably be heading for an election where a Republican using the same narrow-minded philosophies they've espoused for decades would be a sure bet to win in November. As it sits now, it is a compelling question--should Barack Obama get the nomination--whether America can overcome its insidious racism and vote for a black man. Many have grave doubts.

At some point then, it seems valid to wonder how all the psychic and karmic negativity that has built up in this nation, cannot come down on us. Perhaps this is what is happening now.

The dollar is becoming increasingly more worthless in comparison to the other important currencies of the world. We're much more dependent on Mid-East oil than we were in the early 70's when we experienced our first oil crisis. As we baby boomers reach the age of retirement, there are serious questions as to whether we will be able to rely on this government for either our promised entitlement to Social Security or adequate health care; such is the mountain of debt we are building up primarily as a result of this war.

When I was in Germany recently, I marveled at the fact that in 9 days there, including three in the large metropolitan area of Munich, I saw a grand total of 3 police cars. Some have said since that this is because Europe uses many more cameras on the street than we do.

I don't buy this, however. I think it has more to do with the fact that countries like Germany and France and England are working through the bad karma they've built up over the centuries. God knows that Germany's sins in 20th century were enormous, but I think that because Germans have acknowledged their evil deeds and have actively worked toward creating a healthy and just society, that country enjoys a positive psychic energy.

In contrast, the violence that we have yet to confront in American society caused by the unlimited access to guns and fueled by hatred and fear continues to plague us.

Finally, it seems like we've always elected people in this country who bring out our most negative attitudes. Ironically, the same Liberal ideas and attitudes we officially promote around the world are belittled and seen as weak and the antithesis of our beloved cowboy spirit in this country.

Instead of electing pretend cowboys and actors and bought-and-paid-for politicians, wouldn't it be refreshing for the United States to elect a man or woman for once, who possesses a consciousness and vision that extends beyond what we've been used to for far too long?

As an example of this kind of person, I think of how, in 1989, playwright, poet, author and humanitarian Václav Havel guided Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic) from communism to democracy with a vision, heart and intelligence that was essential in working through their oppressive Soviet past.

Perhaps it will take the kind of suffering and deprivation experienced by Europe during its long and violent history before people in the United States begin to understand that--while we've always prided ourselves in our relative isolation from the rest of the world--the problems that we ourselves have created must eventually come back to us in the form of similarly tragic and difficult times.

One thing is for certain. Americans are generally ignorant of history. We ignore it when it concerns our own history and we ignore it when we compare our country to others in the past. Nothing that is happening in this country is different than what has happened to any number of empires in human history. We exhibit the same characteristics, attitudes and weaknesses that have been noted by many world historians. We have to realize that we can't escape the inevitable slide toward decline and fall, even if we have convinced ourselves that we--alone in history--will survive.

It is perhaps this and the wanton disregard of our own failures that will hasten our end. Maybe this inevitable end will be the beginning of a new consciousness for a people that imagined that they had so much to offer the world, yet couldn't get beyond their own blind ignorance to really see that world.