Whether you love Sarah Palin or Barack Obama, or hate them, they have definitely provoked strong opinions across America. One candidate is incredibly liberal and the other very conservative.

One person who is not really known for his political commentary is Deepak Chopra. In a recent blog post, he provides his philosophical perspective on the two candidates, and the psychological personality of the election. He has quite an interesting perspective, here is an excerpt.

Obama and the Palin Effect:

Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the Republican convention in Minneapolis this week.

She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding his idealism and turning negativity into a cause for pride. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a higher vision.

Look at what she stands for:

• Small town values — a nostaligic return to simpler times disguises a denial of America’s global role, a return to petty, small-minded parochialism.
• Ignorance of world affairs — a repudiation of the need to repair America’s image abroad.
• Family values — a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don’t need to be needed.
• Rigid stands on guns and abortion — a scornful repudiation that these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.
• Patriotism — the usual fallback in a failed war.
• ”Reform” — an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn’t fit your ideology.

Chopra goes on to discuss Obama’s call for higher ideals in politics. Encouraging Americans to face their fears and the call for change. Palin has brought the conflict to light and now both parties must take responsibility for past mistakes. But who will win? Who is the real candidate of change? Who can lead us to a more prosperous and peaceful future. Food for thought.