Regardless of whom you support in the 2016 presidential election — Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Jill Stein, etc. — the quickest way to get someone to tune you out and stop actually listening to you, is to shout at them and to treat them like they are stupid. Rarely does forcefully yelling our views at someone actually penetrate the surface in a useful or productive way.
Sure, they may engage with you from a defensive and protective space, but that doesn’t mean they are actually hearing what is underneath your loud and thunderous roar.
You may have a very valid message, which gets lost in the forceful and righteous delivery.
I have observed the chaotic explosion of emotions erupting during this election season, mainly from the sidelines. And while I am a strong advocate for using and expressing our powerful voices to affect change in the world, I haven’t posted or commented about politics much online.
Why have I chosen to stay out of the political arena?
First of all, the fear-based consciousness surrounding this election is massive. Engaging fear and anger with more fear and anger, seeds more of the same; we get more of what we focus our energy and attention on.
Second, I don’t like either of the main candidates. I believe that choosing between the lesser of two evils, is really a dilemma in disguise, and provides the illusion of choice. Every conversation about this seems to become an invitation to battle, an attempt to convince me to “vote my conscience” or to pick a side.
I can say with certainty, I am not going to make any decision from a place of fear.
And third, while I believe that we are all doing the best we can within the reality frame we are each living in, I am not looking to debate, fight, battle, or argue with people about any of this. To do this, means lowering to the vibration of fear, engaging on that level, and in such, claiming more fear.
And while I’m still not interested in debating or arguing, or engaging from a space of fear or battle, I’ve reached a point of saturation and I do have something to say.
Here are a few of my observations and thoughts.
While I value individual expression, there sure is a whole lot of hatred and anger being spewed.
There is an aggressive style and tone in which people are shaming and blaming each other, continuing to unconsciously puke their fear and frustration and opinions all over the place, with no regard for how this affects individuals, and the collective consciousness as a whole.
This election season is clearly showing us what is broken, and what has been stuffed down and largely unexpressed within the collective unconscious.
This political circus has opened up the shadows in all of us, stirring the collective awareness in a powerful way. It has brought our personal and our collective darkness and fears exploding to the surface rather violently. What has been buried and denied is now emerging.
We are receiving a massive call for humanity to wake up and pay attention, and to start speaking up. We get to face these issues now, as they are simply too big to ignore any longer.
The system is broken and we need to create a new one.
We are being shown what the real issues are, seeing what needs to be addressed and ultimately changed. This chaos holds the opportunity to heal many things. However the communication around all of this is extremely toxic.
It’s as if the majority of adults engaged in these political conversations have regressed and become eight year old children who are all shouting, name calling, pulling each other’s hair, and pointing the finger of blame at everyone else.
While it’s great that people are feeling moved enough to express themselves and to have a voice, fighting on the playground over who is right, simply turns into a whole lot of chaotic noise. We are seeing the communication breakdown that happens when no one listens, and instead digs their heals in and just shouts louder. With everyone screaming their views at one another, no one is really hearing each other.
There are so many assumptions flying around.
People are often not even seeking to understand what is being said, as they are too busy projecting their own beliefs and parroting the issues as they see them.
On the rare occasion I do share a political article, I usually write something in my post around awakening the collective consciousness, in regards to the entire election process.
This doesn’t align me with a particular candidate. It aligns me with awakening consciousness.
Posting an article about Trump doesn't automatically mean "I'm with her", while it also doesn't mean I'm not.
Regardless, whomever I decide to vote for is my business and my choice; forcefully yelling your opinion at me doesn’t change this or make me see things your way.
My posts are not an invitation to argue or do battle with me.
Believe it or not, when I share an article with information I find interesting, I am not challenging those who don’t agree with it to a duel.
You have an opinion? Great! How can you share it in a way that other people can receive?
How we communicate is as important as what we are communicating. This makes it important to become more conscious about how we are navigating through these challenging times.
Whatever you believe, can you please find a way to deliver it that doesn’t make everyone who doesn’t agree with you 100% wrong, bad, or stupid?
Because the more we crap all over other people’s beliefs, the bigger and smellier the pile of trash becomes. Garbage is garbage, no matter how much fragrance we spray on it or the pretty package and bow we wrap it in.
When we can present things in a more connective and engaging way, it becomes much more powerful and supportive in reaching our goals, than when we approach things aggressively and defensively, from a place of anger or fear. This allows us the space to respect people with different view points and potentially even receive something valuable from them.
Take some personal responsibility. Own what all this stirs within you. And clean it up.
I believe that everything has a purpose. Even the things we view and judge as “wrong” or “bad” allow us to look deeper within ourselves at where we are out of integrity, where we are out of alignment, and where we are perhaps ignoring a large elephant that is looming in our own living room.
I do believe all the candidates on the scene have served the perfect role in awakening consciousness and movement towards the changes that are needed, in a world that has been largely asleep and/or ignoring real issues.
This doesn’t mean I like them, however I respect the role each of them is playing, and the space they each hold for humanity to awaken, become more conscious, and to make the changes we clearly need.
Sometimes it takes a large threat (or several) to ignite our fire, to get us to wake up, to “feel the burn”, to inspire movement, to spark us to use our powerful voices, to speak our truth, and to advocate for a better world.
A world in which our basic human rights are honored and respected. One in which honesty, integrity, whole-hearted authenticity, and truth are valued over preserving a corrupt corporate and elite political agenda. One in which everything is not viewed as a battle or a fight against something. One in which we realize that love and connection are infinitely more powerful than fear or separation will ever be.
Regardless of whom you are voting for directly or writing in on the ballet.
If you are aggressively screaming your views all over the internet, commenting on posts in a way that attempts to shame or bully or manipulate others into seeing things differently...
Please hear this:
Forcefully yelling your political opinions at me, shoving your beliefs down my throat about who to vote for come November, does little to persuade me to lean your way or to even listen to what you have to say.
You may have some very valid points, and great intentions, but take a look at your style and method of delivery. Because shouting at me, falls on deaf ears.
My guess is, I’m not alone in this.
If you want to actually offer another perspective in an expansive connective way vs. a forceful one that assumes I'm a moron, I'm all ears. Otherwise all I hear is your anger, your rage, and your condescension, and all I feel is your fear.
Diana is a Writer, Psychotherapist, and Emotional Wellness Coach. She sees coaching clients worldwide, via Skype and phone.
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