I have been noticing what happens when one expresses her opinion about anything political. You've heard of REMs (rapid eye movements). I call politically altered states RIJs (Rapid I Judgments). No sooner does someone express support for a certain candidate or idea than we immediately put them in a box, stop listening, try to persuade them otherwise, dismiss them as idiots with appropriate moral and intellectual superiority OR we find our new best friend who will gleefully swap stories and trash the opposing candidate. We become roving gang members, sizing up each person we encounter, wearing our colors and leaving our tags everywhere.
Why in politics are all bets and gloves suddenly off? Our spiritual beliefs either go right out the window or perhaps worse, get used as a framework for victimizing other humans. Yes, we have separation of church and state. But why separate our spiritually guided self (conscience) from the actions and thoughts in our daily life?
I've noticed some other things. Democracy is messy. Majority rule can leave 49% or more of the population feeling like losers and disenfranchised. Their voices and hopes can't be ignored just because their candidate loses a race. Our entire party system has devolved into making someone else's point of view wrong. That doesn't leave much opportunity to come up with solutions that benefit from taking many points of view into account.
So how do we apply spiritual principles of thought and action in this particularly disturbing and polarizing political season? How do we integrate our best and highest aspirations as human beings and citizens and stay grounded in practical approaches to the social, financial, cultural and environmental turmoil we are facing? Can we start with the following premise?
We cannot change or control everything in our world, but we can change our responses and not contribute to the problem. Much of spiritual practice has to do with empowerment and responsibility based on awareness and consciousness. Reinhold Niebuhr said it best in his
Serenity Prayer:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and the wisdom to know the difference.
Now consider six principles (among many) that can broaden our perspective and inform the personal changes we might need to know and make the difference.
Decisions based on fear almost never create a lasting solution- even if they seem to support good candidates and good ideas. They are even likely to create more fear. Stress hormones are designed for fight or flight- not for blood flow to the brain or compassion for others. To support calm and reduce fear, don't watch too much television. Just the tone of voice used by most commentators is enough to raise your blood pressure, even when you aren't watching. With the addictive input of TV or talk radio and web-surfing, we become hyper-vigilant. We forget to be quiet. We forget to listen to our hearts. With the real issues of terrorism, heath care, hurricanes, financial markets and housing, it doesn't take much to set us off into some sort of post-traumatic stress reaction such as panic, irrationally aggressive or defensive behavior. We need to take a break and get a grip- on ourselves.
We can make molehills out of mountains. The real problems of our society are big enough. Let's not get distracted and disperse our limited resources. Let's not load them up with the burdens of racism, misogyny, religious or philosophical certitude (always a barrier to real communication), and plain old finger-pointing and hysteria. Pile it on and we'll swamp this unwieldy and listing ship of state.
What goes around comes around. Thinking negative thought only further activates the negative in you. You will enhance the negative thoughts within you when you project them onto others. Blaming others wastes energy and means we are not taking responsibility for what we can do. Giving away our power is easy. We do it every time we blame someone else for our situation. Sure we can be angry, frustrated or feel hopeless. See and feel the negative working in you, but don't feed those bears- they'll just come back for more.
"In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, in the expert's mind there are few" -Shunryu Suzuki Certainty leads to rigidity and blind spots and ultimately failure. One thing that might mean is that it is okay to see the weaknesses in your candidate. In fact it is a good idea so you won't be surprised when he/she fails to meet all your expectations. Whoever becomes our next president, he is going to stumble. After all, mistakes happen more often when you try something new, go out on a limb, take a risk in the hopes of making a lasting change. Making no mistakes or thinking that your actions are the one and only right way are the biggest risks to our country's future. With the possibility of close to 50% of American voters on November 5 ready to stand on the sidelines to say "I told you so", it is going to take a lot of courage, humility, and flexibility to move forward. It's going to take an open mind.
Be the peace, the solution, you want to see in the world.
Can we end war with aggressiveness? Can we heal racial wounds with hatred? Can we bring integrity to government with divisiveness? I don't think so. So find the center and balance and loving-kindness in yourself. Then you can extend it to others. It is like putting the oxygen mask on yourself first in the airplane. You can't assist others without being able to breathe. Then you have a base from which to engage and empower yourself and others. You can do this through prayer and meditation, envisioning a better world, giving money, volunteering, consuming less oil, learning about the issues in that affect you and your community, and voting.
Tell your truth without judgment. There is a difference between discernment and judgment. Discernment (being keenly selective) does not make the person with the other point of view sub-human, stupid or the Anti-Christ.
Try this out. If you are concerned about healthcare for instance, take the time to sit down and figure out what is your idea of what YOU need. Now try to imagine what SOMEONE ELSE in very different circumstances might need. Or read about and research the suggestions or real life experiences of others. Compare that to what is being offered by the candidates. Sound simple? Rational? It is a process that doesn't reduce complex ideas and movements to "us" and "them", "Right" or "Left". Everyone is now our neighbor. The sooner we figure that out, the better.