THE AFTERMATH - WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?

Of course the coming election is eating up our time, our energy and, if you have a diverse group of friends good will towards others.  I am not going to go on and on about who you should vote for, that you should vote,  that you are a bad person for wanting to vote for someone who I think is wrong or even, that you're wrong for feeling that voting for anyone is making you miserable.  No, that is not the intention of this writing.

My question and the one that runs through my head more than I care to admit is, "Who will help us heal?"  No matter who wins this election, "WHO WILL HELP US HEAL?"

There may be some of you who think, "Heal from what?  If only (insert name here) won, we would be fine."  And there are others who have been so hurt, so traumatized by the rhetoric, the nasty words, the hateful ads and the images that bring up past harms, who know that to continue, we must face ourselves and seek peace.

Love...  A word filled with so many expectations, so many images and so many wants and needs.  What's LOVE got to do with it?

EVERYTHING!  How can I intentionally harm if I love? How can I ignore wrongs to myself and others if I come from a place of love?

I am not talking about wimpy love or the surface love that has no heart.  I'm talking about an appreciation of being, of life and of well meaning.

If you have been harmed, can you feel love?  That is a challenging one.  I am all for loving one another but, mentioning the name of a person in my past can still raise my hackles.  There is the dilemma.

For years, I secretly wished this person harm and reveled in their foibles.  Many a wise person suggested ways to release this anger and I would give it some thought accompanied by weak action.   You see, I didn't want the healing forgiveness brings.  I enjoyed the resentment.   One day, it occurred to me that the harm was mine and that energy held me in prison until I became willing to let it go. Like the old saying goes, "Holding on to a resentment is like taking poison and expecting the other person to die.",

Used with permission, www.connecticutphotos.com

Fear is driving this election process.  The fear of not getting, the fear that someone is getting more, the fear of losing, the fear of others and the fear that IF we moderate and negotiate, we will lose.

Strength never comes from a place of fear.  Strength is about confidence.  Your beliefs may differ from mine.  That is ok because everything I believe in is not necessarily good and right. (Ask me my opinions on this food called Scrapple.)  If we believe and yet, are willing to listen, to research and to learn, we become strong.

And, if our strength is rooted in the goodness of love (again don't ask me about Scrapple) of all beings and the earth, we will heal.  And a good healing is what we ALL need!

I STAND FOR PEACE

What will you stand for? And after a beautiful guided meditation, the words came, I stand for Peace.  And, when I stood in front of those on this journey and said those four words out loud for all to hear, I did not feel a soft sereneness or a sense of calm...  I felt charged, powerful, clear and strong.

I stand for Peace.

So, what does that mean?  Am I a pacifist?  Am I destined to stand around passing pamphlets of poetry and prose to those that walk before me?  Or am I to be that person, that coworker, that corrects wrongs, challenges prejudices or argues politics and current events standing next to the coffee maker?

And, while we're at it, what is right?  Am I to know what is right above the guy in the office next to me who fears for the safety of his 16 year old son commuting to school in the city?  What if my right becomes so strident that by its very intensity it becomes wrong?  In standing up for Peace, is it possible to cause harm? 

I stand for Peace.

Ahhh, the biggest conundrum...  what is right?  Who's right is most right?  And if I continue to use the word right, would the left feel neglected?  In all circles, everywhere, there is a sense of what is right, what should be done and how do do it.  It boggles my mind when religious, fiscal or any type of conservative or extremist can justify harm because their teachings say its right.

Oh, this sense of righteousness is everywhere.  Don't get horse folk talking about whether its better for horses to be blanketed in the winter or whether its better for horses to have shoes or go barefoot.  Those discussions definitely need a peace maker.

I stand for Peace.

There is still a charge in that declaration and I feel it down to my core.  I can not remain silent on what I see are injustices, yet I must have the humility to know that I am not always right.  If I can just be a voice that can be heard, that encourages a person to think critically, to question "reality" as defined by something other than what is in their heart, then, maybe Peace happens in a small way.

I stand for Peace.

Yeah, sounds kind of overwhelming in the "I'm-not-ready-and-the-world's-challenges-are-way-too-big" kind of way.  And I may never be that person who will move the masses but,  I can be that person that builds the energy that changes the energy in others who then may change it in more.  

On this afternoon before the Presidential Debates and a mere 6 weeks to the election, I feel the need to be the Peace that I want in the world.  Hmmmm...  that is food for thought!

SECRETING - THE TALE OF UNENCUMBERED MEN

Do they know how they sound?  Have they lost their compassion, their kindness towards others?  Can they hear their words?  Do they know that they are not alone?

It was one of those late work nights in a white collar firm...  We are thinkers, creative planners and, with information and critical analysis, we provide clients with a direction and a plan.  We are paid to tell them what to do...

Two men , admired for their intellect, kindness and great sense of humor, began a conversation about the Presidential Candidate, HRC.  And, they laughed at the videos of her "fainting", they called her Crooked HRC and they criticized her appearance, her voice and her laugh.

I wondered, who were these men?  Did they not have daughters?  Were they really going to vote for the one they call DT?  Everything that's been said, every recording there is - interviews, speeches, comments and all that has been publicly posted from and approved by DT... is all of that nothing?

We are, as a people and as a nation, losing our ability to critically think.  The videos they were watching were not from "neutral" or "trusted" sites but were from very conservative, very right wing sites.  Who are these men?

I wanted to use my voice and challenge their talk but I sat in my office and said nothing.  I said nothing...  these were not the men I knew in the daylight.  So, I remained still and voiceless...  These are men unencumbered by reason or challenge...  It would not be me tonight.  I am quiet...

And yet I railed in my head!  I ranted to the computer as I proofed my spreadsheet.  Who are these men?  And, why does November 8th frighten me so... 

Ever viligant...