The Politics Of The Heart

A deep and beloved friend of mine wrote to me a couple days after the election.  She had a post-election migraine, saying “This election has brought out so much hatred.  At least here where we live, we have a much more loving, positive outlook and don’t see all this hatred.”

And this is what came to me.

When we see, or feel, hatred . . . it is wise to remember . . . ALL BEINGS HOLD LIGHT.

Seeing that light within another Being, despite the covering or outer costume they wear – or when it appears to not exist – is what will get you through the political and governmental landscape we, collectively, just created.

Remember, too, one side is never all right – or all wrong.  Our sanctimonious and self-righteous condemnations of others . . . begets that very thing which we all say we do not stand for.  Speaking that way and thinking in those terms makes us all intolerant and biased.  Are we REALLY that intellectually and emotionally LAZY???!?  That we cannot put ourselves in another’s shoes . . . and find anything good or worthwhile about them?  Can they really have nothing to say or share, a truth or a belief or an experience . . . that could positively and expansively then inform our own?  REALLY?  Are we that SURE of who “the other” truly is inside?  Without ever bothering to get to know them – personally – individually – and deeply??!

The real question is . . . who can look through both sides of a moment with equal objectivity.  WE allow our political labels to define both us – and “them”.  We forget that we are an entire spectrum of human beings – and our beliefs follow a curve.  The two party system prospers from the us versus them belief . . . but is it OUR TRUTH?  And does it really serve us?  Is that REALLY the best we can do?

Allowing our political labels to define “us”, and “them”, seems to create an environment where we surround ourselves with those who only think or see as we do.  WE narrow our view, our thoughts, our channels for incoming information – and our beliefs.  And thus, we lose our ability to see THE GOOD or THE LIGHT in All Beings.  And why does that matter?

Because, when we lose that . . . we ultimately lose our ability to see our own inner light.

It seems to me that WE ALL – people in ALL regions of our country – find it easy to judge other people based on OUR OWN INNER BIASES, PREJUDICES and IGNORANCE.  No matter how tolerant and loving we “see ourselves” to be.

People who live here on the west coast, where I do now, that are religious or have a deep faith or have different political beliefs than the “standard west coast” mentality . . . do not actually all find the west coast to be a loving, positive place FOR THEM.  Just ask the people who live in the counties surrounding the metropolitan areas, whose life style, politics or religion is SNORTED ON by those in the cities.  Many cannot even express their political leanings, their heart felt reservations, without fear of shaming, reprisal, and condemnation – because it is different than that which the majority here hold.  Is that “progressive”?  Is that “tolerant”?  Is that . . . inclusive?  Hardly.

IT IS A LIMITATION OF OURSELVES . . . whoever we are . . . when we cannot value those who are different from us, or who believe or think differently than we do.  WE find “ourselves” superior in our own minds “to them” – and that very act precludes us from interacting and responding to “them” with our heart.  And then we do not see their good, their light, their potential.  We begin to believe our own “spin” – our own “prejudice” – and our own “intellectual or spiritual snobbery”.

All Beings hold gifts – it is up to us to have an open heart in order to see THE LIGHT they carry.

I am reminded of a story about my friend, whose small dog was bit by a bigger dog.  I reminded her – what I am speaking of doing here, which seems so impossible – is exactly what she chose to do with MOZIUS, the large dog who injured her small dog.  She could have seen him as EVIL, CRUEL, A KILLER – someone who did not deserve to live, which is exactly what the woman on the upper street above us wanted.  Because of his pedigree (or lack thereof!), because of his COLOR, because of how SHE saw him and how SHE judged his behavior.  In truth – BECAUSE OF HER OWN FEAR.

But my friend?  She did the inner work within herself FIRST.  SHE chose to see beyond the circumstance as it first appeared – the soundbite if you will – and the behavior.  She took the time and did the inner work within herself TO FIND the true light inside of MOZIUS.

And guess what?  That light inside of him, hidden at first to her, held A HUGE HEART.  It also held a deep and soulful purpose to give love, and to fulfill a destiny he came to fulfill – to bring HER a powerful gift.  And it was a gift she was only able to receive because SHE LISTENED and LOOKED at him – deeply with her heart.

What we are talking about politically is really no different.  We are ALL capable of this.  We can all CHOOSE this.

And as for the view that a more loving and positive outlook exists on the west coast – I suspect that is true only if you are part of the majority “think” or majority view here.  Those who hold differing views here on the west coast do not often feel or see a loving, positive outlook directed towards them at all.  Even our local grocery cooperative, which brands itself as all about DIVERSITY and TOLERANCE – only exhibits those things, and extends them, to others who believe as they do.  The Co-Op itself has begun taking a very harsh, intolerant stance with those who do not agree with their own political views – both customers and farmers/vendors.

I was shocked to hear an educator in line ahead of me telling the clerk how she agreed with the premise that children should be taught not to marry republicans and that she could never have a republican family member.  And she is a respected, elitist acadamia person well known in our community.  Her line of what is worthy of tolerance and inclusion has become very, deeply narrow.

Our perspectives are so often formed from the viewpoint of US in the CENTER of OUR OWN NARROW VIEWS.  And that makes it quite hard to see from a pure center point between both sides.  I think that it what this election clearly showed:  everyone takes a side, knows they are “right” (often based mostly on hate or despising of the other candidate), doesn’t care or bother to objectively evaluate their own candidate to see if that person is worthy of our Light, our Vote, our Belief in them leading us forward.  And then we cannot even look at the opposing side with any sense of objectivity – only disdain or dismissal.

Add that to our love affair with sound bites and we basically believe whatever our chosen media channel tells us is true or wants us to believe.  Thus, they manipulate our actions and our vote – or lack thereof – with their power, their own bias, their own values.  And most certainly their own profit bias.  Doing so creates an “us versus them” ocean – and thus we have then given away our own power.

We don’t ask the tough questions of either side – but especially of our OWN SIDE.  And we really, really do not ask the deep questions – of ourselves.

To me?  This election cycle shows what happens when humanity checks out or abandons its own heart, our most important spiritual and energetic and vibrational choices.  And so, what comes next, comes not because we chose the right or wrong candidate – OR that the right or wrong candidate won.  But it comes because . . . we did not take the time and energy to peer into this situation with anything but our minds, and the simplistic “us versus them” mentality we were fed.

By not finding the center of light within the election event itself . . . we have drawn to us, with that energy of our making, the very thing many most fear now.

If we really want to exercise our power – EACH OF US – in the political realm, just as in our daily lives . . . then it behooves us to raise our vibration.  To hold attitudes of love FOR ALL beings.  And to work to see THE LIGHT in the center of every situation, every moment, and every soul on earth.

That’s where I am engaged.  You?

Just remember . . . a loving environment can never be created in an “us versus them” mentality.  When we take that approach, we create divisions of energy that flow out into the world in powerful ways.  And no one remains untouched.

In my opinion, our political system is broken – and has been for some time.  And it is broken because we vote with our minds – and have seemingly lost our ability to hear with our hearts.  And so that is what we have created in our lives now, not just in politics, but in everything around us.  And it will be up to each of us to fix that – if we choose to – one choice, one situation, one ‘other’ being at a time.

LIGHT is a powerful force.

It is LOVE – flowing through the universe. 

It changes everything about us . . . including our politics.

And it is the only power which can truly change anything that matters.  So it is up to all of us.  WE ALL hold the power to make this election into something good.

We have to begin WITH LOVE.

I’m ready.

ARE YOU?