Thursday, November 5, 2020

A Time To Heal

So much of the world is broken
and I want to be part of its healing...

The election is over. It was turbulent and intense. It was frustrating and anxiety-provoking. It was hopeful and disappointing. It was the roller coaster ride we all anticipated it to be.

Yet, we all remain in limbo, sitting in this awful gray zone of the unknown, wondering if our candidate will be declared the winner or if we will need to accept that the other guy pulled it off. We want to know now and yet we may not find out for days or weeks. We are each sitting in the fog of our own hopes and fears, our minds racing, wondering what the future will bring each of us after we find out concretely who will lead our country into the next four years. We are thinking about our families, our planet, our economy, our employment, our foreign friendships and enemies, and our own welfare. 

Our worries are overwhelming. We are exhausted.

On every level, each of us are in some need of healing. We are each guilty of letting ourselves become immersed in negativity and conflict. Our minds are tumultuous, our spirits are deflated, and our bodies are broken-down. 

We need a reset.  

It is time to begin the healing. It is time to step out of the unrest, the exhaustion, and the negativity. It is time to step into the hopes and positive actions of returning our society to one of kindness, of acceptance, of unwavering support, and of unity. It is time to calm our minds, buoy our spirits, and nourish our bodies.

Is this easier said than done? Hopeless? Is this a pollyanna view trying to avoid acceptance of damages that may be permanent? Do we need to accept that this may be our new standard of living? Should we throw our frustrated hands in the air and expect everyone else to do the work to heal our society while we just sit on the sidelines and critique their attempts?

The answers to these questions should be easy. Inherently, we all want to be proud of our country, be proud of one other, and provide the best opportunities to our families and ourselves. We all want to be successful, useful, comfortable, and appreciated. We all want to show the world that despite our conflicts with one another, we are united in our efforts to garner respect and glorify all that is great about our nation. 

So what are we waiting for?

We live in a society focused on dividing one another into clusters based on our differences--our sex, our race, our bank account, our appearance, our intellect, our sexual orientation, our occupation, etc. Focusing on these differences affords each of us the opportunity to critique and judge another if we choose to be this type of person. It opens up the opportunity to create conflict and negativity. Focusing on our differences without celebrating them will breed disrespect and division.

Please don't be this person and you will already be part of the healing.    

Thus, we arrive at our current political situation. We have become clustered into two camps. Sadly, these two camps are ignoring any of their common ground and focusing on their differences. Energy is being used to blatantly divide, to minimize, to inflame, and to disrespect the other.  We are arguing that one's belief system is the superior one. There can only be one "right" view. We have lost sight that one's political views do not define the whole of their being.   

Ugh! All of this fruitless energy is being devoted to exploiting our differences rather than celebrate them. 

Throughout all of these shenanigans, we have lost our capacity to have empathy. We no longer offer compassion or kindness to someone with a differing political view. Instead, we ostracize and judge. Rather than respectfully and patiently listening to an opposing view, we have raised our voices in hopes of drowning out a differing opinion.  

Now, the election is over. It is time to veer away from all of this anger. It is time to lower our voices. It is time to stop the disrespect and judgments and negativity. We can't continue this current environment and expect to thrive. It just won't happen. 

How can we thrive once again? Try opening your heart back up to being unselfish and doing random acts of kindness. Choose compassion and forgiveness when you feel inflamed. Choose to celebrate, once again, another person for the whole of their goodness rather than focus on their differences from you. Choose civility and love instead of hostility and hate. With focused energy on your conscious choices, you will make our path to healing a smoother one.           

We all have basic wants and needs that interweave us to one another no matter how hard we try to distance ourselves. We all have a voice and want to be heard. We all want respect, happiness, to feel included and be a part of something bigger, and to have our dreams and needs be fulfilled. We all need love, compassion, acceptance, and an opportunity to better ourselves. If we recognize that our basic wants and needs are the same as the person standing behind us in the grocery line, no matter our differences, we will heal.

As we try to navigate forward in this politically-charged society, we are facing very important crossroads. Do we let things continue as they are and eventually bleed-out, both individually and as a country? Or do we commit to changing our thinking and behaviors and begin the healing process that will lead us back to our more compassionate paths once again? 

I have faith in myself. I have faith in you. I have faith in us. I have faith in my country. 

The election is over. Half of the country is going to be disappointed and the other half will celebrate. Any energy we invest at this point to change the outcome will be futile. So reset.  Step out of the negativity this election brought you. Accept what will be and move on in a positive manner. Look for common ground again with those you disagreed with. Other important issues still exist that need our best energy and attention. 

It is time to begin your healing. Because the more healing you do for yourself, the more healing you do for me and the rest of us. 

And then we will be stronger as a country, once again. 
And then we can focus on other issues that desperately need our attention and energy, once again.
And then we can show kindness and compassion and love to each other, once again. 
And then we can be unified rather that divided, once again.

And then, we can all be proud to be citizens of this great country. Once again.

Thanks for reading. Wishing for you peace in your heart and calm in your soul.  Jim