Really, that's the question. And, it's a timely one.
Every bit of our culture is obsessed at this moment in drawing more separation, more difference, more divisiveness and conflict out of us! Who hasn't lost a Facebook friend or seven in the past few weeks.
How easy it is, too, to drive the spite and the rhetoric. Why is that, why do we so easily succumb to the continued values of "I'm right, you must be wrong", or "You're a bigot, I'm not" or whatever our internal mantra of Political Correctness may be?
You know, if nothing else, it's a really profound and compelling reason to vote early! To just get out and do it, to concretize all of that analysis and opinion and righteousness and to try (and shit, it is hard) to align our values with the options in front of us.
You know, there are so many folks right now, who will choose not to vote, for whatever reason. For each, there were so many more before you who fought, suffered, struggled and finally won that vote. For every one of you, there is someone right now, in a country that wants democracy, that has been or is willing to give their lives in the streets simply to have that right - that franchise, to participate in representative democracy through the vote.
So, yes, please - vote. That much should be clear. But don't get into the mentality of voting against or for, just represent. Don't forget to inform yourself as much as possible; I'm really happy to tell you that my yogi friend, Vik Vad, is a Republican, running for County Tax Assessor. I trust him in that role. I'm happy to vote for his character, not his party.
And, then, after you vote - don't gloat, don't mope. Just take it as it comes. It will come. We can't predict what tomorrow will bring, we can endeavor to get into the moment, to favor connection and community over separation, and I have to believe, we've got to be better as a race than we think - it can't take "Aliens" and "Natural Disasters" to bring us together, irrespective of viewpoint, to help and serve.
Yes, very encouraging the care and service and devotion to each other we've seen after Sandy - I actually never doubted it. That's New York. I lived there for a few years, at 18, and know it. It's like that. But, again, why disaster to make us love each other and reach out?
Can we be the best yogis we can be? Can we reach out on Wednesday, enhance calm, share love, create community? Can we come together in our commonality without making the 'other' the 'problem'?
That's the work, this is the time, we're in the classroom. Shall we learn and grow?
Give thanks and praise!
Every bit of our culture is obsessed at this moment in drawing more separation, more difference, more divisiveness and conflict out of us! Who hasn't lost a Facebook friend or seven in the past few weeks.
How easy it is, too, to drive the spite and the rhetoric. Why is that, why do we so easily succumb to the continued values of "I'm right, you must be wrong", or "You're a bigot, I'm not" or whatever our internal mantra of Political Correctness may be?
You know, if nothing else, it's a really profound and compelling reason to vote early! To just get out and do it, to concretize all of that analysis and opinion and righteousness and to try (and shit, it is hard) to align our values with the options in front of us.
You know, there are so many folks right now, who will choose not to vote, for whatever reason. For each, there were so many more before you who fought, suffered, struggled and finally won that vote. For every one of you, there is someone right now, in a country that wants democracy, that has been or is willing to give their lives in the streets simply to have that right - that franchise, to participate in representative democracy through the vote.
So, yes, please - vote. That much should be clear. But don't get into the mentality of voting against or for, just represent. Don't forget to inform yourself as much as possible; I'm really happy to tell you that my yogi friend, Vik Vad, is a Republican, running for County Tax Assessor. I trust him in that role. I'm happy to vote for his character, not his party.
And, then, after you vote - don't gloat, don't mope. Just take it as it comes. It will come. We can't predict what tomorrow will bring, we can endeavor to get into the moment, to favor connection and community over separation, and I have to believe, we've got to be better as a race than we think - it can't take "Aliens" and "Natural Disasters" to bring us together, irrespective of viewpoint, to help and serve.
Yes, very encouraging the care and service and devotion to each other we've seen after Sandy - I actually never doubted it. That's New York. I lived there for a few years, at 18, and know it. It's like that. But, again, why disaster to make us love each other and reach out?
Can we be the best yogis we can be? Can we reach out on Wednesday, enhance calm, share love, create community? Can we come together in our commonality without making the 'other' the 'problem'?
That's the work, this is the time, we're in the classroom. Shall we learn and grow?
Give thanks and praise!
