Attitude Adjustment

Sometimes we have to stop and reconsider.

This is not the article I originally wrote for today’s post. The tone of that one reflected what I was feeling over the events of the past week. Anger, heartbreak, disappointment in millions of my fellow Americans. In fact, it was a veritable outpouring of righteous indignation with lots of blame toward those who chose to bring our nation to such a dark place. In fact, what I had written reminded me a bit of my college days when I was the editor of our newspaper which featured my weekly op-ed, “The Razor’s Edge.” Being so cocky and full of myself, as young people often are, I enthusiastically employed my writing skills to go on the attack, to use sarcasm and criticism to call out collegiate authorities on all sorts of “burning” issues. Looking back, being a lot older and (I hope) somewhat wiser, I see that much of that slickly satirical prose was incredibly judgmental. It was fun at the time, but we learn that venting one’s frustration is not always a public service. Sometimes it only serves the impulses of our human egos.

Thus, the shift in verbiage and energy for today.

I’m not denying or ignoring the realities. I personally believe that, at the hands of Russia and Elon Musk and others, there was extreme and results-altering interference in the technology and machinery of voting and can only trust that it will come to light. This is not some outlandish conspiracy theory. People all over America are still reporting their votes have not been counted and/or acknowledged. None of the math really adds up. But we need not be incredulous. An intelligence chief for Vladimir Putin publicly announced: “The election campaign is over. To achieve success in the election, Donald T____ relied on certain forces to which he has corresponding obligations. As a responsible person, he will be obliged to fulfill them.” The subtext is simple: We own you. To add insult to injury, Russian state TV aired several images from Melania’s book which depict her fully naked. “Here” they were saying, “is America’s about to be First Lady.” Humiliating, and intentionally so.

But however we got here, we are here. I decided the situation called me to release my anger and indignance as much as possible. Stepping back, I looked at a bigger picture. Yes, MAGA malevolence and ignorance has struck a blow at our dearest and most cherished principles and threatens our most important institutions, at least for now. We shall see if this is indeed the painful, chaotic wakeup call that America needed and whether it is successful in shaking us out of our apathy and complacency. It seems we may have assumed that democracy, once established, need not be nurtured and defended. You know what they say about making assumptions… and it ain’t good. I see, too, that the lesson is not restricted to the U.S. Our turmoil is not unrelated to similar trends toward fascist autocracy in various parts of the world. May they learn from this, too. No doubt they have their own versions of the MAGA mentality creeping through their societies.

But all MAGAs are not of the same mentality, so I cannot lump them all together. Some are actually vicious racists; there is no doubt about that. Some confuse patriotism with jingoism (as do many). Some are wealthy oligarchs whose only goals are vast wealth and the ability to wield absolute power over other people. Some are “bro-culture” misogynists who have no respect for women, viewing them as nothing more than useful providers of sexual satisfaction (willingly or not) and producers of progeny (willingly or not). But there is also a huge subset of what I call the willfully ignorant. This is a far different from what we may call an ‘honest mistake.” Those are the kinds of errors in judgment we have all made because we genuinely lacked sufficient information to make a better choice. Here, though, there was so much information pointing to the unfitness of the GOP candidate, it was impossible to ignore unless one decided to bury one’s head in the sand.

The people of the red hat COULD have absorbed the truth from a variety of reliable, unbiased sources, but chose not to do so. They COULD have looked at the hundreds of hours of the MAGA leader’s “speeches” aired on unbiased media that didn’t try to “sane-wash” all the crazy, outrageous things he said, and did. They COULD have admitted to themselves that he was clearly deranged, unhinged, unwell, and dangerous. They didn’t. They COULD have indulged in a bit of introspection to see if hatefulness and poisonous bigotry was truly okay with their own consciences. They didn’t. In fact, it appears that we may have amongst our electorate a huge number of uneducated, unaware, self-absorbed individuals who are woefully ignorant, incapable of critical thinking, and intend to stay that way. They do not consider a bigger picture, be it national or international. They do not see the logical consequences of what they have done. And now the “reap what you sow” principle comes into play.

The greatest tragedy is that millions and millions of socially conscious, self-aware, informed voters who marched proudly for democracy, who knocked on doors, rallied for freedom, then stood in long lines to joyfully cast their ballots for Kamala and Tim and their vision for a prosperous, united America … they will also suffer for what the MAGA mentality has wrought. Depending on how the situation unfolds, millions could be deported (including naturalized citizens, citizens by marriage, and even those BORN in the U.S.). Senior citizens could see their support system disappear with the bankrupting of Social Security and Medicare. Some 40 million or so individuals who rely on the Affordable Care Act for health insurance could be left without access to medical care. And women in even more states could be left without reproductive rights. Absurdly irrational tariffs and more tax cuts for the wealthiest could tank the economy and hurt every household budget. There is more, but let’s leave it at that for now. Otherwise, the list could go on for pages.

Again, here we are. Recrimination and fury accomplish nothing, although it is imperative that our political leadership (the sane, wise, responsible ones from both sides of the aisle) get very, very focused on preventing as much harm as possible. Many strategies and solutions are beyond our control as private citizens. But we must stand firm in our principles. We must never lose our ideals. Even if hate and greed seem to have put down deep roots in the landscape of America, we shall not allow them room to grow and spread. Resistance to the power of the negative begins with us. In our own lives, our own communities, we can still be ambassadors of sanity, kindness, and unity. We can peacefully but firmly refuse to cave in to FEAR. You see, fear is the most virulent weapon that dictators and oligarchs wield. They want “the little people” to be afraid, to give up hope, to accept the loss of self-determination and personal freedom. Hitler accomplished precisely that nearly a century ago, and apparently we didn’t learn, because fascism is back for a repeat performance. And maybe this time, we’ll finally grow up.

• Let us not be afraid for the moment, nor dread the future, however bleak some possible futures may seem at this uncertain moment.

• Let us never surrender the power that lies within us, because IT is what makes us invincible souls.

• Let us make our voices heard, not in hysteria and fury, but in unified, resonant commitment to what is right.

And now let me shift to a more specifically spiritual view of this now moment, which is, after all, the reason I began this ‘channel,’ The Heart of the Matter. I wanted to write about not only current events, but about the spiritual significance of those events and how we choose to react to them. I began my blog series with America’s Shattered Heart, because I could see that our nation has truly broken apart. I could see that the surge in hatred and lies and sheer nastiness toward others was sending us all down a dark road. I could see that the ‘heart,’ the part of a person, a society, a nation from which love radiates, was lying in tatters … from sea to shining sea.

Then I watched with increasing joy as Kamala Harris crisscrossed the country sharing a powerful message, demonstrating an authentic desire to restore unity, offering a plan to help as many Americans as possible enjoy the blessings of comfort, prosperity, safety, and freedom. I FELT deep within me the energy, the spirit of the people surging upward… bathed in light and love. But I guess not enough people cared to listen. Now I’m working on the need to forgive, and that doesn’t come easily, does it? But every journey begins with a single step forward, and the journey lies within each of us.

The only thing we can absolutely, positively change is ourselves. More specifically, our attitude. It’s tempting to vent our fury on the MAGAs who didn’t consider the consequences of their actions, who cast their votes without discernment or emotional intelligence. It’s usually best to avoid the impulse to “slap someone upside the head.” Okay, we may want to, but still not a good idea. Besides, stewing in anger will not change anything, will it? And the stewing just makes our own hearts ache and our stomachs hurt. We can’t do ourselves or anyone around us any good if we are consumed with anger and resentment. I’m not saying that we ought never allow ourselves to be angry. That’s silly. Humans have emotions. Humans get angry and for good reasons. We react to being mistreated, insulted, threatened and betrayed. But we need not become prisoners of our emotions nor carry anger around like a loaded weapon to blast people. Nor ought we become lost in the illusion that we can make anyone be something other than what they have chosen to be.

There is a wonderful “alternate” version of the Serenity Prayer, often used as part of addiction recovery programs. It goes like this:

“God grant me the serenity to accept without judgment the people I cannot change, the courage to change the one I can, and the wisdom to know that ‘one’ is me.”

I have often delivered Sunday talks in which I delved into the deeper meaning of “The Golden Rule.” I refer to the real one, not the sarcastic parody, “He who has the gold makes the rules.” (That’s the oligarchic version.) I am citing the one usually phrased “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Although Christians tend to claim the Golden Rule as their very own, because a version of it appears in the Sermon on the Mount, they don’t have ‘dibs’ on it. From the Buddhist Udana, “Hurt not others with that which hurts yourself.”  From the Tao, “regard your neighbor’s loss or gain as your own loss or gain.” Bahai: Desire not for anyone the things you would not desire for yourself.” From the Talmud: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor.” From Islam: “Do unto all people as you would they should do unto you.” Hindu Panchatantra: “Never do to others what would pain you.” Those are but a few examples, and please note that this way of thinking is not restricted to religious paths, but works in a secular philosophy, too. This kind of balanced reciprocity can be found in ethical systems everywhere.

Thus you can be a Muslim, a Jew, an atheist, a deist, an agnostic, a Christian of any denomination, a Buddhist … or anything at all and STILL have your own personal ethics, personal standards. We may not be able to change anyone else’s attitude, but we CAN change our own attitude. We may encounter some truly horrifying situations as we find ourselves wading around in so much BS we need a shovel. But whatever shows up, it is entirely our choice as to how we will respond. We need not go completely overboard on the ‘wide-eyed optimist’ approach, like the story of the kid who is confronted with an enormous pile of horse manure and immediately begins digging. When asked why, he says, “There must be a pony in here somewhere.”

Sometimes there is; sometimes there isn’t. We have to balance our faith and optimism with common sense, pragmatism, and a willingness to have a good attitude as much as we possibly can. We see what is wrong, and we do what is right. We balance righteous indignation with the understanding that it isn’t our place to judge all the people who appear to be running like lemmings toward the cliff edge. And most of all, we never lose sight of our connection to ALL human beings. We have so much more in common than we have differences. Sadly, it is the differences that seem to draw our attention more often than not, and, as we seem to easily forget, our futures, our destinies, our very survival relies on humanity acting in concert for the highest and best good of all. That, dear readers, is the truth.

Let me close with a parable created by an ‘anonymous’ writer, based on Proverbs 11:24-25, an Old Testament book found in the third section of the Jewish canon known as the Ketuvim.

There was a farmer who grew excellent quality corn. Every year he won the award for the best corn. One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting. The farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors. “But how can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?” the reporter asked. “Why sir,” said the farmer, “Isn’t it obvious? The wind picks up pollen from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of mine. If I am to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors grow good corn.”

So it is with our lives. Those who want to live meaningfully and well must help enrich the lives of others, for the value of a life is measured by the lives it touches. And those who choose to be happy must help others find happiness, for the welfare of each is bound up with the welfare of all.

The welfare of all. Although it seems that a huge number of Americans did not take that principle into account when they cast their votes, we cannot expend our time, deplete our energy, or ignore the guidance of our hearts by remaining steeped in anger and resentment. Instead, let us take a deep breath and find ways to help each other get through this storm. If the worst happens, and there are those left without resources they need, reach out to assist them. Go on being your kindest, most compassionate self. You might even “up your game,” love-wise. Keep believing in the divine spark within each human being, even when that spark is obscured by their actions and words. You may need to keep your distance from them, and that’s probably best. You need not condone bad behavior, ever. But avoid wishing them ill as best you can. And avoid abandoning your faith in the whole darn species. No purpose is served by taking on the persona of a misanthrope. You’ll just end up lonely, and humanity will be that much the less without you to help light the way.

Hate brought this darkness that threatens to swallow us up.

Only Love and Light can disperse it.