The predominant argument I heard during the campaign was vote for Clinton, or else! Or else we get Trump! And he will destroy everything! He is racist, sexist, a xenophobe! We can't have someone like him in charge! He will get us into another war! He will get us killed!
I warned Democrats that all their anti-Trump rhetoric would create the opposite effect desired: he would be elected. And here we are.
By actively fearing a thing, this thing will manifest wholly in our life. It seems counter-intuitive. It seems like we need to hold an awareness of potential detrimental circumstances. While that may be true, that we may need to understand the possibility of nuclear annihilation, for example, we need not embellish this awareness with imagined scenarios and reactionary jargon.
This is a hard one to fully grasp since fear sinks its venomous hooks into our psyches causing us to spiral out of control through its labyrinthine corridors. Fear grips us. It controls us if we let it. And for some reason, fear is the current specter haunting our collective consciousness. It is at the forefront of many news articles, and many interactions on social media. We perpetuate our collective fear by sharing posts that others have shared which tickle the fear nerve.
Why do we choose to do this? We have the ability to interrupt this process. And we must.
Imagine if, during the campaign, we had perpetuated the concept that our economy can serve everyone, not just the select few. What if we had perpetuated the idea that healthcare is everyone's right. Or the idea that the First People will be respected. Their land will be held sacred. We will honor our treaties. We will care for our planet by ending our reliance on fossil fuels. We will invest in our infrastructure and bring jobs home. What if we had experienced excitement and hope rather than dread and fear?
Why bring all this up now? Because we have the option every single day to choose fear, but we have the responsibility to choose love. It sounds complex but it's really simple. Here's how it works. Let's say you're standing in line at a supermarket and someone starts talking with you about the insane things the president said and how he's going to get us into a nuclear war and we're all going to die. What if, instead of simply going through the corridors of fear, you were to respond, "Well, it is a good day to die!" Or, "I guess I better water my plants before the apocalypse." Or, "Has anyone ever told you that you have the most remarkable brown eyes?"
Similarly, when people share posts via social media that stir the fear nerve, pause. Notice that the fear nerve has been hit. Corresponding physical sensations to look for include rapid and shallow breathing, a furrowing of the brow, a tight sensation in your throat or your stomach. Recognize that your fingers are about to hit the "share" button. Remove your fingers from the keyboard/screen. Inhale. Exhale. Look at the sky or at the silly statue on your desk. Find something wonderful that you want to share with others. Find a moment of peace, a moment of contentment, a moment of joy that you can record and share instead. If you feel stuck, contact me. I can throw you some inspiration. It's one of the things I am actually capable of doing.
Peter Gabriel made a song with this line: "Fear is the Mother of Violence." Please contemplate this idea before you go spreading fear. Recognize that you are contributing to the violence in our society simply by being afraid.
You can do this. And you need to do this. You have the power to alter the collective psyche in this country by simply Being Peace.* Do it!
*This is a link to the entire text of Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Being Peace." Take advantage of it.
` For Cassandra `
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