It’s two weeks before the mid-term elections. It is as President Obama once referred to as “crazy season.”  There’s all kinds of talk about voting people in, voting people out, foreign entities interfering with our elections, who to vote for, against, voter suppression, rigging the elections, etc.  So many are saying this is one of the most important elections of our time.

I agree. 

Nonetheless, I’ve made a personal vow to not get dragged into the nets of discord and anger this election season. That’s not to say that I don’t momentarily get angry or upset. Every day is a new story, and they mostly make me sad. Every news cycle is filled with such hatred, vile language, and incivility. We speak and act as though we all don’t live on the same planet. There’s so much talk of having smaller government, but every day we learn of more and more government and corporate intrusions, into our minds, our wallets, our bedrooms, and our lives. There are more talking heads insisting on having rights they would deny others. Yes, I know what is at stake for me and so many others. However…

Being angry, and feeling depressed, helpless, and hopeless about our country will only feed into that negativity and make things worse. Like attracts like. I refuse to be a vibrational match to the lower frequencies of hatred, disgust, fear-mongering, lying and bullying. I refuse to wring my hands and feel despair. I refuse to let anyone steal my peace. The one thing I have control of is myself and what I choose to think. I choose to be a vibrational match to love, kindness, faith, and peace. And in order to bring peace into the world, we each – individually, have to be at peace. So, I pray for peace, meditate for peace, and work to stay in peace (which is really tough during my daily commute). I make donations to the causes and people that really matter to me, and I encourage others to do so, and to vote their conscience. Or volunteer. And when this collective rage overcomes my best defense systems, I remind myself of my ancestors, who didn’t have the luxury of being fatigued, knowing that being so meant more work, the whip, or worse. I shake off the weariness of battle fatigue and get my head back in the game. This means skipping a few newscasts, or turning off the telly altogether. 

And that’s what I’m encouraging my friends and acquaintances to do. Be outraged if you must, for after all – as my mother used to tell me, even Jesus got angry. He turned over all the tables in the temple one day. But he didn’t let the outrage fester. And neither should you. Jesus? He went on about his “Father’s business.” And so should you.

And another thing: Be careful about the vibrational energy around the words that you use. Stop FIGHTING AGAINST this, that, and the other. That will only bring more fighting. Begin WORKING FOR something or somethings. Working FOR the world you want to see instead of fighting AGAINST what you don’t is of more consequence than you could ever imagine. 

Finally, VOTE. I know there are people who shrug away the right and privilege of voting. Many abstain from voting because they believe there are no viable candidates, or because they are protesting the system, or because this country was never meant for them anyway. Some don’t vote because their legal status (immigrant/inmate-former inmate) prevents them from doing so. But sadly, most don’t vote because they don’t see how the outcome relates to their lives, or because they don’t believe their vote will make a difference. I couldn’t disagree more. I have these two words to offer you: Emmit Till. And I offer this video of Fanny Lou Hamer’s testimony to the Democratic National Convention in 1964. Be sure to have a box of tissues nearby when you listen.

(PS…I do not own the rights to this video – I’m sharing for educational purposes only).