Being Politically Active and Spiritually Serene

It’s been very difficult for me to be (a) politically active since the election and (b) spiritually centered at the same time. The more active I want to become the more frustrated/angry/disappointed I also become. Something’s not right – and the problem is in me. I am being faced with the concrete reality of the perennial conflict of being in this world without being of this world.

I need to be in balance with both sets of these activities. In short, I need to be as politically active as I can, but not out of anger, fear, frustration, or anxiety. I need to be politically active out of love and acceptance.

Is that possible? If so, how can I do that? That is the real question.

As far as I’m concerned, I must comprehend several spiritual axioms:

·    All God understands about me is that everything I think and do can be put into one of only two categories: It is either an act of Love or it is a call for Love.

·    Every thought, word, or action I do will either add to fear or to love. That being the case, to fight fear with fear only adds to fear. To protest in anger or fear will simply create more anger and fear and defensiveness.

·    To approach these same issues with loving acceptance may provide me the opportunity to make my voice heard without adding to the enmity that is surrounding me. But how?

Let me explain with some examples.

A Course in Miracles (ACIM) teaches me that what I believe about this physical world I live in is determined by my perception. My perception has been “taught” from the perceptions of my parents, whose perceptions were “taught” by their parents, and so on. All of our perceptions are reinforced or modified by all the others we interact with. So, many of us share a lot of common perceptions. That doesn’t make these perceptions real or valid – just systemic. However we explain our perceptions, ACIM states that all of them – good, bad, righteous, evil – are illusionary.

I explain to myself ACIM’s teaching using the following two small analogies.

We’ve all been to birthday parties for one- or two-year old children. Cameras flash all over the place as the children try to eat the birthday cake. The children begin to see flash spots from the picture-taking and, not knowing what they are, begin to try to grab these floating spots. However, we adults know that what the children think is real isn’t. Nevertheless, it’s cute to watch. That may be exactly how God sees us – reacting to things we think are awful, frightening, hellish, hurtful or loving, righteous, graceful, serene. He knows we think they are real – but He also knows they aren’t. All He knows is Love. All He perceives in our thoughts and actions are either acts of Love or calls for Love.

Most of us were taught to discipline children or grandchildren out of love, not anger. To discipline a child out of anger will create more anger, guilt and fear. When a parent says, “I’m punishing you because you did something that made Mommy/Daddy angry/scared/frustrated” fills the child with guilt or fear because the punishment is all about the parent’s emotional reaction, which the child doesn’t understand.

To discipline a child out of love and acceptance is to acknowledge there is no personal “hurt” involved on the part of the parent nor is there any “blame” the parent is forcing on the child. It is simply a teaching moment – trying to explain how what the child did is incorrect/hurtful/dangerous/inappropriate. It is acknowledging the child’s “not knowing” and is trying to correct that.

Now, I know I cannot treat members of Congress or the Administration as two-year olds grabbing for unreal floating spots before their eyes. (Well, maybe a little!) But I can try to correct an issue on this 3-dimensional world I perceive with incorrect perception. I can try to treat these politicians with the same tolerance I treat drivers who cruise at 30 mph in a 45 mph zone because they do not pay attention to road signs. (I admit I’m still working on this.)

I need to understand that my perception of things, people or events is not really real. I have to acknowledge that these things certainly appear to be very, very real. But they’re not. I need to ask for a different way of looking at the situation. I need to “see” not with physical sight, but with spiritual vision – to “see” the same way the Holy Spirit “sees:” Everything is either an act of Love or a call for Love. That ability to “see” like the Holy Spirit is given to me as a gift from God.

So, I can protest, write my congressional representatives, send emails, sign petitions, or contribute money sensing that this movement of our new government is simply a call for Love. It is an attempt to assuage fear by accumulating and exercising power to provide themselves with security. I can try to accept (which is to be aware without fear or judgment) their insecurity and attempt to correct their “not knowing” rather than screaming out of my self-righteous anger and fear.

As I’ve stated before, “I have to understand, on a visceral level, who the “Me” or “I” really is when I am speaking or thinking. The “I” that says to myself, “I really need a newer, more reliable car” is a different “I” than the one that says to Spirit, “I can’t do this anymore; help me perceive things the way You see them.”

Although these messages are mostly for me, thanks for listening to me and getting to know me – warts and all. As always, feel free to forward this message to your friends, family, and those accompanying you on your spiritual journey.

Don

#2 Feb 2017

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