So – here we are, in the early days after the 2024 election. I want to begin saying something, but find it difficult. I ran across a recent YouTube talk by someone who is well-known (though I don’t know him) – his name is Charles Eisenstein – and he speaks of cultivating three helpful perspectives in response to this new reality (along with whatever else we may be experiencing.) I take notice. And I am left feeling stunned. And yet …
And yet I feel drawn to discover what comes out in words. The 2024 election in the U.S. has ushered in a new reality. Not the same as the 2016 election, although the outcome of that also came as a shock. And not the same as the 2020 election, which evoked violence and then allowed some quiet governing (while an underground movement towards an alternative direction began to unfold.) Surprisingly to some, this recent vote gave Donald Trump and his party the presidency – and the platform on which to assemble his preferred supporters in positions of power and reshape the country from there.
Hopes and Fears
That’s really the essence of it. But this isn’t a political rant. We face important questions – crucial ones. There are unknowns on a broad scale… how will this country look and feel in four years? What will the rest of the world experience and how will other countries respond?
Perhaps we have clear mental pictures of what will unfold, which evoke a variety of responses. Those who voted for more income and security – will they be satisfied? or disappointed, resentful, angry? What about those who welcomed the power that his presidency promises – will they celebrate and flourish? Those who dreaded the power of his ego – will their fears be validated? Who will suffer most? Many people may be swept out of the country. Will some flee the country by choice? Who will become richer?
Will those who are shocked and terrified be validated? In what ways? Are there forms of resistance that will prove effective? Will some people find quiet, effective ways to undermine the new government’s power and priorities? What will news headlines be like? We know that some will sound triumphant and others will raise questions and express concern, perhaps fear. What will schools be like? And health care? farms? climate change? So many questions…
Invitations: What may be possible…?
… if anything? We may all be surprised, shocked, in different ways. Things may not go as planned, for any of us. Perhaps, in reality – for all our predictions, hopes and fears – we just don’t know.
At this point, I want to step down from the broad, view-from-a-distance perspective – even, in some ways, from the open mind. I want to speak from what I will simply call the heart. I don’t know what these next four years will bring, or even if I will still be here when they come to an end. This is reality for all of us, for myself in my late 70’s. And still, I can cultivate some orientations or practices that may be helpful.
As this reflection unfolds, the offerings from Charles Eisenstein begin to shape what I am feeling called by.
Practicing Presence (Serenity)
Day by day, moment to moment, I want to be present. This is a huge challenge, mind you. And a worthy practice, a life-changing commitment. I choose to keep bringing the focus back, over and over again, from the worry or fear about what comes next, towards a here-and-now moment of what Eisenstein calls serenity. A breath, awareness of the body, an open awareness. This can be simpler than it sounds, and doesn’t even require decades of spiritual practice. There may be many practical pathways to follow. And yes, planning ahead can be valuable. Still, being present can be the foundation.
Curiosity
I am feeling the importance of remaining curious. What is actually happening? How might this or that unfold? What’s next? What might I offer or contribute, in the immediate space in which I find myself, or with/for others? There are many possible pathways, and yes, again, planning ahead may be valuable – but how often have we learned that when we assume we know what lies ahead, we find ourselves surprised – perhaps a little, perhaps a lot? I’d like to cultivate curiosity and openness to allow for helpful or meaningful responses, in the moment.
Possibility
And while open-mindedness is definitely valuable, the open heart is also gifted with allowing for unimagined possibilities… What surprising opportunities may present themselves – personally and collectively? What may unfold in local areas as well as on a global level? We fear the worst, but we really don’t know. And I am not talking about a Pollyanna attitude – more about cultivating openness to what may be possible, and following the paths that may emerge.
We can think of this as a “practice,” returning to the realm of the still-unknown even when the mind is sure it knows. And it doesn’t mean “don’t take action,” “don’t plan anything.” I’ll go so far as to suggest that this orientation to possibility may emerge from an open heart, from curiosity and presence, and guide our actions.
And one more….
Somehow I feel the need to add one more possibility – a commitment, perhaps, a “practice” to cultivate. This may feel over the top to some, but I’ll try to “shape” it a bit.
The guiding question is this: “what do you love?”
The possible responses are wide-open. I love my dog, my family, my people, my home, mountains and lakes and rivers, nature in all its forms, my country, music, writing, poetry, freedom, gardening, cooking, biking, mountain-climbing, God/the Divine/the Mystery…. Even when we are grieving, feel depressed or anxious, angry, somewhere in the depths there is often a mysterious hint of what is loved. Of love itself – even if we don’t understand how or why.
In the midst of what unfolds in and around us, it may be possible to feel love, to touch its core or the hint of its presence. When we can’t find it, we can focus on remaining open, available, just in case it shows up. I’m not preaching for loving the power-mongers and self-inflated – not preaching at all, really. Just remaining available to an open heart.
This feels complete for the moment… some musings and reflections on the recent election, the ripple effects that may follow in all directions, and our (my) possible choices and responses.
May you reflect on yours….
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Acknowledgement: Thanks to Charles Eisenstein, the speaker on You Tube who inspired the concluding focus on serenity curiosity, and possibility. I had no idea when I began writing that those 3 themes would emerge here as a meaningful invitation.
With gratitude to William E. Stafford, for the final verse of the poem “A Ritual to Read to Each Other.” (which I think I may have quoted in a former blog)
For it is important that awake people be awake, or a breaking line may discourage them back to sleep; the signals we give – yes or no, or maybe – should be clear: the darkness around us is deep.