I have been out of commission for 5 days with severe food poisoning and had many hours to contemplate how each of us can live in courage and what this means for our country. Now is the time for each of us to stand tall and reject fear. This country has been fear driven for far too long. The old systems are crumbling faster than a house of cards. New systems are quickly moving forward to create a much better world for all to live in. Are you going to be part of the solution? Change must occur, it is inevitable. We must all be courageous at this time and make the decision to be part of the solution.
I found a wonderful article by Patrick Ryan that I would love to share with you. I enjoyed it immensely as it is written by a Canadian who can see the clearer picture. Visit Patrick at Awakened Wisdom and enjoy reading his blog. Patrick is an author, executive coach and leadership trainer. Look for Awakened Wisdom in my blogroll for easy access.
Debra Oakland @ Living in Courage
Who Is Doing Your Voting?
Well here we are again, about to choose the next generation of leadership in the United States. As a Canadian residing in the US, I do not get to vote so I have a unique perspective on what is unfolding. It’s an interesting time in the world right now, and as I’ve been traveling about the world lately I appreciate the opportunity I’ve had to hear so many different perspectives on the changes taking place. The current global economic challenges are trading headlines daily with the US election process, and the entire world is keeping an eye on the United States as it all unfolds.
Obviously running a presidential election campaign is stressful. One gauge of a great leader is how he or she responds to stress and how he or she continues to manage a campaign under pressure. After all, if you can’t manage your own campaign in a good way, how could you be expected to manage the role of President of the United States of America and its attendant global responsibilities?
Consider, both candidates in this US election said very clearly early on, that they would not stoop to the pressure to include negative campaign ads In their strategy.
Low and behold, both have. Why is that?
Election strategists tend to agree that negative ads can and do work, and some might insist the use of such ads is necessary to win. But what do we gain in a campaign that’s “won” with negative ads? Negative ads do “work” in that they prey upon our often-present underlying fears and cause us to doubt our deepest voting instincts. The fearful side in each of us is always on the look-out for things to be afraid of so, yes, negative campaigns can “work” if they gain power as THEY feed on our fears.
During the presidential debates, groups of undecided voters are hooked up to electronic equipment, which indicates when they are either attracted to or repelled by a candidate. The meters flip quickly into attraction when candidates speak about solutions from a resourceful and wise aspect of themselves; when a leader is able to stay clear and grounded in his or her wisdom, this in turn activates the wisdom of those observing. If an undecided voter were to stop right there, and vote from this place of wisdom, we’d likely end up with a candidate who has some pretty sound ideas.
However the converse is also true; when candidates start bashing their opponents, approval indicators start dropping as undecided voters start to feel conflicted. The candidate who goes down the road of negativity is counting on this, for negativity is contagious. If a candidate can get voters to cast doubt on his rival’s character and abilities, the vote may sway. When candidates campaign from this lower aspect of their nature, they activate it in others. And those who are not grounded enough in their own wisdom may get pulled down the road of negativity.
We can hope, but not expect that our candidates will always refrain from using negative ads. When one candidate starts, another may feel obliged to respond and defend – a seemingly inevitable and vicious cycle of negative ads ensues.
So what can we hope for in a voting nation when negative ads are calling out to us? We can hope for discernment.
We have two basic inner aspects of our selves through which we can choose a candidate. Awakened Wisdom teachings describe these aspects as the Divine Self and Distorted Self. Simply put, Divine Self is the resourceful, creative, empowered aspect of who we are, while Distorted Self is the fearful, critical, judgmental aspect of who we are. We each have our own personal version of these two aspects lurking within us.
As you step into the voting booth you have an important choice. You can vote for what you believe is the highest and best solution or you can vote from fear.
Whichever aspect you put in charge of your voting will determine what you’ll create in this election and in your life. If you vote according to your Divine Self, (a choice based on your best wisdom given all the insight and information you have) it is likely to attract positive results for all. (FYI – Making a Divine choice can also still feel risky. It may include agreeing to short term risks in hopes for long term, or more broadly reaching benefits, not just for yourself, but for others.)
If you allow fear to guide your vote, you are choosing to put your own Distorted Self in charge. Such a fear-based choice would continue to create more fear, resentment and scarcity. It would attract a leadership style that would be operating through the same fearful energy that has empowered it. If a presidential candidate wins through fear and negativity, these energies will no doubt overshadow the entire presidency. We have been trudging through a long stretch of fear-based leadership; we have a choice to shift this energy. The world is watching the United States as it chooses its next leader.
I cannot tell anyone which way I think he or she should vote. I am however, reminding people to choose well – through wisdom rather than fear.
When you do vote, ask your self these two simple questions:
What is most needed in the Leadership of this country at this time?
Which candidate is most likely able to create that?
I will state that it seems time for all nations to learn to create again from wisdom, trust, courage, and openness. To do this now, Americans must be willing to let go of creating from fear. That doesn’t mean being naïve, it means operating from Divine wisdom. This is the kind of wisdom that knows real, from imagined dangers and is willing to hold out for long-term sustainable prosperity versus short-term gain.
Any idea or action that does not add beauty to the next generation is not a good idea for the day at hand.
Thank you for hearing this Canadian’s two cents,
Patrick Ryan
Recent Comments