What do I mean by Faith? We should all pause and ask ourselves this question and attempt to answer. When I speak of faith I am not talking about sitting back and waiting for something or someone more powerful, smarter, stronger, or better than me to handle things. That is magical thinking, not faith. To be clear, I am not saying I am immune or anyone is immune for that matter from falling into magical thinking, regardless of age, intelligence, education, and life experience. Rather, we are far from immune and are all inclined toward magical thinking in its many forms throughout our lives. It doesn’t end when we stop believing in the tooth fairy. In fact, we evolve out of magical thinking into spiritual faith only through active intention and EMBODIED experience of suffering, our own and others’….. as well as EMBODIED trust, compassion, and forgiveness toward ourselves and others. EMBODIED….not dissociated through the myriad vices of the mind that can twist anything in and from the light into darkness. EMBODIED. PRESENT. ALIVE. The act of distinguishing in our minds between magical thinking and faith needs to be routinely performed, adjusted, and remembered, lest we quickly fall into the blissful trap of magical thinking where we can be lost for seconds, to hours, to days, to years, or to a lifetime.
Facebook posts have remarked to “Move on” and what is wonderful is that this movement is about something even better. It is about Moving Forward….marching together and out loud for human rights, getting informed versus hazily aware, and getting involved in what makes America great…..OUR democratic process. Practicing our right to vote every four years is not sufficient….and relying on those voted in to do the work and do what is right…..is not sufficient. Let us all remember……. “A democratic process is a practice that allows democracy to exist. Democracy is based on the idea that EVERYONE should have equal rights and be allowed to participate in making important decisions.” (Wikipedia) And so, may EVERYONE share their voice without fear of retribution.
Focusing on impeachment, who lost, Trump’s appearance, Trump himself, our anger……. is too narrow a focus….Whether he is impeached or not, tweets or not……FOCUS on getting involved and organized to productively share your voice and share your principles out loud versus reacting to others. Make your voice heard for justice and peace WHILE MAINTAINING OUR COLLECTIVE DIGNITY AND INTEGRITY……refraining from seeking the pleasure of anyone’s demise and focused on seeking the reward of human rights being protected….. THAT IS THE HIGHER CALL. Dare to become a part of the government versus complain about the government and do the laborious and humbling personal work against power highs, anger, distraction, mirroring hate, etc.
May this Movement inspire people to exercise their voices in a positive, peaceful, intelligent and reverent manner….proceeding with patience, humility, and calm…….TOGETHER WITH OTHERS, knowing that no single person is greater than a critical mass of people behind PEACE AND JUSTICE and no bigger than God. This is a spiritual practice.
May we come to know that the President is not more powerful than the people, a fear currently being battled…and fading. In order to know this, the people have to speak versus sit and wait for more outcomes, helpless and hopeless, complacent, passive, or……….overly optimistic, in denial of all the warning signs. Keeping the balance, on either side, is a responsibility….and learning we are all ONE, impacting the other, and that the separation is only an illusion….learning the true meaning of respecting differences and living with one another without sacrificing life…….
The level of organization behind this march is unprecedented and positive, not to be confused with the agitators or those who are focusing too narrowly on Trump. This march, that quickly became a movement, IS about unifying people’s voice in favor of human rights. We must all be aware that some are involved for the wrong reasons and may get high on hate and all of its’ rhetoric. That too, is the enemy. In the end, we are all human and have to find out what we stand behind…especially when the sensationalism fades or when the chaos or terror presides. The capacity to sustain attention to the work ahead will require reprioritization of our lifestyles …which is the real test.
Rachel Magnell
