We have come to a moment in time in our history that calls us to look inside and see who we really are, as a nation and also in our individual personal lives. I will admit, it really takes an inner strength within each one of us to not react to the recent election and the drama surrounding it, or the pandemic we are crawling through slowly.
It can certainly feel like life has been one enormous upheaval in 2020. Definitely has not been our favorite year! We are not used to being told what to do…stay home, wear a mask, don’t travel, don’t have community, don’t go to church, don’t, don’t, don’t. Then as if it couldn’t get any worse, we have a historic presidential election that gets rocked to the core with allegations and assumptions and our leader acting as if his piece of candy was being taken away from him. I don’t have a problem with making sure votes are counted accurately and securely. I’m glad we have protocols in place to make sure that happens. But, when the leader of the free world hides and throws a temper tantrum, that does not show the world that we are a respectable and proud country. Is there a certain level of satisfaction that comes when not conceding to a lost election and blocking access for the president-elect to prepare for his time in office? I’m just really trying to figure this out in myself. It puzzles me.
For those of you familiar with the enneagram, I am a 9 on the scale and I do not like conflict. But, I have a strong justice button in me at the same time and the way the current president is behaving is appalling to me. He campaigned and did what he could to get the American people to vote for him. Voting records were broken by both parties and never before in history have this many Americans voted in an election. These are unprecedented times we are in. So how do we handle it personally without lashing out, without reacting in a negative way, without separating friendships and family, just because we see things in a different way?
Let’s look back…first… before Donald Trump was elected in 2016 the country was at peace, in general. Yes, there is a lot under the surface that’s always brewing. But on the surface it was peaceful. There was a sort of order about life.
Then came the disorder…upheaval in every imaginable way. It was like heads began rolling, conflict and disorder in the white house, then the pandemic, loss of jobs, loss of lives, all kinds of racial conflicts began to open old wounds to bleed again. Now all of a sudden we are each having to defend ourselves from the onslaught of hate, evil, cruelty and murder. Whoa…where did this come from? Well, it’s been under the surface all along, but let me just add, a country is defined by its leader(s). I have never seen so much hate and animosity flying through the air, over the airwaves, over social media (I’m guilty of it as well), in the media and even in the traffic on the freeways, lines in the grocery stores etc. People, this has got to stop. We are better than this! So, how do we restore order?
I’m glad you asked! Let’s call this re-order. Re-ordering will only begin to happen when each one of us stops, takes a good long look at what is inside of us and begin to change that which needs to change! Change only begins with me and with you.
Take a look in yourself and try to recognize and ask yourself, what it is that causes me to be angry, to defend what I defend, what trips my triggers to lash out in spite? Why am I so bitter? Why do I not care for the poor? Why do I not give more? Begin doing the random acts of kindness. Pay for someone’s coffee or meal. Buy a sandwich for the homeless guy. Do what you can do even if it’s just a smile towards someone. It’s time we stop segregating, not only black from white, but poor from rich, fat from skinny, homeless from mansions, republican from democrats, etc.
So now, with the election of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, it is a call to lay down our battle swords and the weapons of our words and come together to bring healing and unity in our “one nation under God”! We are called to unite as Americans. We need to take care of our families, take care of the poor, adopt children within our own country, and take care of our land. It’s time to allow those with incredible inventions, ideas and resources to let their voices be heard and let their inventions speak for themselves. Our planet needs healing. Our people need healing. Our government needs healing. Let’s bring healing and unity to our country. Again, this only begins to happen when the change takes place in you and I.
We are Americans! We are the United States of America and not the Divided States of America. We all have what it takes to become a nation that genuinely acts like it is… “one nation under God”.
It’s called unity!
Freely Authentic 