 A key lesson we have learned from this election is how easily fear and vulnerability can be manipulated and turned into hate. Our job – post-election – is to address the vulnerability and in that way, drive out the hate. Wall Street Journal columnists Peggy Noonan wrote a fascinating article discussing how the pervasive feelings of vulnerability and lack of a sense of fair play is driving the political and cultural unease we are witnessing not only here in America but across the entire western political landscape. Noonan breaks the world down between those who are protected – the rich, the powerful, the secure - and those who are unprotected. She states that “the protected make public policy. The unprotected live in it.” The protected, because of their security and influence can “impose any reality” onto the unprotected because they are insulated from the consequences of their policies. The protected can disinvest in education because they have the money to send their children to private schools. The protected can ignore climate change because they can move to where the impact will be minimized. The protected can oppose a living wage and healthcare for all because that will affect them only in their ability to earn more profit. The protected can argue for cutting social security because investments will cover their retirement. Viewed through this lens of those who are vulnerable and those who are protected, the phenomena of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders becomes clear. People are sensing a basic unfairness in life today and they are seeking change. There is a growing awareness that elected officials and multi-national corporations don’t understand these dynamics - or worse - that they do understand but don’t care. They are protected. What we are experiencing now is not unlike the tone of the country during the 1930s according to a sobering article recently published by the Guardian news outlet. In the article – “The Big Con: what is really at stake in this US election” - we are reminded that America was at a boiling point in the 1930s and what saved the country was a set of policies to protect the unprotected which came to be known as the New Deal. The article chronicles the dire way of life for the average citizen during that time. It discusses the political unrest across America bubbling up from farmers in Iowa and spreading across the great Midwest coupled with mass protests by labor organizations and others in the cities; each in their own way protesting the failure of the government to protect them while laissez-faire capitalists grew ever richer. The article outlines how the New Deal policies created a new social contract: a “mixed economy” that combined the power of the labor movement with an effective government under the backdrop of a free market. This new social contract, according to the authors, “saved capitalism” and, one could argue it also saved the American democracy. The “Big Con” article concludes with the observation that since the 1970s, “40 years of well-funded, highly organized laisses-faire proselytizing and government-bashing have done a number on the American mind” and has eroded the foundation of the social contract of the New Deal. This dynamic has brought us back to the point where the gap in wealth inequality is worse now than at any time since the 1930s. In many ways, we are back to where we started nearly 90 years ago. We have allowed ourselves to be divided by our own fear and vulnerability. We have allowed those who are protected to create policies and a cultural and political infrastructure that protects only themselves and ignores the plight of the rest of us. Somehow, we need to get back to an America which cherishes the sense of the common good; which understands that all citizens must benefit from a thriving economy. We must find our way back to an America with a big heart; one that embraces the ethic that when we care for the most vulnerable among us - all of us will benefit. The roadmap to get us back to an America that works for everyone is simple, but the journey may be hard. Here’s the simple plan: Protect the Unprotected. In every decision, at every level the default should be to protect the unprotected. In every personal encounter; in how we speak, think and feel our own individual default should be to protect the unprotected. And, just as importantly we need to demand of our elected officials that their primary mandate is to protect the unprotected. If we do that; if we focus on protecting the unprotected there will be no fertile soil in which others can manipulate fear and vulnerability in the future. We will all have become our brother’s keeper. And in doing so, we will have saved our democracy, helped ourselves and nourished our very souls.
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 I find myself drawn like a gawker to a highway crash to nearly every poll and every article or Op-Ed piece about this election even though I’ve already voted. Who’s up, who’s down, what the possible electoral college number may be for each candidate depending on which swing state goes which way all consume me.
It does feel ominous, doesn’t it? It seems as if we are all watching two vehicles driving maddeningly head-on toward each other only to realize with a sickening awareness that there are innocent bystanders who will be decimated in the crash. When I was a puppy community organizer working in the tough streets of South Providence I would get physically ill about 30 minutes before any big meeting. One of the tasks I added to my meeting check list was to make sure I found a place where I could be out of sight and quietly throw up before the meeting began. I eventually realized that this queasy feeling was panic. I knew that at 30 minutes before an event there was nothing meaningful I could do to affect the outcome. A sense of dread would overcome me because I recognized that everything I had been working for - sometimes for many months - was now out of my hands. That’s where I am now with this election. I have an overwhelming sense of dread and I’m pretty sure I’m not alone. November 8th can’t come quickly enough and at the same time, it scares me that it is nearly upon us. What is frightening about the election is that no matter which side wins, the grinding partisanship will likely not abate. I fully realize that my anxiety may be viewed as a lack of faith; that I don’t trust how God’s goodness will win out eventually. But that isn’t true. I do believe that goodness will triumph in the “long arc of history” but I also acknowledge that in the short run, things can go alarmingly awry. The political process has been ugly and can easily remain vile and ugly for some time. And that is what concerns me. We have been focused on a political process and not so much on our own and our neighbor’s physical and spiritual wellbeing. I have begun to read more of the writings from the English mystic Julian of Norwich. In her treatise, “Revelations of Devine Love” she writes: “Failure of love on our part is the only cause of all suffering.” Failure of love is a failure of civility. Failure of love is a failure of honesty and integrity. Failure of love is a failure of care for those who are not like us. Failure of love is a failure of trust. And quite possibly, failure of love may bring the failure of our country. The car wreck we’ve been watching unfold will occur on November 8th. There will be victims and there will be survivors. Much of that is out of our hands, but we don’t have to settle for being crash site gawkers. We have power, not only in how we treat others but also how we demand our elected officials act when they represent us. It would be naive to expect that we and our politicians will magically begin to “love” one another after this election. But we can certainly resolve that our interactions with others are based on honesty, integrity, trust, civility and search for the common good and we can demand the same from our elected officials. That’s not love, but perhaps it’s a good start and it is far better than just watching the aftermath of this soul wrecking election.  In some parts of Mexico, the period between October 31st and November 2nd is known as the Days of the Dead; a time to remember and celebrate those family members who have died. These celebrations aren’t morbid affairs but rather become a celebration of life. It is a time to realize that we are all going to pass away and for that reason, life is to be savored.
An interesting study by a team of professors out of Dartmouth College tells us that life’s precious moments are defined differently based upon age. Younger people are more attuned to the extraordinary experiences in life such as college graduation; beginning a career or going on an exciting vacation. Whereas, many of us can attest that the more birthday’s we’ve celebrated the more we learn to relish the small pleasures of life. The smell of leaves as you rake them in a pile; the taste of a hot cup of coffee when you come in from raking the leaves; the kiss of a loved one; the smile of a baby; the rumble of thunder and the smell of rain; all are small joys to be cherished by those of us who are closer to the end of our days than we are to the beginning. The idea of using the certainty of our death as a springboard to enjoy more deeply the life around us has been immortalized in a poem by W.S. Merwin which is copied below. I first read this poem a good 20 years ago and it has stuck with me ever since. I will often use my birthday as a quiet moment to reflect on the knowledge that I have not only lived another year, but that I have also lived through the anniversary of my death to come. Both events are reasons to walk outside and stand in the sun once more. For the Anniversary of My Death Every year without knowing it I have passed the day When the last fires will wave to me And the silence will set out Tireless traveler Like the beam of a lightless star Then I will no longer Find myself in life as in a strange garment Surprised at the earth And the love of one woman And the shamelessness of men As today writing after three days of rain Hearing the wren sing and the falling cease And bowing not knowing to what  How would you feel if you found out that God doesn’t have a womb to tomb plan for your life, or that God hasn’t plotted out the entire arc of history, step by step? I don’t think God works that way. I believe it is more that God has a vision for the world and we have been given the mission of breathing that vision into life. If God doesn’t have a detailed plan for the world, what could be his vision? I believe it’s this: Abundant love. That’s it. That’s our marching order. Create a world where each person and each thing is surrounded by abundant love. Simple, right? What would our relationships look like if our first impulse was to approach each person with abundant love? Would you listen differently when others speak? Would you treat neighbors or co-workers differently? How would you respond to those persons with whom you disagree or maybe don’t even like? What would the planet look like if we treated it with abundant love when making decisions to build a shopping mall, to expand a highway, to extend a pipeline through an ecologically sensitive corridor or any of the thousands of developments that impact the environment? For those who find it unsettling to think that there is no step by step plan from God, consider this example. Back in the 1980’s there was a series of Choose Your Own Adventure books for teens/tweens. Each book had a basic story line, but the reader was forced to make decisions at key points throughout the book. The story would change based on the decisions the reader chose. I think that’s how God works. He has a basic direction in mind, but how that turns out at any given moment is dependent upon the choices we humans make. After all, we have the freedom to choose and sometimes we turn a deaf ear to the call of God. The good news is that I don’t believe God gives up on us or on his desires for the world. If one person says no to God’s invitation, another will be called. I find this sometimes happens in our Quaker meeting for worship. At a Quaker gathering, you basically sit in silent prayer unless you feel called by God to speak a message for the group to hear. Occasionally I may feel an urge to speak but decide not to, thinking it is something I want to say and not necessarily a missive from God. But during that same meeting, another person will get up and essentially share the same message that I declined to speak. For me this is just a tiny example of how God will keep knocking on doors until he finds someone willing to listen and to act on his call. Eventually, God’s vision will unfold based on his persistence, on his steadfast love, and on our readiness to become his partners. Once you accept the call to co-create a world surrounded by abundant love, everything changes. · How you view the world changes · How you treat others changes · How you treat yourself changes I think we can agree that the world and those around us could use a dose of abundant love right now. That sounds like a plan. |
AuthorMichael Soika has been a community activist for more than 30 years working on issues of social and economic justice. His work for justice is anchored by his spiritual formation first as a Catholic and now as a Quaker. Archives
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