What Pushes Back On Pushing Forward
& A Simple Change of Heart
“I believe our positive individual actions, our small acts of kindness, reverberate through the world in ways we will never know. I guess what I am saying is – we mean something. Our actions mean something. We are of value. I think there is more going on than we can see or understand, and we need to find a way to lean into the mystery of things.”― Nick Cave, Faith, Hope and Carnage
In Quaker tradition, the silent worship space is considered sacred. Sometimes people will speak briefly out of the silence, but only when powerfully moved to do so. Yes, there is a time to listen and a time to speak, a time to breathe and a time to sing, a time to consider what is happening —and a time to name what is happening.
We are all feeling a bit raw. The rhetoric of this election season has gotten meaner. But, so many people I know are working faithfully in all the ways available to them. The stakes could not be higher, and I believe this conscious step forward is still completely possible.
And yet, I am bewildered by the closeness of this election. I know there many reasons for the closeness — identity politics, the proliferation of misinformation and lies, mainstream news outlets and some social media normalizing a candidate that is anything but normal - felony convictions and all.
But there is another layer to the closeness of this election that I’d like to name. Clearly, we are doing something unprecedented in this country. We are endeavoring to loosen the vise-grip hold of multiple millennia of patriarchy and white supremacy, a system where men (particularly white men) overwhelmingly have held power. Electing our first Black female president will forever blur the spoken and unspoken lines that have dictated a social order and caste system that has been in place for centuries. We are wise not to discount the kinds of internal and external push back that can happen when a major social change is in motion. We are in a time of transition and change. We are reaching for higher ground. And even people who are totally on board with bringing in a better, kinder more just world, might still experience an uncomfortable nudge of internal bias about women in positions of great power.
There is a tendency for people of good heart and good intention to shy away from the idea of internalized bias. Its uncomfortable and it’s contrary to who we most want to be in the world. And that is why it is important to help one another to be aware, to recognize and name what is happening. It is why we talk about being anti-racist, anti-caste, anti-misogynistic. To overcome cultural and internal bias, our work for justice must be a deliberate choice and purposeful endeavor. It is important for me to be alert to any sign of bias, so that I can address it directly and with purpose.
I make lots of mistakes, and I kind of hate that. I want to be the most wise and loving person I can be. But the truth is, if I want to grow, I’m probably going to trip occasionally on my own growing edge.
What I’m naming this election season is how some people —particularly some men, but also some women — are finding it uncomfortable to deliberately blur the lines patriarchy has so deeply drawn in our cultural psyche. There will be people who enter the voting booth and feel no push back, only joy to be casting a ballot for the future. But there will also be people who enter the voting booth and experience unexpected push back. It will surprise them.
And so this is why we help one another, name what is happening, and understand what might push back as we push forward.
We are talking about electing a woman, and a woman of color, to one of the most powerful jobs on the planet. The thought of this possibility makes me rejoice in the fact we have come this far, and makes me more determined to not go back. This is world changing and generations to come are depending upon us to do the right thing - and I believe we can.
And so this is the choice. If we notice some kind of internal push back we can say, “I know what that is….and now, I choose to side with creating a better, kinder more just world. I am choosing to go forward and not go back. I am casting my vote as I want to live my life…with love and with possibility, with decency and with dignity for all people.”
So, take note of what pushes back on pushing forward.
Rejoice in possibility and keep lifting one another up.
These are times of miracle and wonder.
It is still all completely possible.
Question
Not so much a question today - but in a time when we feel anxious or raw about this election season, let’s take heart and celebrate the incredible possibility of this moment….and vote.
I’ll start…. “Amen and Yes for all of us leaning into higher possibility”
A Simple Change of Heart
This is a song from my album Before and After called “A Simple Change of Heart.”
Yes…the greatest revolution is a simple change of heart.
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I mailed in my ballot last week and support Kamala Harris with every fiber of my being. I do not want to open up a discussion about the Middle East, but on a personal level I am afraid that she is losing the pro Israeli liberal voters. The push back I hear from my highly educated daughter (and many of her friends) makes me fear for the outcome of this election. I refuse to give in to fear, though, and I am holding the space for Loving and Light to prevail and the best possible outcome for our country (and humanity) to be manifested. Namaste.
I love you so much Carrie. I voted this week. I’m not ashamed to say, in this deeply red state, I voted a straight Democrat ticket. I was concerned about the “after” until I read D. Earl Stephens substack article A Man for the Moment. President Biden is preparing for his final act to save our democracy. Nobody knows the levers of power better than President Biden. He knows who to talk to. He knows how to build an effective team. They are putting a plan in place. We need to do our part and VOTE!! About the polls… they haven’t been accurate since Covid and the Dobbs decision. I don’t believe them. One last thing, for women… your vote is PRIVATE. You’re not required to tell anyone how you vote. Vote to have your stolen rights returned, for your daughters and your granddaughters. Since my vote is cast, I will be enjoying my sacred space in gratitude.