Nov 11 2018
What constitutes true power and influence in our modern age? Does a system of checks and balances, like that enshrined in the US Constitution, deliver stability and prosperity to the people? And have we learned the lessons that created World War I? This week, the world took a hard look at these questions.
As The World Turns
America held its breath
After months of hard-nosed campaigning, Americans voted in the 2018 midterm elections and delivered a resounding victory to the Democratic party in the House of Representatives. With the unexpected results of the 2016 presidential election, many Americans who opposed the country’s current direction and policy decisions have now voted for a check or, at the very least, representation of their views and needs, in the halls of governing power.
And as political news outlets began to pick their media darlings, highlighting “mission impossible” Democrat victories in historically Republican congressional districts, or historical wins by under-represented Native Americans and Muslim-Americans, the call for better congressional oversight also took hold.
In real time, I saw how this instant injection of power for House Democrats might easily go to their heads. They could become drunk on their ability to probe questionable policies, or be aggressive in taking the president to task on his conflicts of interest. Their response seemed suitably measured, but clear. They felt the wind of their votes behind their backs, and they promised to uphold their constitutional duty to hold the executive branch to account.
Progress isn’t inevitable
This Nov 11th marks the 100th anniversary of Armistice Day, the end of World War I. That war feels like such a long time ago, but its lessons are more relevant than ever. World leaders gathered in Paris, commemorating the occasion with song and symbolism. French President Macron warned of the dangers of nationalism and the fragility of world peace. Foreign affairs columnist Fareed Zakaria asserts that “We once trusted too much in inevitable progress. We got World War I.”
We’re often conditioned to believe that progress proceeds in a straight upward line. We should know better…even our personal lives rarely unfold that neatly. Both Macron and Zakaria remind us we cannot take progress for granted, and each generation needs to work hard to maintain, and build on, the gains it inherits.
Om Is Where The Heart Is
A patriot to the end
Brent Taylor was the mayor of Ogden, Utah. His story would probably have been lost to history, except for this Facebook post he wrote, urging his fellow citizens to vote in America’s 2018 midterm elections.
In Brent’s own words:
“As the USA gets ready to vote in our own election next week, I hope everyone back home exercises their precious right to vote. And that whether the Republicans or the Democrats win, that we all remember that we have far more as Americans that unites us than divides us. “United we stand, divided we fall.” God Bless America. ”
Days later, Brent was killed in Afghanistan. The end of every human life is a time for mourning, reflection, and gratitude for their time on earth. In Brent’s case, his purpose was clear and true. He may have traveled far to uphold his nation’s value of freedom, but his heart stayed firmly planted in the homeland he loved.
News and Views
A more expansive vision
In a word, this week was magical for me. As I geared up to meet a friend for coffee, I began to sense a different energy in the air. There wasn’t anything extraordinary about the coffee date, yet I felt it would reveal something unexpectedly beautiful.
Have you ever experienced multiple “coincidences” in a day? I used to brush such coincidences aside, chalking it up to random chance. But as I’ve developed my spiritual practice, these coincidences now take on a deeper meaning.
“Coincidence is God’s way of remaining anonymous.”
Albert Einstein
PhysicistAnd so, during that coffee meeting with my friend, I experienced interrelated 5 coincidences in quick succession. They told a rich and clear story of how I needed to expand the vision of my work.
Not only am I to help executives and everyday citizens build more peace in their world, I was now being guided to mentor (song)writers in creating their inspired (and inspirational) artistry. The creative process is moving and mystical, even to the writers themselves, and I’m excited to support them.
If you are, or know of, a writer searching for more ways to express your truth, sign up for my next co-writing workshop experience here.
In the next issue:
There will likely be more uplifting stories about America’s 2018 midterm elections, and updates on the co-writing work that’s unfolding in my world.
Till then…
Live well and lead large – Maya