Love Trumps...
The Daily Groove is all about walking away from authoritarian values and creating a culture of partnership and unconditional love. So I imagine most of you, dear subscribers, are not happy that America just elected an unabashed authoritarian to be our next president.
Frankly, neither am I.
But if we really mean it when we proclaim that “LOVE TRUMPS HATE,” we must find a way to let the power of love trump any hatred we are feeling about Trump and those who elected him. This won’t be easy for those of us who are terrified by the racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic hatred that Trump’s rhetoric has unleashed in some of his followers, but there really is no other option. Love is the only real cure for hatred and fear.
However, the feeling of authentic love can’t be forced. It arises naturally when you let go of judgments, move into acceptance, and gradually shift into appreciation and gratitude. (Yes, I really believe that’s possible in this situation, if we give it time.)
To be absolutely clear, I am NOT suggesting that we suppress hatred or any other “negative” emotions we’re feeling. The first step on the journey to love is accepting that we feel disconnected from it and allowing ourselves to feel the disconnection — as hatred, fear, powerlessness, depression, etc. — but not dwelling on it, and not acting on it. We simply need to be present with our own feelings the way one tries to be an accepting and compassionate presence with an upset child. Let the emotion pass, and let it inspire the next step on the journey — one step closer to love.
For example, the emotion of interest might be your next step after moving through sadness and anger. When I saw last week’s video of a Trump supporter chanting antisemitic slurs, I moved through judgment and eventually shifted into curiosity and compassion by imagining what early life experiences conditioned him to think that way. Surely, no one is born with hate in their hearts!
BTW... If you have time to read a long but inspiring story of how acceptance, compassion, and understanding healed and redeemed a leader of the white nationalist movement, I highly recommend reading The white flight of Derek Black.
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