The question isn’t if you are a Democrat or a Republican? Left or right? Conservative or liberal? The question is what is the current political atmosphere bringing up in you? Are you beginning to feel helpless, unheard, hopeless? It’s not difficult to believe these things when Washington D.C. just seems so far away from Hawaii. Literally, they are far, but don’t let the distance fool you into the “helpless, unheard, hopeless” state. There is something you can do about what the current politics are triggering in you. No, I don’t mean a revolution. I am talking about examining what the ubiquitous political drama is triggering in you. You may not be able to change the political environment, but today’s current events can lead you to a deeper understanding of you. For instance, when you turn on the news and you are infuriated by the ever evolving twists and turns of the political system, ask yourself, “what am I feeling right now? Anger? Sadness? Fear? Disgust? Once you’ve identified the feeling(s) that are being triggered, just feel it ( I know, easier said than done). Try not to analyze the feelings before you’ve actually felt them. Feelings are for feeling, not examining. Once the feeling(s) has passed, then maybe journal about it. What was it like to feel the emotions that’s been triggered? Does this bring anything up from the past? How old were you? Did you feel helpless, unheard and hopeless then too? What is the difference between then and now? Just explore the triggers without reacting to them. Triggers and emotions are signals that something is going on inside of us. When we are tiggered or an emotion arises, we are responsible for them, no one else. This can be the gift of today’s current events. We are given the opportunity every time we turn on the news to look within and ask “what is this triggering for me?” How do I heal this wound that has been brought to life for me? What is my responsibility and accountability in taking care of myself today? So the next time you turn on the news, instead of just yelling at the TV screen and reacting impulsively, go within, ask the questions that matter to you on a personal level. This is how we begin to change the world, focus on your own wounds first.
“I dream of a world where truth is what shapes people’s politics, rather than politics shaping what people think is true. ”