Time To Look In The Mirror

If you are anything like me, you read the title of this piece and thought, how rude or the heck, I do not want to talk about politics. It’s November let’s talk gratitude. But alas, here we are, and although there is much to be grateful for, writing about gratitude would be entirely spiritual, bypassing everything we are collectively experiencing. All of this to say, if the title triggers you, this might be worth reading.

Spirituality and Politics let’s break them down and see what’s what. The meaning of Spirituality involves recognizing a feeling, sense, or belief that there is something greater than myself, something more to being human than sensory experience and that the greater whole of which we are a part is divine in nature. In my experience, being spiritual means finding the sacred in my everyday life and the lives around me. On the other hand, politics comes from a Greek word meaning affairs of the cities’ and is considered a set of activities associated with making decisions in groups, such as distributing resources. When I read the meaning of these words together, I feel they are probably brother and sister. When I remember that all of life this whole shebang is and extensively the Divine’s urge to know itself through humanity, I can see politics and Spirituality as vital to one another. My 15-year-old son and 17-year-old daughter still experience sibling rivalry. They bicker and fight, and both pull for my attention, so I am always trying to split them up. But occasionally, they come together and work as a team, and when they do, I tell you, there is nothing they cannot accomplish.

If we feel attacked or victimized, if we feel hatred or disgust or any other radically harmful energy towards our self or others, it’s because, at some level, we collectively said yes to dehumanizing everyone who opposes us. We have said yes to the polarization not just in Washington but in our hearts. The central theme here, the root cause behind hatred and blame, fear and self-righteousness, is a fundamental belief in dualism, fear and lack. Dehumanizing of everyone who opposes us makes us, them. I have heard one person after another both within our community and, of course, outside of it dehumanize another in the name of what? What’s RIGHT? In his book The Reunited States, Mark Gerzon writes, “This isn’t about government. This is about us. This is about us as America’s one big dysfunctional family, and divorce is not an option. We have to figure this out.” I am not saying it is an easy feat, but we, the Seal Beach Center for Spiritual Living, that’s what we strive for.

That is our intention, our mission: We are a loving spiritual sanctuary where everyone is welcome. We celebrate the abundance of life through study, inspiration, gratitude, and service. With open hearts and minds, we participate in self-transformation for a world that works for everyone.