Hitching Our World To The Stars?

Well, the US presidential election is now behind us and it's time to take stock.  It was a big win against an incumbent but the election basically was a draw everywhere else. State legislatures pretty much stayed the same so Republican gerrymandering and voter suppression will pretty much stay in place for the next 10 years in those states controlled by Republicans. Trump lost the election and that means he was the loser regardless what some might say. And he lost the election for lack of a 50-cent N-95 mask for everyone and the $0 cost for compassion for his fellow man. Some business man he turned out to be.

A Draw Is Not A Win Or Loss

Democrats lost seats in the House of Representatives but gained a bit of ground in the Senate. It is doubtful they will pick up both seats in the Georgia senate run-off without a supreme effort. Best hope is for a couple of Republican senators to vote with Biden on the important issues. That's possible and probable.

Divided and mostly stalled government will continue for the foreseeable future. Some, like Bill Maher, are criticizing Democrats for failure to bring that big blue wave. But they did do it with record turnout in modern times. But that Big Blue Wave was met with a Big Red Wave. And there lies the jest of our problems. If history be our guide, the probability of Democrats losing control of the Congress in 2022 is high. 

I find it compelling that 85-year-old Charles Koch writes in his new book "We screwed up. What a mess". According to The Wall Street Journal interview, Charles Koch "is turning his attention to building bridges across partisan divides to find answers to sprawling social problems such as poverty, addiction, recidivism, gang violence and homelessness".

Charles and his recently deceased brother, David, nearly single-handedly created the "Tea Party" and highly contributed to the hyper partisanship we are now experiencing, Perhaps the death of his brother was his come to Jesus moment. So Charles wants to make amends? Perhaps the Koch family, with their vast resources and influence, can now offer their assistance for America to have its own come to Jesus moment.


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Come Together Right Now Over Us

We must find common ground between young and old, Democrat and Republican, liberal and conservative to truly make American great again if we are to face our potentially catastrophic future. We live in a era when the greed of a few takes from the need of the many. We live in a changing climate with increasing droughts, deluges, and intensifying storms. It is a time where economic and climate migrants threaten to overturn centuries of improvements to the human condition. And for those out there who believe we as humans have dominion over the earth, we are failing.

Perhaps we can be inspired, by this speech from the hit TV show The Newsroom, to participate in our democracy as a day-to-day process, and thus contribute to the re-creation of the vision of The United States of America. A United States where we are united in a common goal with love and respect for one another and for others the world over, and for the greater good. A future where we can become individually the best person we can be, and then collectively spread that to our families, our neighborhoods, our country and the world.

Just as the time before the vote was not a time for complacency, or for thinking "what's the use", neither are the days of the rest of our life. Every day of our life is the time to stand up for what we feel is right, for the future we wish to create. The present moment is always the time to choose the direction we want to take, and the direction we want our country -- whichever country you live in -- and the world, to take. 

Watch this scene from the HBO series "The Newsroom" (2012) explaining why America is not the greatest country any longer... But also, why it can be. This short speech is described as "the most honest three and a half minutes of television, EVER..." 

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Another wonderful, stirring, and inspirational speech is this one by Charlie Chaplin, "The Little Dictator", where he says: 'The hate of men will pass and dictators will die.'

He also tells us:

"You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life  a wonderful adventure. Then in the name of democracy let us use that power, let us all unite, let us fight for a new world, a decent world...."

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The choices we face have presented themselves for humans of many generations before ours. The choice, between love and hatred, more traditionally referred to as the choice between "good and evil", are a rite of passage for each generation. Will we choose love, cooperation, harmony, caring, and supporting the highest vision of ourselves and of our world? That is the choice that is constantly being presented to us. Love or "that other stuff" whether you name it fear, hatred, anger, jealousy, greed, corruption, deception, racism, bigotry, etc. etc. They are all variations of "not love". 

Will You Make It Your Calling?

Our calling now, as for generations past, is to make our choice... and at this junction of humanity's path, it is so important for us to choose love, not just for self, but also for others, for the planet, for those less fortunate, and even for those more fortunate.

Unconditional love means love without conditions... whatever skin color, religion, gender, language spoken, country of origin, balance in the bank account, etc. It is not up to any strongman dictator, big or little, good or evil, kind or cruel. It is simply up to us, all together. In the words of Charlie Chaplin and "The Little Dictator": "You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life  a wonderful adventure."

Let's do it! Let's make that our purpose each day, to make the world a better, healthier, happier, and more loving place for all. We can do it! Love for each other, for everyone, is the key and we are all the key-holders.

So for those that gave a sigh of relief that the crisis is finally over, it's not. Only the beginning is over and all of us in this world, not just America, must now figuratively, not literally, hitch our wagon to the stars if we are to survive.

About The Author

Marie T. Russell is the founder of InnerSelf Magazine (founded 1985). She also produced and hosted a weekly South Florida radio broadcast, Inner Power, from 1992-1995 which focused on themes such as self-esteem, personal growth, and well-being. Her articles focus on transformation and reconnecting with our own inner source of joy and creativity.

Creative Commons 3.0: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author: Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article: This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com

About the Author

jenningsRobert Jennings is co-publisher of InnerSelf.com with his wife Marie T Russell. He attended the University of Florida, Southern Technical Institute, and the University of Central Florida with studies in real estate, urban development, finance, architectural engineering, and elementary education. He was a member of the US Marine Corps and The US Army having commanded a field artillery battery in Germany. He worked in real estate finance, construction and development for 25 years before starting InnerSelf.com in 1996.

InnerSelf is dedicated to sharing information that allows people to make educated and insightful choices in their personal life, for the good of the commons, and for the well-being of the planet. InnerSelf Magazine is in its 30+year of publication in either print (1984-1995) or online as InnerSelf.com. Please support our work.

 Creative Commons 4.0

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License. Attribute the author Robert Jennings, InnerSelf.com. Link back to the article This article originally appeared on InnerSelf.com