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“To let go implies to let GO of something.  The something we are holding to may simply be a creation of our mind, an illusory perception of something, and not the reality of the thing itself.”  Thich Nhat Hanh, Silence

More than any time in my life I feel surrounded by negative energy.  It is autumn, my favorite time of year.  As the leaves turn and fall, blanketing the yard that was once green, I feel my country is also in an autumn, a time when we are losing our ability to grow and work together to improve our society.

Many will agree with me that things are bad, but many will not agree with what I feel is the worst thing that is happening.  We have not just lost our ability to work together, we have lost our ability to think so that what we are feeling may have little to do with the reality of the situation.

Hysteria Is Affecting Many People

Hysteria seems to have taken over many of our citizens.  Hysteria is a psychological disorder that includes selective amnesia, shallow volatile emotions, or overly dramatic attention-seeking behavior.  Unfortunately, when we look at Donald Trump’s behavior, we see that he has all three of these behaviors, and he encourages them in his supporters.

Paulo Coelho has said, “How people treat other people is a direct reflection of how they feel about themselves.”  When Trump makes fun of a disabled man or the appearance of a woman, this reflects his fear that he is not attractive enough, not comfortable with his natural self.  When he calls people “stupid or crooked,” he sounds like the child bully who feels inadequate and finds harming others empowering.

Why do so many people accept this behavior in a presidential candidate?  What are they holding on to that convinces them Trump’s behavior is acceptable?  I find it difficult to believe that everyone who plans to vote for Trump is racist and misogynistic.  So what illusions are they holding onto that allow them to accept this behavior?

What Are the Illusions About Trump?

There is little evidence that Trump has done anything in the past to help people in general, and he has even used money meant for charity to buy personal items.  To hope that he will make policies that help people in need has no credible basis in reality.  He insists that he is a successful business man, but he often doesn’t pay the people who work for him and has had numerous law suits filed against him. If he can’t run his own business honestly, it doesn’t make sense he could financially run the country for the benefit of all. He’s a reality television star who is an expert at creating illusion.  That is his forte.

At the Base of Hysteria Is Fear

So what is really at the bottom of all this?  Why does he angrily lash out at anyone who opposes him and ridicule those who are different, including the opposite sex.  It is because of his fear—the fear of not winning, the fear of appearing weak, the fear of not getting what he wants or needs, the fear of a system he doesn’t understand, the fear of being different from his community, the fear of making a mistake.

We all share many of these fears, fears created from our life experiences.  But what we fear may not be a reality.  The “illusory perception of something” to which Thich Nhat Hanh refers is based on the explanation we have created in our minds to deal with our fear.

How Fears Create Illusions

There are two kinds of fears: the physical and the psychological. Physical fears alert us to physical danger.  They remind us not to step out into the middle of traffic or urge us to find a safe place if someone starts following us as we walk down a dark street.  They can save our lives.

Psychological fears are a distortion of our mind power, and all fears are based on the fear of inadequacy or the fear of rejection.  When our fear is stimulated, the mind power begins to search for information that is stored in our memory related to that fear, and then we begin to react by coping, compromising, or defending.  At this point, we have moved into our survival pattern.

Our survival pattern consists of the behavior we have learned to cope with difficulties or threats.  Some people withdraw, some become angry and physically threatening, some argue or ridicule another person.  Fear is at the base of all negative emotion and unless we release it, it blocks our ability to think clearly.

Releasing Our Fears Helps Us See Clearly

However, when we become so dominated by our fear, it is essential that we release it so that we can view the situation clearly and make good choices.  Releasing our fear is a simple process.  We take a deep breath and remain still and quiet.  When we feel quiet, we direct our mind to release the fear, naming the fear if we can identify it.  If we can’t, we simply ask the mind to release the fear.  We relax and feel the fearful energy leave the body.

It is not easy to release fears that are deeply imbedded, so it may take several attempts before it works.  We need to be in the moment and that may be difficult for those who do not meditate and spend quiet time in prayer, but taking a few deep breaths and letting go of any thoughts may help.  After the release, it will feel like there is space in the mind.  At that point, we ask our mind for a solution to the problem that initiated the fear.

When the mind is clear of fear, it will search our memories for helpful information and guide us toward better choices.  We all need to become more conscious of what we are feeling and what has initiated the feeling, so we have to take the time to question why the fear was initiated.  Did the person we feel anger toward remind us of the father who often screamed at us?  The mother who pushed us away when we needed love? The bully who pulled a knife on us behind the gym in high school?

What Behavior Do We Need In A President?

The ability to control one’s fear and how one reacts in volatile situations is particularly important for the president of this county.  That person will constantly be confronted with difficult choices and opposition.  How he/she handles it will determine the future of this country, and if they react from fear and with disrespect to the challenges that appear, it will damage our relationships with other countries.  If this person cannot research, analyze, and think clearly instead of always reacting, he/she will not be able to solve complex problems.

Throughout this campaign, I have watched Hillary Clinton carefully.  I do not expect her to be entertaining.  I don’t want a star in the White House; I want a leader.  I expect her to be thoughtful and informed and she has been.  She is always prepared to discuss issues, rather than comment on how someone looks.  She doesn’t give demeaning names to her opponent; she presents her specific solutions to the country’s problems and she identifies the flaws in her opponent’s thinking.

When I think about Hillary winning, I feel calm. There is a long list of things she has already accomplished to help especially women and children, but their welfare contributes to all of society.  She has specific ideas about creating jobs through improving infra structure as well as developing more small business.  Yes, she has been part of the system for her adult life and that’s a good thing because she knows how to use the democratic process to help us all.  She focuses on the real challenges that confront the country.

We Need A Strong Leader

Most of all, Hillary is strong.  Despite the lies told about her, the abusive language directed at her, the threats leveled at her, the ongoing investigations that never find her guilty of anything, she is still with us.  She has staying power and resilience.  That’s what we need in a leader.  She may have fears, but it’s clear she has released many of them or she would not have gotten this far.

Let’s move away from the hysteria conjured up by Trump and the media, release our fears, examine each candidate carefully, let go of our illusions, and make a rational choice.  Only one person is qualified for the position.  We broke the glass ceiling last time when we elected the first black president.  Let’s take the rest of that ceiling down and elect the first woman president.  It’s about time!

©2016 Georganne Spruce

Related Articles: Awakening to Live Without Fear,  Awakening to Peace and Wholeness Beyond Fear, Awakening to Release Illusions

“Passion is a positive obsession.  Obsession is a negative passion.”  Paul Carvel

How good are you at compromise?  If you can’t get exactly what you want, do you refuse to act at all?  What are the consequences of your choices?

I may be crossing the line today, but I need to.  I always want what I write to be inspirational and uplifting, but with the current political situation, I can’t ignore what I’m feeling, and I am concerned about the passion I see in both candidates and voters.

I think passion is a good thing, and I am a very passionate person.  I always have been, and I followed my passion to become a dancer years ago against my family’s wishes.  Despite the physical and economic challenges, I made my dream become a reality and I have never regretted it.

Two Kinds of Passion

Currently, I see two kinds of passion expressed in the current presidential race.  On one hand, there is the nasty, dark passion or obsession of Donald Trump.  His passion takes the form of misogynistic, discriminatory, and violent comments against the people he wants to hurt, ostensibly in order to make America great. This is misdirected in a democratic country where we are a vastly diverse group.

On the other hand, Bernie Sanders expresses his passion primarily by talking positively about what he wants to do to help those who feel the government has neglected their needs.  Until lately, he avoided even criticizing his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton and merely pointed out their differences. However, as the campaign has become more competitive, he has focused more on what is wrong with his opponent.

Passion Expressed Through Action

Hillary, on the other hand, has been criticized because some feel she doesn’t show enough passion, yet she has worked passionately to help women and children all her life.  Her actions more than words express her passion.  But Hillary’s passion or expressed lack of it doesn’t concern me.

Dangers of Misdirected Passion

What concerns me is the dark offensive passion of Trump and the uncompromising passion of those Sanders’ followers who say they will not vote for Hillary if she is the Democratic candidate.

Now that Cruz has left the race, it is pretty clear that Trump will be the Republican nominee unless something radical occurs at the convention.  Trump talks about making America great, but there is nothing great about what he plans to do because it involves, among other things, discriminating against Latinos, Muslims, and women.

Despite his lack of integrity and apparently shady business dealings, there is still a huge number of people who support him passionately, who do not seem to be bothered by his negativity.  It is frightening to think that many people support his dark and overly simplistic approach to problem-solving and the dangers it could create in the whole world.

So what do you do if you are a devoted Republican, appalled by Trump, and he becomes the Republican candidate?  Can you cross party lines?  Can you compromise and vote for a Democrat?  Or do you sit out the election?

That’s what many of Bernie’s supporters say they will do if he isn’t the Democratic candidate.  They feel so passionate about Bernie that they are unwilling to compromise, regardless of the consequences.

I appreciate their being passionate about wanting to change the system, and Bernie does focus on what he would do to help the people whose needs have been neglected.  He does not exclude anyone.  He wants to meet the needs of all who feel abandoned, and he has years of experience within the system to convince us that he is capable of implementing his ideas.

As the contest has become more tenuous for him, his passion now includes a negativity that I hoped he would avoid.  He is even talking about a “contested” convention.

If enough Democrats stay home, could that help Trump win the election?  And if they are convinced they could never vote for Hillary, is it because they have researched what she has done in politics or are they simply believing anything negative that they hear?

There Are Serious Consequences to Our Choices

With any candidate, it is important to get the facts.  Unfortunately, the mainstream media is not helpful, for they offer us one-minute sound bites on any topic without substantial information.  That’s why I watch PBS News.  At least I get more information there.

And are we so influenced by the entertainment quality of a candidate that we can’t see beyond that to the facts and issues that really matter?  Or are we only concerned with how they appear?

Passion is entertaining so, of course, we are drawn to the more dynamic characters in the story.  But passionate characters do not necessarily make the best choices.

The consequences of our choices as voters in this next election are monumental.  We need to think very carefully about the consequences of our action or lack of action and consider if our passion is leading us in the best direction for the nation.

© 2016 Georganne Spruce