My Political, Ecological, and Spiritual Commitments

After the cruelty and violence of his campaign, the worst I have experienced in my lifetime, I still feel aghast, unbelieving that my country chose Donald Trump to be its president-elect. I feel that so many barriers to protect civility and decency, diversity and justice have been breached. The result is that no one on any “side” can claim to have emerged unscathed. So how are we to go about the healing needed if we are to restore a united nation of equal citizens? I am so grateful for all who are working to provide life-giving answers.

My personal commitments are these:

In the political realm:

Although I was active before the election, I have now been to my first meeting of Democratic Women; it was inspiring. I’ve been supporting the Standing Rock Sioux in their protests against Big Oil. In a local protest I was reminded of Native writer Gerald Vizenor’s call for survivance—a combination of survival and resistance.

In the ecological realm:

Walks in the quiet beauty of the North Carolina late autumn and early winter remind me of the restorative qualities of the non-human natural world. I commit more than ever to my calling as an Earth carer, locally and globally.

In the spiritual realm:

My spiritual practice and allies are more important than ever. Fr. Thomas Keating (who wrote this a while ago) challenges me to persevere, to trust in holy alliances: “The modern world lies under a pervasive sense of anguish, of being abandoned, or at least experiencing God as absent. Yet events that seem to turn our lives upside down and inside out are part of God’s redemptive plan, not only for us, but for the world in which we live. God may be preparing a great awakening for the world, if God can find enough people to cooperate in this mysterious plan.”

Yes! to lighting a candle each day and facing toward the Light. It takes persistence, courage, community, and, above all, love.