A Sense of Renewal and Hope for 2021 and Beyond

I would like to wish everyone a Happy New Year as we say goodbye to one of the most challenging years in our lifetimes and in the history of our civilization as we grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Certainly, there is renewed hope for a more promising future as we enter 2021 and leave the shackles of 2020 behind us, but well-aware that we will still face significant challenges as we usher in a new era.

As I mentioned in a previous post at the beginning of the pandemic, this event has created chaos, disruption and destruction, yet it has also given us the opportunity to examine our life’s trajectory, the meaning of our lives within the context of our relationships and communities, and our sense of connectedness within the spiritual realm. We understand just how fragile our physical lives are, yet we are still very authentically powerful when we examine the totality of our existence spiritually, emotionally, and mentally as well as physically. Indeed, we will rise above this moment in  our history and will eventually become much stronger and knowledgeable and better able to persevere in such a crisis in the future.

As we move forward, let us discover the path that we wish for ourselves for the New Year and beyond, particularly considering our relationships to each other, our families and to our communities. As the effects of the pandemic subside and we return to a new way of living, we have the opportunity to rejuvenate and pick up where we left off, with perhaps a new insight into how we can cope with everyday circumstances in a new manner and much more effectively than in the past. If we hold on to bitterness and anger rather than understanding and forgiveness, then we are bound to create negativity rather than joy or prosperity in our lives.

Personally, the pandemic has reminded me of the fragility of our existence as well as its temporal and illusive nature. While our lives on this plane are certainly purposeful with many lessons to help us evolve to better versions of ourselves, the illusory nature of this existence, particularly when we reflect upon the recent and distant past, reminds us just how fragile we are as a human race. Let us all strive to make this a better place for each other, rather than a world fraught with anger, fear and disillusionment. Sooner rather than later, we will look back at the meaning of our lives and hopefully we will have reached a critical moment of self-realization that we have made life better for others rather than the converse. We have helped to spread kindness and understanding rather than division and despair, and through our commitment to living in the light of compassion, we have the authentic power to make this world much brighter by embracing ourselves and each other rather than inflicting needless distress. It takes considerable strength and commitment based on humanistic principles to put our differences aside and live with authenticity, hope and compassionate love to elevate our lives to the richness we all deserve.

On this New Year’s Eve of 2020, I send everyone my sincere wishes for a joyful, hopeful future, one where we can prosper emotionally, mentally, spiritually and physically, and where we can once again reclaim the joy inherent in the simple pleasures of life. More importantly, we will have the opportunity soon to emerge from the shackles of this pandemic with a newfound enlightenment that we have overcome one of the worst experiences in History. When we collectively envision a new perspective by treating each other with love and compassion, then we can create a more loving and united world free from the dark psychological forces that bind humanity rather than allowing us to flourish. By recognizing our vastness we can build upon our achievements and emerge as vibrant beings on this evolutionary path to wholeness and completeness by living in the light of everlasting love and hope. Collectively, we are all inspired by our trusted scientists who developed vaccines against the pandemic in record time to begin the process of eliminating this horrific scourge that has wrought havoc across the world. To the many people whom we have lost, we can be assured that we will meet again in a plane of existence that does not need death, illness or destruction to help us evolve. My hope is that we can all utilize our gifts and talents, like the scientists and healthcare communities who are battling this pandemic toward its eventual demise, to promote peace, love, compassion and understanding to make our existence a more loving and enlightened realm within the vastness of the universe. The survival of the human race depends on our willingness to release the encumbrances of pain and destruction by living with purpose, joy, compassion, love and light, and by embracing the vast potential we have through an alignment with our Higher Selves.

The Horrific, Senseless Murder of George Floyd

I would like to take a few moments to discuss the outrage that I and every community member in the United States and across the world feel regarding the senseless, brutal, and hateful murder of Mr. George Floyd. Like many senseless hate crimes that have occurred, this horrific event reminds each and everyone of us of our interrelatedness, and how the ill-guided actions of just one person or a few people can symbolize and effect the terrible outrage we feel at this unspeakable injustice.

I stand in solidarity with the African American Community and all communities in Houston, across the United States and throughout the world who are horrified and ashamed of the actions of these police officers, who are brought to the calling of law enforcement to effect change and establish order and protect the peace, rather than to senselessly murder an innocent man. No words can possibly console the family of George Floyd or our communities as we try to grapple with the reasons why anyone within law enforcement or even on this earth could lower themselves to the depths of the unfathomable. The systemic hatred and racism  that exists within some members of law enforcement will continue to inflict emotional and physical pain and suffering upon innocent civilians until these individuals wake up and realize that their unconscionable bias must be thoroughly recognized, healed and atoned for the sake of humanity. Such acts of unspeakable violence have their origin in past horrific atrocities within our nation in which we have not collectively healed and transformed, and it should be our calling to effect the change we so ardently desire by each and every individual, in every community in the nation and throughout the world, to become aware of the psychological internal divisions we may have within ourselves that are preventing us from an alignment with humanistic, spiritual principles. We must not act upon hatred, bias, ruthlessness, and psychopathic behavior, especially for those who have taken the calling of law enforcement.  It should be within their overall ethical framework to establish peace and understanding instead of divisional fear and hatred.  This nation and the world will not stand for such injustice, and it is a call for each and everyone of us to align ourselves in the healthiest manner possible psychologically, mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually with our Soul-based purpose which should promote the integration of the divine realm here on earth.  In this manner, horrific, senseless murders will not take place because we will have aligned our values with the vastness of spiritual authenticity, where each and every person on the planet is viewed as expressions of love, light, peace and understanding rather than the hellish, ill-perceived evil constructs of hatred and disdain.

I stand with everyone who believes we can live in a more loving, united, and enlightened world.  It starts with us.  We can effect change by transforming our hearts and minds from thoughts of division, hatred, and racism to loving thoughts of inclusion, peace, light and understanding.  Until we collectively heal and envision this transformational process from the depths of despair to compassion and understanding, continual eruptions such as the senseless murder of innocent men like George Floyd will plague our nation.  We have the ability, through an alignment with the vastness of the spiritual realm, to eradicate systemic racial violence and hatred; it starts with a new thought and belief system that we can change the world by changing ourselves and promoting peace, love, and understanding in every action that we take. Enough is enough.  Let us end systemic racism and hatred, for our survival as a loving, united, and enlightened world depends on our willingness as a species to awaken to our authentic ability to eradicate the atrocities which haunt and prevent us from Living in the Light of pure consciousness and awareness, free from condemnatory actions of violence, senseless murder, and torment.

Easter in the Age of the Coronavirus

I’d like to wish everyone a wonderful Easter Sunday, even as the world grapples with the global pandemic, COVID-19.  During this incredibly stressful time in our world’s history, it is that much more important that we focus on what makes us excel rather than what tears us apart. Indeed, we will move through this crisis together, and I believe that when the infections from the pandemic reduce and those who have contracted the virus recover fully, we will become stronger, more knowledgeable and better able to handle such an event should it reemerge in the future.

While social distancing is very isolating and depressing, it also gives us the opportunity to delve more fully into projects or learning initiatives that we had possibly forgotten about or had experienced difficulty beginning during the “normal” times. I think the crisis also gives us the opportunity to pause and consider the trajectory of our lives and where we are headed, both individually and collectively.  It certainly can give us the opportunity to pause and meditate on what we stand for as individuals and the impact and influence we have upon others in our families, friendships and communities.  It provides a much-needed moment in our lives when we can truly ask ourselves if we are contributing to the health and vibrance of ourselves, families, and communities or are we creating needless toxicity and emotional turbulence. This is a time when we have the opportunity to collectively bond, through prayer and meditation, towards the complete healing of the universe of both physical and emotional pain and suffering.  Yet, there are those who are determined to inflict emotional pain and suffering upon others rather than to forgive and create harmony. Jealousy, fear, retribution and anger are toxic energies that will only cause more pain and suffering.  Focusing on these negative energies creates more and more toxicity within one’s life and surroundings and does not contribute to an overall sense of well-being.  It is so simple, yet many people elect to suffer rather than to forgive and experience the joy that God meant for all of us.

For those of you who have experienced the COVID-19 illness, either directly or indirectly, I send you love, light and all the hope for continued recovery.  The Coronavirus has wreaked havoc across the world and seemed to come out of nowhere, but with diligence, perseverance and an adherence to guidelines from our trusted healthcare leaders, we can move through this with assurance that we will become stronger, healthier and wiser.

As we focus on becoming healthier by practicing social distancing and safeguarding from the virus, let us also remember to focus on living well in multiple areas of our lives.  What good is it to safeguard from the virus if we harbor resentment and ill will towards others?  There is most certainly a connection between our mental as well as our physical health – we must maintain a healthy mind to have a healthy body, and mental health begins by clearing our thoughts of anger, resentment, jealousy and ill will towards others.  The more that we practice wishing the best for ourselves and others – even those with whom we have estranged relations – then we are better able to reach deeper levels of happiness and self-actualization. The time we spend on this earth should be spent loving, learning, and helping others.  Before we know it, we will reach that era in our lives when we reflect upon how we have lived and treated others, and we will experience either a sense of joy knowing that we have done our very best, or we will feel deep regret by realizing we inflicted distress upon others rather than doing our best to be examples of love and kindness.   God placed us in this realm to create joy rather than sorrow, and we are the ultimate source of judgment when we evaluate our contribution to this plane of existence.  When I reach that point, I know that my goal is to wholeheartedly believe that I have created more joy than sorrow, and that I helped others achieve their dreams rather than the converse.  Resentment and retribution bury the heart in a toxic tomb of scarcity and emptiness, so let us all rise above such condemnation towards healthy, loving, and resilient experiences within our lives.

As we move forward towards healthier and happier days, my wish for everyone is to continue to stay focused on our goals and dreams and to understand that the COVID crisis is only a temporary setback in our everyday lives.  It is an opportunity to reflect on where we are headed individually and collectively, and to examine our relationships, work, family and our communal and societal contributions.  Together, through patience, love and understanding, we can create a wonderful world free of danger and illness by envisioning the loving universe God meant for us to experience from the very beginning instead of a man-made world of disease, death and destruction.

For this Easter Sunday and always, I send my love, light and best wishes for a more loving and enlightened world in which to live and prosper!

Mike Lovell

Through Spiritual and Physical Integration, our Life’s Vision and Purpose are Clearer

Many times, as we experience the struggles of everyday life on this plane, we wonder what life’s lesson is for us within this specific framework or pattern of our existence. Is there a lesson in my struggles, or are my circumstances some cruel or unrelenting act? The sadness that we often feel as a result of this quandary can certainly force us to come to terms with the significance these experiences have in our lives. I believe that when we confront our darkness and demons, we come to terms with the perceptions, experiences, and mental constructs which may block our sense of self-realization. As we seek to reemerge from the abyss of confusion to the oasis of soul-purpose actualization, our journey and place within the world become clearer and the path towards self and planetary transformation are much more tangible. The Spiritual realm seems to put these obstacles in our path to help us grow and learn, painful as these experiences may seem at the time.

It is when we realize that we do not have to live our lives in struggle and pain that we can become free of our self-imposed mental or emotional constraints.  When we develop ourselves towards a life-affirming awakening by integrating the spiritual and physical aspects of existence, we experience profound clarity on how to resolve the issues that consistently prevent us from achieving happiness and a sense of oneness. If we solely focus on the physical and material world then we will experience emptiness and unhappiness. If we attune only to the spiritual, then we will neglect our physical selves and this will also create unnecessary imbalance.  By integrating the physical and spiritual, we pave the path for true enlightenment and transformation and can heal the disenfranchised aspects of our psyche that have prevented us from achieving a sense of balance and happiness.

We undertake enormous challenges as we live within the physical realm with an openness to our Spiritual divinity – fully aware that as we grasp and understand our soul’s unlimited potential, we can shed old ideas that were far too limiting and self-constraining. When we are in alignment with our soul-purpose, life flows amazingly without struggle or limitation. We bring our unique gifts and contribute to the world, just as God has always intended once we have awakened to our calling and path.

So, when we are “stuck”, or we do not seem to manifest what we longingly wish to see in our lives, we must view our dreams and goals within an entirely different perspective. If we grasp the idea that we are spiritual beings living in the physical world – then we are much better able to comprehend the vastness of our potential. Yet, if we focus on limitation, it will return to us in the form of scarcity, struggle, hatred, deception, sadness and a sense of not fulfilling our destiny. If, however, we focus on the enormous potential we have within us through an alignment with Spirit, then it is possible to co-create the life we so ardently desire. As we awaken to our spiritual side, our purpose becomes much clearer, and we can shape our value system, beliefs and actions to bring our unique vision to actualization.

Coping with Interpersonal Relationships during the Holidays

Our higher selves know the exact steps to take, the right words to say – and when we follow our soul-based intuition, events flow in our lives the way Spirit has meant for us to experience. When we are overwhelmed with stress, fear, anger and jealousy, we are unable to visualize the path Spirit has before us. Let us constantly remember to forgive, embrace and resolve the past for a loving, joyful present rooted in the belief that our dreams are manifested as we release the ego’s stronghold on our soul’s development.

As we celebrate the joy of the season, let us remember that renewal and growth are upon the horizon – as soon as we are willing to accept the next phase of divinity in our lives. Creating a life of joy and peace among the troubling clamor of contemporary society is not easy. We are constantly bombarded with fear, anger, limitation, strife, disease, corruption, hate and jealousy. If we focus on these ills our zest for life falters and we feel dead inside. If, instead, we focus on renewal, growth, love, patience and forgiveness, expansion and creativity, then our lives will be filled with authentic blessings.

As we enter the next few days of the holidays where we have to come to terms with familial relationships that have either flourished or soured, then we must remember the spiritual component of that individual. It is not always pleasant facing these individuals, but it is necessary. Many times it means we confront a former abuser or victimizer. I may get so angry at my family member or close friend because they are not living up to my expectations, or they are acting with hatred and disdain. During these moments of egregious, noxious behavior we have to rise above it all and say, “You are filled with the Light of God. Although you have hurt me and made me angry, I choose to see your goodness instead of your hatred.” Then we can honestly let go of our perceptions of what we want that person to be, and allow them to be who they are, even if their actions are disdainful. We have to try to do our best not to judge.

Yet, if the toxic individuals in our immediate environment try to continually lower our energy into unacceptable depths by emotional manipulation and unnecessary arguments, then it’s entirely acceptable to remove them from our psychic awareness and physical space. That’s when we stay away from their physical presence so that we are not caught in a negative spiraling of toxic energy involving our own psyche. Toxic people thrive on chaos, anger, jealousy, competition, the need for retribution and hatred. We release their negative power over us when we choose light and understanding over the depths of toxicity and manipulative entanglement. They do not have any influence over us as long as we remind ourselves not to allow them any control over us at all. Bereft of authentic power, they are free to negatively spiral out of control by themselves, preventing any descent of our own into their freakish madness.

This means it is perfectly acceptable to let go, to move on, and while there may seem to be an absence in our lives because we miss them and the past joy they brought to our lives long ago, we have actually opened the door, through our alignment with Spirit, for much healthier relationships, connections and experiences.

Healing from the Past

To heal from the past, we must correct the errors in perception that prevent us from forgiving those who have harmed us. In relinquishing anger, fear, and hatred and completely forgiving past errors, we free our lives and hearts from experiencing emotional devastation and we can live fully in the present open to unlimited love. This is a path towards a renewed and transformed sense of Self that takes us closer to God and our true, Higher Self. Correcting errors of perception such as anger, fear, jealousy, and the need for retribution heals the disenfranchised aspects of ourselves that have long searched and yearned for clarity and atonement. The mental process of dissociation slips us further away from the all encompassing nature of God’s love and we develop a false sense of security – further emboldening the nightmarish dream rather than awakening from its terror and stronghold on our emotional and mental well being. In the process of trying to escape or avoid emotional danger, we actually create more negative disowned energy by psychically dividing aspects of ourselves and furthering the split between our personality and Spirit.  We should, instead, pray for healing and integration and infuse our shadow selves with rehabilitative energy and careful, spiritual nourishment. This consistent and repetitive nature of denying the present by emboldening egoistic divisions within our psyche takes us further away rather than closer to the spiritual realm. Our task is to remember Spirit’s unlimited ability to heal all atrocities rather than creating more perceptual errors which obscure our spiritual sight. Any act that is not of love is counter to the world of Spirit and is an illusion, further reminding us that our task on earth is to heal and awaken from this dimension’s obsessive identification with the physical and its associated anguish.

The Meaning of Success

This is a topic that has meant various things to me throughout the years,  and one that I have pondered over many times.  I can remember very clearly in my younger years in undergraduate school just how concerned and frightened I was on whether or not I would succeed.  I had these notions in my mind about what success meant.  Indeed, it was what I thought others viewed as success that guided me instead of listening to my own intuition.  I have found repeatedly that when we place control outside of ourselves, when we place others in control of our happiness, then we ultimately will “fail.”  It does not matter how much money one makes or how outwardly successful one may appear; if we do not listen to our own intuition, if we are guided by the perceptions of others, then happiness and a sense of accomplishment will elude us.

Success is something that is extremely difficult to quantify and it is highly subjective. During my undergrad years, I consistently worried about becoming successful.  Did I have to earn a certain amount of money?  Did I need to become famous? What if I never found a true sense of fulfillment?  Repeatedly in various courses ranging from psychology, sociology, literature, economics, advertising, marketing and many others, Erik Erikson’s psychoanalytic theory was discussed. It was so highly popular then that every time I came across it I experienced a kind of dread.  I remember thinking “Oh no, not the eight stages of personal development all over again!”  And I was fraught with anxiety about whether I would experience fulfillment through the wrangling of each stage in personal development posed by Erikson.  Eventually, as I experienced life and became more well-grounded and “successful” in my own eyes, then I became less anxious about my prospects of self-actualization.  Yet, I believe that the continual search for success and meaning within our work lives and our lives in general is the hallmark of the contemporary struggle to find purpose within our often-chaotic environments.

Recently, I watched a TED Seminar video in which Alain de Botton spoke on this very subject. I believe he is very much on target when he states that we must view our definitions of success through our own lenses.  Our fear of being judged by others often prompts us to make decisions so that we will not feel a sense of inferiority in relation to others.  Yet, when we act from this perspective, we often create needless problems. I have seen it occur in corporate sales environments, where the focus is not on solving customer issues or encouraging collaboration between team members, but on the soul-less pursuit of “winning” at the expense of others.  Healthy competition always has its place within corporate environments, but when individuals act out of balance within these settings, doing so creates an atmosphere of mistrust rather than cooperation.  And when this happens, the corporation ultimately loses because not everyone is operating within the appropriate framework to bring their unique contributions to the company.  They are focused more on out-performing others instead of the more important tasks of solving customer problems, increasing efficiency, and working together to create unique solutions that benefit everyone.

Therefore, a healthy work environment is a vital component of living and contributing successfully. When we operate within a supportive, healthy atmosphere, then our efforts are more focused on bringing about the objectives that create win-win scenarios, vs. destructive tactics such as pillaging over the backs of others to be the number one salesperson or to sabotage the success or experience of others due to jealousy, fear or misunderstandings. Does this mean that we always act perfectly in relation to one another?  Certainly not.  No one is perfect and no one should pretend to be, but you can certainly feel a difference within the workplace where leaders are visionary and provide all employees the operational framework and corporate culture to bring their unique gifts to the table to advance the company’s goals and objectives.  Any actions by individuals to thwart this open environment certainly can lead us to a sense of frustration.  Even when operating in such a dysfunctional environment, we must stay focused upon our inner uniqueness and the contributions we bring to our projects, teams, goals and aspirations. We can become an inspiration to others by allowing our unique gifts to shine and lead the way towards visionary business practices in which everyone is encouraged to participate within a finely woven fabric of shared values and goals.

Success is going to mean something different to everyone – and certainly, monetary compensation and wealth building are excellent examples of achievement.  Others focus on the advocacy of the marginalized and disenfranchised, and receive an enormous amount of satisfaction by helping others in need or furthering a societal cause. Who is one to judge what is more powerful or more important?  I think that Alain de Botton’s speech on success highly resonates with my own ideas of self worth, and we should view our lives through our own lenses, not through the perceptions of others, if we are to achieve a sense of fulfillment within our careers.  Our self-constructs of “what we do” often permeate throughout our entire perception of ourselves and create either the feeling of accomplishment or the despair of not having achieved our innermost goals and desires.  While we may need the support of others to achieve our own sense of success, we should not rely upon or become too heavily influenced by acceptance or rejection from others.  The compass of our achievements is expertly guided by our hearts, intuition, and unique perceptual framework.

Suggested Material:

de Botton, A. (2009). A kinder, gentler philosophy of success. Lecture presented at TEDGLOBAL 2009, Oxford, England. [Video].  Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/alain_de_botton_a_kinder_gentler_philosophy_of_success

Immigration Reform

I recently wrote a review of an article from The Washington Post on Immigration Reform for my graduate course in Employment Law. The content of this review is below, and I welcome any comments on this controversial issue.

Immigration reform has been a turbulent issue for quite some time, and it has been the cornerstone of Trump’s agenda during the election and as a vital component of his initial strategies as President. Trump won the election primarily by appealing to the working and middle classes. This population has been adversely impacted by immigrants who compete against American laborers for lower-paying, unskilled jobs. Trump’s historic upset against Hillary Clinton was due, in part, to his messages of bringing jobs back to America, protecting the nation against immigrants who may take away American jobs at home as well as making it more difficult for companies to outsource. While I am not a fan of the Trump administration, or the discriminatory measures that he has initiated such as the Travel Ban on the Muslim population, I do, agree, that we need to protect the American middle class from further erosion. Job losses, outsourcing, factory-closings, and wage pressure have all contributed to a deleterious impact on the working and middle classes. While I disagree with his tactics, the idea of protecting the American landscape and American workers is a popular one.

A recent article within The Washington Post by  David Nakamura (2017) touches on this controversial issue by describing Trump’s proposed policy of limiting immigration to individuals with higher education vs. those who enter the country and compete against American laborers for lower paying positions. A “merit-based” approach would essentially reshape our immigration policy to curtail the massive influx of unskilled labor. At issue is the family unification approach where these individuals initially enter the country and then later bring their families as well, contributing to the overage of unskilled labor that competes with American laborers. The administration’s view is that a merit-based system would curtail entry to the country for those immigrants who are unable to make a living for themselves. This definition is somewhat vague and leads to multiple considerations and guesses as to the actual scope of such reform. In addition, it is unlikely that The administration will succeed with Trump’s plans for immigration reform since he has alienated much of America with the discriminatory and unconstitutional travel ban as well as heated, racist, and bigoted remarks that have spawned movements across the nation to oppose Trump’s orders and legislation. His policies and orders have contributed to intolerance and bigotry and have resulted in a world-wide rebuke of his Presidency and administration. It would be wise for his administration to initiate policies that make sense for America but while also upholding our most basic, constitutional freedoms and human rights. We want the American middle class to thrive and to limit the ability for immigrant workers to take away jobs from citizens, but we also want an inclusive and fair America, the foundation of which forms the most basic values we uphold and revere within our society.

Pro-immigration groups and many grassroots organizations within the country view restrictive immigration measures as counter to our policies of diversity and inclusion and seem to indicate the vast potential for disparate impact upon thousands and thousands of foreign nationals. While we want to take care of the American worker, we must also understand that we are a nation made up of immigrants, and severe restrictive efforts to limit migration, while they may appear neutral, are forms of deeply-rooted prejudice, fear and discrimination that can hurt our country and economy over the long term. We are a country that has welcome, open arms, and we must remember not to alienate ourselves from the rest of the world. Those American workers who are competing with immigrants for lower paying unskilled labor would be better served if they were encouraged to obtain advanced education or certifications to improve their careers and workplace opportunities.

Trump’s restrictive immigration stance is highly indicative of a strategy reflective of the 1920’s negative response to waves of immigrants that entered the country during that time, and immigration patterns did not increase until the “family-oriented” system returned in 1965.

So, how the Trump Administration’s stance on immigration will work is still questionable. While most of America embraces an inclusive, diverse nation, we also must look at the realities of the labor market, to make certain that there are enough jobs for our citizens while also welcoming the diverse talents of our immigrant community. Where the administration’s policy seems to be strongest is in attracting highly educated and skilled workers to help improve and contribute to the economy while not displacing American workers within the working and middle classes. Many high-tech companies, particularly in Silicon Valley, support inclusive immigration policies to attract qualified, diverse candidates. Shutting the door to these individuals seems entirely unjust and un-American. At the same time, we must make certain that we are building up our working and middle classes so that wage pressures, outsourcing and displacement do not affect this vital sector of our economy and nation. The best of both worlds would include embracing diverse immigrant populations that positively contribute to our economy and that do not threaten our labor workforce with displacement. This will take strategic implementation of immigration reform and should never rely upon scare tactics, division, racism, disparate impact, or unconstitutional practices.

Nakamura, D. (2017, March 6). It’s not just deportations and the border: Trump seeks to remake the immigration system. The Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/…/a4231b52-fec5-11e6-8ebe-6e…

The 2016 Election and The Future of America

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Painful Defeat

As I turned on the TV last Tuesday evening, I thought to myself, “This is going to be a long night.”  I wholeheartedly believed that Secretary Clinton would win the election and that the next day we would all wake up to victory.  I, along with most of the country and perhaps even Trump himself, did not think  that he had a significant chance at winning the Presidency.  But the night started out with Trump ahead by a few electoral votes and my stomach was feeling quite uneasy:  was this the pattern that would follow throughout the rest of the night?  If so, then Sec. Clinton’s chance at the Presidency would elude her once again.  Then, Florida became more and more ominously red, then North Carolina, then Ohio, Pennsylvania, and of course, Michigan and Wisconsin.  Who would have believed that the working class workers that had long been the stronghold of the Democratic party, the part of the voting population that had helped Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to the White House, would elude Secretary Clinton and vote for Trump?  Certainly, Trump’s messages of intolerance, misogyny, racism, and bigotry along with his own propensity for denigrating women would preclude him from the nation’s highest office.  And Secretary Clinton ran a flawless, well-organized campaign.  Her messages of unity, respect for women, minorities and LGBT rights seemed certain to hold together the Obama Coalition which would propel her to the White House. Unfortunately, this was not the case.  The working class in the Midwest and in the Rust Belt who felt betrayed by the Democratic party and who felt that they didn’t have a place within contemporary political policy voted against Hillary Clinton and for Donald Trump.  Trump’s “deplorables” came out in droves and sent him to the White House….at least through the Electoral College.  It appears that she will win the popular vote by a substantial margin, and while that is enlightening and provides hope, it will not lead her to the White House.

The Electoral College, its Limitations and Bias

This is the second time since 2000 that the Democrats have been stung by the Electoral College.  The disaster of the Gore/Bush election, where Florida was a hotbed of contention and then later a Supreme Court ruling that seemed to decide the election, and now again, in 2016, with the Secretary’s electoral college defeat by Trump. I know that the Founding Fathers envisioned the Electoral College as a buffer to protect the nation against a tyrannical despot who may potentially sway most of the American population with extreme, prejudicial ideas or inflammatory rhetoric. It seems, however, that in a twist of irony, the Electoral College is now bound to elect the type of candidate that the Founding Fathers so ardently wanted to protect from the nation!  I sincerely believe that we should abolish the Electoral College and go with the Popular Vote.  Perhaps a compromise should be put in place to ensure that candidates will not “ignore” the smaller states.  But twice within 20 years the Presidency will not go to the candidate with the plurality of the popular vote – and that, in my opinion, is a political tragedy.

It is also a tragedy that the Democratic Party erred with the Caucasian, working class population.  After all, this is the voting segment that had always supported President Bill Clinton during his years of the Presidency.  Why was the President’s advice ignored?  Why didn’t the campaign, with its numerous resources and messages of unity and inclusion, reach out to this population to ensure victory? Instead of viewing this segment of the economy and population as “Deplorables”, the campaign should have listened to their needs and unheard voices.  If the Democrats had done so, then Secretary Clinton  would have possibly won the election. I think a lot of the miscalculation was in the campaign’s belief that Sec. Clinton could hold on to the Obama Coalition 100%.  We see from some of the numbers that she did not hold on to the voting groups  that elected Barack Obama and we certainly see that the Caucasian, rural working class voters propelled Donald Trump to victory.  Why did these voters see him as their savior?  How could these individuals vote for someone who has admittedly stiffed the working class even in his own business dealings.  How would someone who was born into privilege and who has built a gaudy empire on casinos, hotels and the disastrous Trump University suddenly become the spokesman for the common man?  The fact that Sec. Clinton did not tap into the needs of these voters is, unfortunately, part of the reason for this historic and painful upset.

Transitioning to a Trump Presidency

Now there are fears that Trump’s messages of hatred, intolerance, racism, bigotry and misogyny will inform the next four years of politics.  I certainly hope not.  My hope is that Trump will stop the rhetoric in which he engaged and inflamed the voters during the debates and election and will become much more moderate and inclusive as President.  The protests are growing louder and louder each day with many of the masses exclaiming “NOT MY PRESIDENT”, and so he would be wise to continually have an open ear to both sides in order to compromise.  Many times, in politics, foes become allies to heal the country and to bridge the divide.  Trump should wisely halt the train wreck of attempting to overturn much of Barack Obama’s legacy, as he will face extraordinary resistance and this will create much more division in an already divided nation.  Trump should work together with his advisers to formulate strategies and initiatives that will truly keep the nation at the forefront of the developed world, vs. pandering to the prejudicial wishes of a portion of the voting population that helped him get to the Oval Office.  I think we can all tell that Trump is realizing just how far over his depth and capabilities he has placed himself.  He cannot overturn Obama’s legacy of eight years within his first 100 days without substantial resistance, even from members of his own party.  He must form a government not on rash decisions based on electoral promises but on initiatives that are truly for the greater good of this country.  This is not an easy task and he has his work cut out for him.

Hillary Rodham Clinton’s Concession Speech

So right before the election and afterwards, I came down with the very worst case of “stomach flu”.  Was it anxiety about the election?  Anxiety about what the future holds?  Or was it food poisoning?  Whatever it was, it threw me for a loop, and then with the election results, since I am a true-blue fan of Secretary Clinton, I was catapulted into a state of bewilderment and a sense of physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. When she gave her concession speech the next morning I, along with at least half of the country, felt her pain.  I had purposely not involved myself too emotionally in the election because in 2008 I painstakingly watched every move of the primaries between Obama and Clinton.  And now, while I am a wholehearted Obama fan, at the time, I was staunchly in favor of HRC winning the nomination.  When she lost the primaries to Obama, it seemed like the loss was entirely unjust. Everyone remembers her historic concession speech in which she lamented that she had not been able to shatter the “highest, hardest glass ceiling”, although after the primaries it had 18 million cracks in it and provided her the impetus to continue her career.  There was certainly a great deal of sadness, but we knew she still had a place in politics, and we could rest assured that the momentum from Obama’s campaign would most likely get a Democrat back in office, which we so sorely needed after eight years of the disastrous Bush Presidency. And there was an extraordinary feeling in the air because we knew that if Obama succeeded, he would become the first African American President of the United States, and this was indeed history in the making.  We had no idea at the time that Obama would actually deliver on his campaign promises.  Obama has undoubtedly earned his place in American politics as one of the very best Presidents of our great nation, because he has initiated legislation that created jobs, improved healthcare and helped promote LGBT equality.  The vast accomplishments that his administration has put into place should not be thrown out the door by the next regime that wants to pander to the needs of part of the electorate who feel they have been abandoned because of the progressive movement.  Politicians cannot be everything to everyone, so we must be realistic in our expectations of our leaders and the process.  But it is frightening to think that Trump may very well initiate legislation that will satisfy some of the deepest prejudices within America. Instead of dividing the country even further, Trump should take the high road and initiate legislation that promotes fairness, creates jobs, improves healthcare and protects the disenfranchised.

So, during the 2008 primaries I was so disappointed in HRC’s loss to Obama that this sort of jaded me, and I lost interest in politics for a while and held my guard up during the 2016 election.  Perhaps I was concerned that all the polls and predictions were somehow inaccurate?  Perhaps I had become so cynical of this process that I wanted to remove myself from the agony of defeat should it happen?  Such is politics. And we should remember, as the Secretary stated during her concession speech, that our causes are not something that we should pay attention to once every four years; we should consistently fight the good fight and they should become part of our everyday lives – as exhausting as that challenge may seem!

Moving Forward from the Election

So, when Hillary Rodham Clinton took the podium the morning after the election, we knew she had been up all night.  We knew that she was crushed emotionally, and that this was the most difficult thing she had to do, to concede the election to a candidate so seemingly unfit for the Presidency.  But with grace, class, and unusual heart-felt candor and simplicity, she spoke to the nation and her supporters about unifying the country, giving Trump a chance to lead with an open mind, and assuring her supporters that though this was not the outcome any of us wanted, we still needed to move forward towards a peaceful transition of power, since it is a hallmark of our democracy and a value we all cherish. She reminded us to continue fighting for what we felt was right because it is “worth it.”  And most everyone was in tears when she made certain to emphasize that the power of our dreams should not be forgotten and that we should get back out there to fight for the causes that we hold dearly since we are all “valuable” and “powerful”. She mentioned that she also offered to work with the President Elect to help bridge the nation’s differences because the nation is evidently much more divided than we originally thought.  All of this she took on with great bravery and class and we all looked up to her even that much more.  During much of the speech, her heart was overflowing with sadness and she nearly broke in tears.  It is evident that Secretary Clinton has worked her entire life to help the marginalized and disenfranchised in this country and in the world.  Now was the time for her to hold the very highest office, to break that “highest and hardest” of glass ceilings. As President, Hillary Rodham Clinton would have enacted legislation to bring about the necessary societal changes that have been the cornerstone of her presidential aspirations and the causes for which she has so ardently fought throughout her life.  As Americans, we had the opportunity to elect a leader who truly cares about the unity and strength of this great nation.  But that’s not going to happen with this election. Her supporters must recognize that.  Unless we can sway the electoral college to break from tradition and vote for her in December, Trump will be our President.  And, as she says, we must have an open mind and give him the “chance to lead” so that he can be a President for “all Americans.”  Let’s hope that his Presidency is inclusive rather than divisive, that he listens to viewpoints from the other side, and that he truly examines the pertinent issues facing the county not from the perspective of a candidate seeking office or popularity, but as a visionary leader of the Free World committed to the principles our nation holds so dearly within our hearts and in our minds.

 Let us All Work Together for a Bright, Peaceful Future

And, of course, it is not just the politicians that will influence our future. Politicians alone cannot solve the nation’s problems; we should work in concert with our leaders to create the national culture and environment that will truly show the world that the United States continues to remain at the forefront of human rights, peace and dignity. We can effect change within our communities and environments by promoting peace, reaching out to the other side, and by recognizing our differences as strengths instead of encumbrances.  If you are a leader in a corporation or organization, empower your employees to be the very best by recognizing and utilizing their unique contributions. Let us all remember, as Secretary Clinton stated in her concession speech, to continue fighting for the causes that are closest to our hearts; the American political process demands that we continue the fight, allow our voices to be heard, and hold our elected leaders accountable.  Let us continue to be a shining example to the rest of the world by uniting as a progressive global leader while initiating change, promoting peace, establishing fair trade practices, improving the world economy, and continuing to make this country the very best that it can be by protecting the disenfranchised and empowering all Americans to contribute in the political and legislative process.  The American Dream is still alive, but it is up to each and everyone of us to make our dreams and the dreams of future generations a reality.

 

Infinite Potential, Attracting Abundance, and Manifestation

Today, I am writing about one of the most central themes in my life as well as in the lives of many other soul-searchers seeking fulfillment and self-actualization. How do I attract abundance in a world that seems to indicate scarcity and competition rather than infinite potential and abundance?  We learn and  experience at a very early age that resources are scarce; we must fight for every single morsel available to us.  We learn that life is a struggle. Many times individuals work diligently, yet they find it difficult to get ahead and to achieve their dreams. It is very frustrating that this cycle of attracting abundance but then returning to a state of scarcity occurs repeatedly.  I truly believe that when there are recurring patterns in our lives, within the fabric of these interwoven tapestries exists many pertinent clues to the work we are meant to undertake in order to self-actualize. In this process, we come to terms with the most pressing concerns leading to our soul’s development. After all, we are here to consciously co-create; in fact, every minute, every breath, we are becoming more and more conscious of the divinity and unlimited potential within us.

The Fear of Not Attracting Money in Our Lives

For many of us, our fears come into play when we think about attaining money, attracting abundance, and achieving a sense of fulfillment.  After all, everyone wants to have the admiration and respect of their families, friends, peers and colleagues.  Yet, many times, a recurring pattern of scarcity consciousness gets in the way. We cannot seem to earn exactly the amount of money we want, buy that perfect house, have enough money in the bank, have the “right” friends, experiences and so on. All of this is based on a mindset of fear and scarcity rather than on prosperity.  So, it is entirely uplifting and somewhat of a revelation when we actually reverse thought patterns of insufficiency and attune our core beliefs into a pattern of plenitude. If we think and operate not from fear but from a positive mindset, we realize  that there is actually enough for everyone if we co-create with one another harmoniously.  Now, in everyday life, it is very easy for our ego to get in the way. Our society thrives on competition, and there is certainly nothing wrong with healthy, vibrant competition to drive us to succeed and to help us visualize our goals.  The problem occurs when, in acting out of balance, we disregard basic values in the quest to out-perform others in order to achieve recognition.  Now, there’s nothing wrong with recognition and achievement, but if we get to a place of achievement at the expense of others, then we are not acting in alignment with a soul-based awareness.  Instead, we are acting out of our own selfish, ego-based desires.  When we place too much importance on attaining monetary gain by acting recklessly towards others, we actually create scarcity within our souls and lives rather than abundance. In the process, sooner or later, we will reach a crucial moment in our evolutionary state of being where we look in the mirror to ask “What have I become? Who am I? Where am I headed?  Am I on the right path?  Have I acted with the most compassion, love, selflessness and forgiveness?  And do I truly believe that I can attract what I want in my life?”

The Many Forms of Abundance and Prosperity

The truth of the matter is that there are many forms of abundance:  abundance of the spirit, health, mind and in sharing our unique gifts to the world.  If we consistently focus on monetary wealth at the expense of our physical and mental health, then we are acting out of balance and will return to a state of scarcity consciousness without even being aware of the process.   We have the infinite power to create the lives that we want by consistently honoring the infinite potential within each and every one of us.  Prosperity appears in our lives in so many different ways – many times, it is not exactly apparent, or perhaps we do not value the form in which it appears.  For example, can I take the time to truly see what is happening around me?  How do I react?  Am I so consumed by the idea of “getting ahead” that I trample upon the lives and hearts of others? If I react with bitterness, hatred, a lack of compassion, then certainly the same negativity will be reflected back to me since we are all mirrors to one another,  and I will feel and experience the same amount of hatred that I have sent out to my immediate environment and the universe.  If, instead, I choose to act with compassion, love, forgiveness and understanding, then all of these attributes will reflect back to me.  Herein lies the power of the Law of Attraction.

The Visionary Perspective of Abundance vs. Soul-Impoverished Imbalance

So, one might ask – how do I continually attract abundance in my life?  After all, there’s only so much that can go around, right?  And since there are scarce resources, shouldn’t I keep my knowledge of resources to myself, and align with only the few people I trust, and then to heck with the rest?  And, in fact, the person right next to me, who I really don’t care for anyway, why don’t I just do whatever I can to make that person’s life miserable so that they give up, and then I can receive what could have been theirs.  I will tell you, with many years of experience that I have had in the corporate arena, this is the most typical mindset.  And it is a dangerous one.  It does not promote cooperation or collaboration.  It promotes unhealthy competition.  And it produces fear and mistrust instead of harmony.  It is toxic.  Individuals do not trust one another so they seek to out-perform each other in order to earn recognition and respect. When individuals act out of balance in a corporation by thwarting the lives of others in order to achieve their own personal gain, they may achieve monetary wealth but their souls are impoverished.  This kind of behavior creates an atmosphere of scarcity, mistrust and deception.  It does not further anyone’s soul-based development nor does it help the overall organization to become visionary.  When a business has employees that are healthy, well-balanced in all areas of their lives, then they produce much more efficiently.  The business thrives and grows because their employees are able to utilize their soul-based gifts to their ultimate potential.  When leaders develop their employees, then the entire organization benefits from increased productivity, since their employees can concentrate on creating the very best products and services, gaining new clients, increasing customer satisfaction, and realizing improved profits.  A visionary business develops employees by allowing them to utilize their unique gifts in order to advance the company’s goals.  In every move that we make within our work and personal environments we should ask ourselves the question,  what is best for the good of all concerned?  When we operate from this perspective, we no longer operate from the field of scarcity but from the visionary perspective of abundance.

An Unwavering Belief System in Authentic Power Provides the Ability to Persevere During the Harshest of Circumstances

I have noticed that when I meditate and focus on sincere gratitude, notwithstanding my own personal financial situation, then I feel a sense of abundance that is incredibly empowering.  My task is to continually believe in the authentic power of abundance consciousness, not to be afraid of success, not to be afraid of attracting the very things that I want so deeply. For when we accept that we are authentically powerful spiritual beings experiencing this life of seemingly persistent limitations, then we can truly understand and grasp the lessons that we are meant to learn in attempting to overcome these obstacles. I might ask myself, why do I continually return to that scarcity thought process when I know that the universe is plentiful?  I don’t have the firm answers yet.  I am still seeking and searching, very much hopeful that I will find the answers.  The answers are in my heart. I know, with the deepest of assurance, that I have the infinite ability to arrive at them as long as I act with soul-based awareness and harmony.  I must listen to my intuition in order to come to terms with why that perception of scarcity is there.  What lessons do I learn about myself when I experience that gut-wrenching feeling of emptiness?  How do I respond to that deepest, darkest experience of  spiritual hunger and thirst?  It is during this painful experience that I must realize that scarcity is an illusion, even when the physical world of experience seems to undoubtedly mirror that same scarcity. During these moments of self-reflection, I become aware of who I am, where my life leads next on this vast journey, and I am once again aware of the circumstances from which I will undoubtedly persevere and conquer in order to reach self-fulfillment, actualization, and soul-purpose. I must consistently listen to my higher guidance and inner voice to fully understand that any currently perceived setbacks are only temporary, and I, indeed, will persevere even under the harshest of circumstances.  I must realize that these hindrances are being manifested from an unconscious/subconscious state of being, and that becoming more aware of these emotional blocks are the key to overcoming the continual manifestation of events or circumstances that are not in alignment with my soul-purpose.

Healing our Mind, Body and Spirit from Self-Imposed Constraints 

Obstacles are only temporary manifestations of blocks that can be removed by carefully tuning in to the infinite power within us that is our birthright – but only if we claim this boundless energy and utilize it for our higher good and the good of those concerned.  When we realize that we possess this infinite potential, then we are free from self-imposed mental constraints and our desires seem to be fulfilled in a spontaneous manner.  When our dreams begin to manifest, it is an enlightening, inspiring and wondrous experience. We all have the ability to lead inspiring lives that send out our innermost light which is actually the energy of the universe pouring through our physical selves and into our immediate environment and then throughout the world. It is so very apparent when we are in the presence of someone with authenticity. Perhaps it is a trusted spiritual adviser or a visionary business leader. We are inspired by their actions and words and we feel the power of their authentic energy. Their energy actually increases the positive mindset of individuals within their immediate environment because their inner authenticity is so powerful. We become inspired by their lessons, wisdom and the outpouring of positive energy they possess and it inspires us to mirror that same positive mindset.  Therefore, by elevating the energetic field of pure potentiality within our immediate environment, we actually raise the vibrational frequency within our own lives, friendships, relationships and communities and this positive energy has the effect of permeating through the rest of the world to like-minded individuals.  We change the world by changing ourselves.

Reclaiming our Faith Helps us to Reach our Fullest Potential

In order to effect change within our daily lives, we must begin with ourselves. Transitioning from a state of scarcity to prosperity begins with the empowerment of our own lives by integrating the disowned aspects of our selves and emerging from this integration as a complete human being, more fully enlightened and in touch with our Higher Selves, unwavering in our belief that we will overcome even the most daunting of circumstances.  When we have integrated the disowned selves, healing all the negative energy that has caused blocks within our lives, then we heal the disenfranchised aspects of ourselves that we have buried within our subconscious in order to dissociate from the pain of traumatic experiences.  Healing these disowned aspects of ourselves is the most difficult work to undertake, but it is an extremely enlightening process since we are able to come to terms with the core issues in our lives that are preventing us from a sense of completeness and peacefulness. Forgiveness is a major component of healing the energy blocks within our subconscious belief system. When we are no longer bogged down emotionally from fragments of the past, then we can achieve a current state of peacefulness and enlightenment. Then we are finally willing and able to accept the gifts of the universe because we become fully aware of the plenitude that exists within our lives.  We are no longer soul-impoverished but filled with Light and positive energy because we have healed from the issues, circumstances and hindrances that have kept us from achieving our Higher Selves. In the process of striving to reach our fullest potential, we reclaim our faith in the Universe – firmly believing that with love, patience, compassion and understanding we are in alignment with our soul-based purpose in this lifetime. When we act in accordance with these universal principles, we become fully aware of the infinite joy and inspiration that are completely within reach during our life’s journey, where we not only strive to integrate aspects of our inner divisions but also our physical-spiritual selves. Our journey on this plane is to remember who we once were at the very beginning of our existence, before we were physical beings in this world of limitation. We were joyful, abundant, spiritual creations who were fully in touch with our unlimited potential. Our soul-based path leads us to remember who we once were so we can return to that divine place once again when we awaken from this illusory world. That dynamic shift in awareness, when it occurs, will transform our thinking so that we  will remember light instead of darkness, love instead of fear, and joyful abundance instead of illusive limitation.

We are a Mirror to Each Other

I wholeheartedly believe that consistently practicing meditation on attracting  and maintaining abundance as our natural state will help us manifest the life of our dreams. If you wish to experience something wonderful in your life, put the patterns and resources in place to allow others to receive that very same thing.  You will find that it reflects back to you, and you will experience that same wealth consciousness and abundance many times over.

Everyone can Achieve their Innermost Desires and Dreams

May everyone achieve their dreams through consciously attuning to a natural state of wealth-consciousness and abundance!