Facebook in an election year often feels like this:
A firestorm of moral outrage, us-and-them-ing, end-of-the-world-ing, rage, fear, polarization, and propaganda-driven divisiveness.
And this is nothing new, although it feels like it is escalating to a new crescendo. I wrote a blog post, On Political Divisiveness, back in 2012 and, while a few details may have changed, the gist of it remains just as true today as it was then.
You can go back and read (or re-read) that post if you like; there’s no need for me to repeat myself here, other than to reiterate the point I was making then and still hold true today, which is that we are all in this together; there is no THEM, there is only US.
So, how can we break the cycle of polarization that feels so systemic and unavoidable, especially on social media?
Maybe it starts with holding a new image in our hearts and minds.
Today, during a wonderful guided meditation and transformational experience facilitated by the amazing Aliza Bloom Robinson, I was led through a series of imagery that moved me incrementally from a place of dense woods, to an open expanse of water, to the peak of a mountain and then up into the atmosphere. At each step of the journey, my field of vision opened a bit wider until, from that soaring-above-the-world level, I could see below me the beautiful, timeless image given us from our first space explorations: that pale blue marble, set in a vast black sky, that we call Earth.
The Earth that I saw from that vantage point was aglow with a soft light and I at once felt an immense love for my home planet and everyone on it.
The sense of peace I could feel from this higher perspective overrode, at least momentarily, any anxiety or anger I had been feeling in the days and weeks before taking this experiential inner journey.
This is not to say that we aren’t facing challenging circumstances, conditions, and decisions. Nor that we all agree on how to address them. Yet the feeling I get from this higher perspective image is that if there is a battle to be fought (and I know that the word “battle” is impossibly contradictory in this context), then let it be a battle we all fight together for the good of all, rather than a battle against each other where one side wins and the other loses. Let’s find a path upon which we can all stand together for the good of us all. It feels challenging, or even impossible, from the social media level of my experience. But from that higher place, it feels not only possible but inevitable that we can and will reach that place of oneness.
I’m not going to stop speaking out about the things that feel important to me: issues of justice, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, freedom, equality, democracy, and global stewardship. As I do continue to speak out, I intend to carry this image close to my heart and mind. May it both soften and strengthen my voice. May it keep me mindful that these things I hold dear are not just for me and my loved ones, but for everyone in my bigger home planet family – even, and especially, for those with whom I disagree. May that higher perspective come through with my words, whether online or in person.
There are no enemies here. There is no US and THEM. There is only one family here on this pale blue marble we all call home.
First Image: SoulCollage® card from my private deck, Community Suit, “Facebook in an Election Year”
Second Image: SoulCollage® card from my private deck, Community Suit, “Home Planet”
