YOUR VOTE COUNTS!

Here it is, the year of another presidential election!  Where did the last four years go?!

While I have my own political views and opinions, I prefer not to proselytise them so as to save my life as I know it!  Let's face it folks, politics is a potentially dangerous and hazardous subject when co-mingled with friendship, connection, and family. 

I woke up this Sunday morning to a Facebook post by one of my favorite people in the whole world, whom I consider a good friend, Tom Prasasa-Rao.  It sums up completely my thoughts on this whole election, it's rigid side-taking and the discord and pain it is causing many relationships.  I, for one, seem to have lost a friendship because of a political difference of opinion...which I find extremely sad and unnecessary.

Below are Tom's comments on the subject of today's politics.  I hope you read his insightfully wise words.  He sums it up beautifully when he asks himself if he would say such hurtful things to his dad and realizes that in fact, he would not.  Considering that we are all lovely, beautiful people made by the same Creator, it stands to reason that we all have the right to our opinions and yet we all have a responsibility to our fellow human beings (that means friends, family, colleagues, the tattered guy on the corner...) to treat each other with kindness and compassion even if we may not understand or agree with them.

Tom, thank you for your wise words!  I hope you don't mind that I share your wisdom, and...

I hope that we all can step back from our fears and frustrations to trust the perfection of life and to honor and respect each others' differences while we love everyone!

Your vote counts,  but ask yourself, for what?  Does the emotion behind your vote create harmony or discord?  Maybe when we can kindly answer that for ourselves, we will usher in a whole new compassionate way of experiencing the people in our lives.  YOUR VOTE COUNTS!  

I vote for peace.

I vote for love.

I vote for humanity.

(enjoy Tom's wisdom below)

How can I, that girl standing there, my attention fix
On Roman or on Russian or on Spanish politics?
Yet here's a travelled man that knows what he talks about,

And there's a politician that has read and thought,
And maybe what they say is true of war and war's alarms,
But O that I were young again and held her in my arms!

- William Butler Yeats

Romney sounded like the late George McGovern the other night in the last debate saying "we can't kill our way out of this mess". President Obama in one of the ugliest programs of his administration continues to send out drones killing almost indiscriminately. I don't believe Mitt is speaking his truth at all - a complete nonstarter. But as much as I love Barack, if there was a realistic option, I would seriously consider it on this issue alone.

What's going on? One word - Politics. I've struggled with this most of my life. As a teenager, my Dad and I had an agreement not to talk politics or religion at the table. When I get disgusted by right-wing posturing and blurt out something here or on stage, I eventually get to the point of asking myself "would I be willing to say this to my father's face?" Usually I acknowledge I would have changed my language.

Sting wrote a song 25 years ago saying "The Russians love their children too" Regardless of what happens two weeks from now I resolve to remember that people who vehemently disagree with me are decent people too. That those faceless names are like my Dad - compassionate, lovers of art and language; hoping for a safe and prosperous future, fiercely protecting family.

And even though those on the right are facing the wrong side of history on virtually every issue in the known universe (ha!) - we all, in our bones, yearn to put away politics and hold our first love in our arms again.

Make love, not war - TPR

Love,  Bliss