We are given a precious gift, each of us – the choice of how we see the world, and how we proceed through it.  This is not a choice we make only once, but that we can renew or change in every moment.

What resources will we pull from, what principles will guide us?

I am a person who does not see the world formed in stark dualities; instead, I believe that dualities define the polar ends of a spectrum.  There isn’t simply right or wrong; goodness or wickedness; success or failure; truth or deceit; kindness or meanness; tolerance or intolerance.  Fear or…what?  Courage?  Fearlessness?  Or love?

Most of the time, we each show up somewhere in the middle on those spectrums.  On any day, I know I slide a little to one side or another of where I would ideally like to be.  One day, my kindness to others may leave me a little short of being completely true to myself.  Another day, standing true to what I believe may upset or offend others.

There is no perfection in these intricately woven lives of ours.  Our threads cross so many others’ threads that it is impossible to have complete satisfaction.

At least, that’s the way I see it laid out.

Whereby, tolerance and compassion seem to me the emotional pillars with which to remedy the friction and stress of all these intersections.

Tolerance, to me, is my ability and desire to be open and accepting of those whose thoughts, beliefs, and actions conflict or disagree with mine.  Fundamentally, I believe each of us has the right to believe what we believe.  I desperately want to be allowed to hold the beliefs I have.  Therefore, in my mind and heart, it fully follows that I hold just as sacred anyone else’s right to believe what they believe, regardless of how I think or feel about it.

Compassion is my ability and desire to recognize that we are all doing our best to manage and steer our course of life with the body, mind, and spirit that we were given.  There is struggle and hardship, suffering and heartache as we navigate our journey, our thread rubbing and chafing others’ threads imperfectly and harmfully.

We will cause hurt, and we will get hurt.  We will feel misunderstood and disrespected, and we will cause others to feel those things.  We will get scared, frustrated, and angry, and there will be times when others get scared, frustrated, and angry with us.

This brings me back to the choice we get to make – again and again and again.

We can check in with ourselves, and we can choose kindness – because we want to be kind, and we want others to be kind to us.  We can choose respect – because we want to be respectful and feel respected.

When we feel attacked and hurt – we can choose to accept that we don’t understand someone else, while still forgiving them; because, we want to be forgiving, and we need others to forgive us our transgressions, too.

I will be the first to say that this is not easy.  When we feel hurt, there is a tendency to lash out, in panic and defense.

But, that just extends the hurt.  I see that now.  I understand.

There are those who have described their inability to tolerate intolerance.  I can understand their frustration, watching the wave and growth of this season’s dialogue of divisiveness and fear.

I am saddened by the language of anger and hate.  I can’t, though, find a way to rationalize choosing my own intolerance.  Those spewing hate and intolerance – they are suffering, angry, and scared.  To me, that seems clear.

I can’t see how my own reaction in fear, anger, and intolerance would, could improve anything.  And, I would lose myself.  I would lose my open heart.  The moment I exclude anyone from the spirit within me, I lose that purity of Full Love.  I lose myself.

It’s too big a cost.

Not to mention – when I exclude someone because of their thoughts, beliefs, or actions, I’m right back to adding to hate and destruction in the world.  I want to be mindful, and choose to grow love and construction.  I want to build up, not tear down.

 

All that being said, there’s an important choice coming up Tuesday.

First, I’ll say this – Donald Trump represents something that is thought, felt, and experienced in our country.  Many Americans are hurting and scared, and I think he has given them a sense that their pain and struggle has been heard.  I also think the solution he offers to those who are afraid and hurting is that he is a big enough, strong enough bully to single-handedly fix everything, and that he will do that in a way that will help them, too.

Hillary Clinton, to me, represents that fabric of which we all are a part.  I believe that she wants to connect and lift us all, and knows that by connecting, appreciating, and uniting all the different people who make up these United States, we will all be safer, stronger, and better.

To me, this Tuesday is a choice for you.  One candidate has continually talked about fear, anger, division, and intolerance.  The other has spent her lifetime in the support and service of others, with a philosophy of respect, inclusion, hope, and progress.

Like the tale of the two wolves – on Tuesday, which wolf will you feed?