Finding Our Way

Just say NO to fear, hate, and division

All great changes are preceded by chaos. The disruption we see in the world is the prelude to emergence. ~ Deepak Chopra

A week ago, I was four hours into a road trip between Victor and Winlock, Washington, somewhere in the scorching hot, dry forever fields of Eastern Idaho, when I switched from Elle King Radio on Spotify to NPR and heard the first reports just minutes after the shooting of Donald Trump.

“Oh, come on. You’re f@%$-ing kidding me. Nooooo …” was my first reaction. Then, like I imagine most of you felt, I just wanted to turn it all off, not think about the myriad of implications, the unprecedented media storm, the fake news, the speculation, the drama to come.

In the last week, I spent 35 hours driving alone (I’m home now), listening, thinking, and trying to settle on a coherent thread of ideas. Through my speakers, I juggled NPR, Pod Save America, FOX, Comedy Central’s Daily Show with Jon Stewart and Team (thank the heavens for these laughs), The Women by Kristin Hannah (a book about the horrors of Viet Nam and it’s fall out for women nurses) an old favorite, Paulo Cohelos’ the Alchemist, and this Fresh Air interview with Writer Shalom Auslander who catalogs his lifelong battle with self-contempt due to growing up in a religious fanatic community in 'Feh' which literally means, “You Suck.”

When I wasn’t driving and was instead experiencing the reality of the people and places of the Columbia River Gorge, rural Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, I never once felt the deep division, fear, and hate that I was hearing about through my speakers. Everyone I met was so gracious, kind, and welcoming, and, as far as I could tell, going out of their way to not fall into the drama happening across the internet.

When I pulled into a campground my last night, I was completely drained of energy. Thinking I was minutes away from resting, a mechanical issue with the camper shell I had just bought sent me over the edge. Realizing I could no longer soldier through this alone, I approached an older couple drinking wine and playing cards beside their giant RV. The Texas A&M tire cover on their spare tire and Oklahoma license plate gave me pause, but before I said anything, the woman looked up at me approaching them, jumped up, and said, “Are you OK? Do you need help?”

Before I could speak, unexpected tears I could not control started falling down my cheeks, and my voice quivered into nonsensical bumbling. “You got this, honey,” she said. “Slow down. You’re gonna be OK. What do you need?”

Before I knew it, she had her husband, a friend, and a massive toolbox over at my camper, and what I thought was a disaster became a minor issue repaired in a jiffy. Later that night, I stopped by to thank them again. This woman’s intuition to rush to a stranger’s side before she was even asked was … well … commendable. But more than that, as far as I could tell, it was the norm. Everywhere I went in the last week, I saw people living peacefully, whether working or playing, enjoying the summer, and having fun despite the 100-degree temperatures.

Like passing by a horrific car wreck, though, while driving through the beautiful countryside, I couldn’t look away from the words coming out of people’s mouths in the media.

Back home at the Farmer’s Market in Driggs yesterday (while watching Venmo’s spinning wheel of doom due to the sketchy internet that was down from whatever “global technology” issue was crippling the planet), a friend asked, “What do you think is going on?”

Uph. What do I think? I think that this time of chaos is necessary for human evolution to develop new systems of living together that reject the systems of superiority that have influenced our planet for too long. The idea that this election is all about who is the strongest is driven by fear, and hate-mongering is the last-ditch effort of people who believe that they must step on the fingers of others on some fantastical ladder to heaven.

I think having Hulk Hogan, a fake wrestler, is the ultimate metaphor for a movement based on a crippling fear of being weak, of the need to bully, of rejection of the idea that you, rather than “God,” might be responsible for your actions. I think the fear and hate come from living lives where, from the moment one is born, people are taught that their humanity is something to be ashamed of.

If we wait for politicians or corporations to fix things, we are wasting precious time. There is so much good in this country, and so many people realize their potential that the fanatics who still think happiness will come when they must diminish others are extremely agitated. Ultimately, I am excited by the chaos and can’t wait to see what happens next because I believe in what I see in my life: progress, evolution, different thinking, and love everywhere I look.

In the meantime, I think it’s time to stop thinking and whack some golf balls.

Just say NO to fear.

What are YOU thinking?! I’d love to listen!

We’ve got this. Just look for the light…