5 steps to a new patriotism: what you can do

With the results of the 2008 elections, there is a groundswell of optimism and hope. On the eve of a new president we are pregnant with anticipation and wonder, and some of us with fear. What will come next and how can I help? If ever there was a time when the individual mattered, it is now. What’s that you can do?

Certainly, there is not much you can do about the economy, the war in Iraq, or the condition of our educational system. Looking “out there” is what makes us feel small, helpless and powerless. Yet President-elect Obama has told us: “So let’s invoke a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to collaborate and work harder and take care not only of ourselves but of others.” It has set the guidelines for our participation in this new America. And before I get into what you can do, let me assure you of this: never doubt for a moment that what you do and how you are matters to each of us, to the whole. He does.

• First, President-elect Obama has asked us to summon a new patriotism within ourselves. what does this mean to you? is a call to include. In the new patriotism, he will strive to see his fellow Americans as valid beings with legitimate concerns, opinions, and viewpoints. It means that he will hold them in affection even as he listens to a point of view that he does not see, much less share. How? You see them as valuable. Their concern or opinion is not who they are, it is simply an opinion. This is Essential Patriotism 101. Any and all points of view can be here. Hooray for that, because if this wasn’t true, your opinion wouldn’t be here either. So when someone brings up a topic that makes your blood boil, pause this time. Reconsider your inner frustration this way: “This is great. This person gets to have this opinion, right here in America. Thank heavens for that. I can listen and allow this, because this is essentially what makes us great. Now , what do you say?” So, really listen.
• This new patriotism is about the end of division and a movement towards Unity. Allow all things. Hey all the things. What has been wrong in the past is that the old patriotism was exclusionary. If you thought like “we” thought, you were in. This new patriotism honors and values ​​all opinions and people. It includes. So when you hear some of the old talk, the old bigotry, the slander, the slurs, and the taunts, you can change. You can no longer respond with the same insults, slurs, and demeaning comments. You can respond with tolerance and understanding. These old ways of thinking are rooted in irrational fear. No amount of words will ever calm an irrational fear. But you can allow someone else to express their fear without retaliation. You could answer this way: “I can understand how you can think that. But there’s more, let’s see how this plays out. Everyone is included in this banquet, even you.”If your expectations were not met during this election, you may decide to keep open the possibility that you will be pleasantly surprised, if not astounded. You can relax and allow your needs, wants, and expectations to be important too. You can seek and hope for the Good.
• As for responsibility: each of us has a responsibility in this new patriotism to actively participate in our government. We need to pay attention and stay awake; email, phone, and correspondence with our Senators, Representatives, and our White House giving our opinion, concerns, praise, and most of all, our ideas. They are important, unique and will be heard.
• As for collaborating and working harder: Contribute to Good where you can. If this is picking up a quart at the curb or running a marathon for a cause, and you can and feel like doing it, then do it. Contribute your ideas and inspirations. If you can’t say something nice or constructive, resolve to stay put until you can. Work harder on your internal state. Pay attention to how you feel. If you’re playing tape after tape of negative, fearful thoughts and ideas, remove them, delete them. Work hard to include yourself in this new model, because you will only be excluded by your own ideas about it.
• As for caring for others as much as you care for yourself: This is knowing that there is enough for everyone and a place at the table for everyone. In your personal encounters, take care of everyone with the idea of ​​winning / winning. How can this work for the highest good of all concerned? Then start looking for those shapes.

The application of any or all of these practices will not only contribute to a happy life for you, but also for us, the Whole. This is the new patriotism of strength in Love based on your personal self-development.