So let's talk about politics and meditation and mindfulness.
Ew,
Don't mix those,
David.
It's like oil and water.
Full disclosure,
I did do one of my undergraduate majors in politics and I went to Washington,
DC and I interned there.
I got to meet a lot of politicians and I met a lot of really good people that were trying to do good work in the world.
There are a small number of folks who really want the attention and the power.
Those are the ones we tend to see on the news,
But there are so many,
So many people that go into it for the right reasons,
Trying to make change.
So shout out to all of you.
And how can we approach politics without just losing our minds in frustration and anger?
Some of you maybe watch the news all the time and you just get upset.
Some of you might avoid it like the plague,
But how can we use mindfulness and our meditation practice to actually look at politics in a neutral way and maybe share our light and wisdom in the world to help solve problems?
And that's what ultimately politics is supposed to be about,
Governing,
Solving problems.
And usually it ends up a lot of times in the media being about power and money and influence and taking of resources,
All of those things.
I acknowledge that.
But the world is only gonna change if we shift ourselves from the inside out.
So before we even get to the content of it all,
Like climate change or economics or healthcare,
Whatever it is that you're interested in,
Before we get to that,
The first and most important thing is what are your unconscious and even semi-conscious reactions?
Do you immediately go into frustration or anger or blame or a victim consciousness?
And can you sit still,
Be present and let those feelings come out and move but not react to them and become them?
Because even if you become the world's most famous activist and you have all the power,
If you go to change the world and you're angry and you're jealous,
You're frustrated,
You're annoyed,
Then that's the energy that you're gonna put out into the world.
That's the energetic pollution,
The mental and emotional pollution that you're gonna create.
And it's gonna amplify through everything and everyone that you touch.
So my philosophy is always shift your own energy first and then apply that out to the world.
And a lot of people avoid that.
They find something that pisses them off because they want to run their anger through something.
They don't necessarily wanna look inside and change.
And it's so easy to find a million different things to justify our anger.
But if I took you back 10 years,
20 years,
50 years,
100,
500,
Let's go back to the black plague,
1,
000,
2,
000,
We've got slavery in Rome.
We can go back again and again,
Further and further.
For the whole history of humanity,
There will have been something to really piss you off.
And so let's shift our consciousness first and then approach the topic second.
So just like you would do that in your own personal life,
If you were having issues at work or in a relationship with money,
With family,
You work on yourself first,
You iron out as much as you can and heal,
And then you approach with awareness into whatever situation you want to.
Politics is no different.
It's part of the human experience that we all have to navigate in some way,
Shape,
Or form.
So if it's something that really irritates you,
I hate that one politician,
And I hate everyone who loves that one politician,
Well,
Then can you step back for a moment and see if you can work through some of that?
The way we do that,
The way I like to do that is by meditating,
Closing my eyes,
Going inwards and asking the question,
What is it about that particular energy or event that bothers me so much?
And can I let some of that open and unfold and peel back those layers?
As you shift that and find your own inner peace,
That's when you'll be able to have the most positive impact on the planet.
I mean,
I can imagine the Buddhist sitting under a tree meditating and someone saying,
Hey,
Buddha,
How could you just sit there and meditate?
There's so much inequality and poverty in the world.
Do something.
But it wasn't until he found his own enlightenment that he was able to make a real impact,
And that impact has reverberated for thousands of years,
And here we are.
And so inside out first,
Find yourself,
Master yourself,
And then start to make a difference in the world with that awareness and that mindfulness.
That's just the start.
I know we didn't debate any hot topics.
Maybe next time.
Love you,
Hope that was helpful,
And don't avoid politics if you don't want to.
Be neutral,
Calm,
And loving,
And then engage,
And let's see what happens.
And if you get trolled,
I'll do another video on that.
See you soon.