What Am I For?

Like many of you, I am on a lot of email lists. The majority of them are asking me for money, so I don’t really pay attention to them. They have become the throw-away snail mail flyers that seem to be the only thing keeping our postal system from shutting down.

But there are several that I at least open and scan during my morning routine. One of these is called “Your Rapid Response Newsletter”, which is sent by Pramila Jayapal (D-Washington). It’s an engaging jumble of actions I can take, things I should pay attention to, and generally, some uplifting story about how things can change and are changing for the better. In this week’s email, she said,

“I know there’s been a lot of talk about what Democrats need to do right now to win back power. I truly believe we can’t just be against Donald Trump. We have to be for something.”

“I know what I’m for: Medicare for All, living wages, universal childcare, and an economy that works for everyone.”

I Know What I Am Against, but What Am I For?

This got me to thinking. I am really clear on what I am against. When I started to list what I am for, I noticed something that made me pause. I noticed how quickly I started to repeat exactly the progressive talking points that are being repeated on MSNOW, by my favorite Substack writers, and pundits on various social media platforms.

It’s almost as if you could just swap me out for one of the talking heads, and I could be doing the voice over. Of course I agree that working class people need a break, and people of color who are economically disadvantaged need jobs. And I most certainly agree that we need to re-think immigration policies. Medicare for All should be a slam dunk, but so what?  Just because I agree with these things doesn’t mean I am going to be the one who is responsible for seeing them implemented. They are just positions I agree with.

What am I for? Well, that’s a different question. That’s a values question, not a policy question or a popularity poll.

I Am For . . .

When I sat with this question and reflected on what I really wanted to get at, I realized it was mostly about the morals and ethical guidelines I had grown up with. It wasn’t just about nodding my head “yes”, or clapping when someone said something that I was passionate about.

We seem to have fallen into the habit of just being bystanders. Our current state of disarray has heightened my awareness of just how far we have swayed from those original ideals and the actions needed to implement them.

How do I measure that?  Simply by noticing where I get irritated or scared or judgmental.

I suspect this is true for each of us. We all have a moral compass but we do not all share the same True North. This is where the challenge lies. My “right” could be your “wrong”.

Acknowledging that, it is also clear that others have wrestled with this question throughout history. These or similar guidelines have been handed down from every spiritual tradition, all the great philosophers, and all the seekers of truth.

Helpful Reminders

I have a poster on my office wall that I use as a reminder. It was a gift from a Zen Buddhist teacher, but these same notions are found across all traditions. They are incredibly pertinent and useful to me right now. For me, the helpful piece is that each precept has a ‘for’ and an ‘against’ — a ‘do’ as well as a ‘don’t’. (“Ten-fold Prohibitory Precepts”)

What gives this such power for me is in the specificity of the actions I can take. This lowers my distress. I can do small things to cultivate and encourage life. I can communicate truth. I do my best to create wisdom from ignorance. I daily practice sharing understanding and giving freely of myself.

Mind you, these are all aspirational. But that is the beauty of it all. I am not chasing a specific goal or achievement record. I am practicing being a better human being.

How Does This Connect with Politics?

The things Pramila Jayapal listed in her newsletter — Medicare for All, living wages, universal childcare, and an economy that works for everyone – are reflected in every one of the precepts listed above – cultivating and encouraging life (Medicare for all), sharing understanding, (universal childcare), caring for the good of the whole (economic security), polishing clarity (her newsletter).

At the candidate level, this looks like exploring the ethics of those who are nominated. For example, we need to ask specific questions about how their position on any given issue fits with communicating truth, polishing clarity, dispelling delusion. How their public and private life fits with remaining faithful, and not being angry. We need to take responsibility and ensure that those who are nominated are individuals whose character and actions are in alignment with their values and the values of those who they seek to represent, and not give that responsibility to pundits, celebrities, or campaign managers.

In the political arena, this looks like demanding our elected representatives vote for legislation that is supportive of all Americans, seeing that those who are elected to judicial offices are communicating truth, and adhere to the standards and ethics of their profession.

All of this is, by definition, aspirational. That is the gift and dilemma of democracy. We can never quite attain a “perfect union”, only aspire to a “more perfect union”.

I would love it if some of you shared what you are for. I think it is the first step in actually opening up conversations about how we are going to mend fences and re-connect.