How big is your us? That may seem like a weird question - but it's a really important one these days. We are all so divided these days - you might have noticed. The solution is not going to be found in terms of "us vs. them" - there is no "them" anymore, the planet has gone global. At the very instant you read this, planet Earth's Internet is saying "Wake up! It's all us and we Have to work together to solve the very serious problems facing planet Earth at this time." It's up to everyone of us to do what we can to act in harmony with the fact that it is all us. So, How big is Your us?
What limits how big your us is? I'm guessing that however you answer that question, it boils down to fear. Fear is the underlying problem. That's where the separation of Us vs Them comes from. So how do we counteract fear? I've heard it rumored that the opposite of Fear is Love. Love comes highly recommended by a large number of revered spiritual teachers. Maybe give Love a try and see if it enables you to enlarge your us. Of course working from Love also entails calling out a con when there is a con, do keep your eyes open as well as your heart engaged.
So calling a con a con: there's a con-man in the White House. He got there by doing Us vs Them. He addressed the fears of one of the largest (if not the largest) block of voters in the US. The non-college whites do have a lot of fear. Their old world is changing and what's replacing it does not include them in their accustomed place of privlidge. The con-man promised they could have their old world back. But of course he can't deliver - he's a con-man. But in lying his way to the top he did manage to point out some very serious problems that need to be addressed to heal the divisions now facing this country and this planet.
How do we solve these problems and fears? Well, it seems to me we need genuine populism. Merriam-Webster says a populist is "a member of a political party claiming to represent the common people" and "a believer in the rights, wisdom, or virtues of the common people." It needs to be skillfully articulated how big our us is, and how to go about fighting the fears that tend to shrink someone's us.
But I don't currently see that guy. No one person seems to be stepping forward to lead the opposition to the con-man in the White house, to lead the healing of the planet, to point out how big our us actually is. So then it would seem it's up to all of us. Don't demonize the other, do recognize their fears, don't fall into Us vs Them. Let your voice be heard in support of human rights, let your voice be heard to educate, let you voice be heard in support of Love. You can do this, just make it a priority. Just how big is your us?
