#LoveWins - Part II
Throughout all of the election craziness, I remained silent. Months ago, I decided to take a 7-day silent meditation retreat in my backyard after my last day at work. I left my executive job at JuVee Productions to commit to my dream of becoming a TV writer. I agreed to stay on long enough to train my replacement. I had no idea that my 7-day hiatus would fall during the election.
Though I planned to abstain from TV, social media, alcohol, weed, and speaking, I decided to allow for moderate viewing of election coverage. When I made that decision, I had no idea the presidential race wouldn’t be called until four days after the election. If I had known this, I might’ve thought twice about giving up the weed.
Irregardless, it was REALLY nice to be in meditation this week. Though I went into this retreat planning to connect with my higher self. I realized that I am actually connecting with my true self. I talk all the time about being a half-black, half-Jewish lesbian. But I rarely talk about the challenge of the intersectionality of my identities. Being an “other” in nearly every demographic has made me feel like the ultimate outsider.
Right now, this country is experiencing a significant paradigm shift away from otherness. Women, gender queer, LGBT+ and people of color are demanding their right to representation. We’re demanding equal rights and our right to be heard. As people around the country are insisting on their right to express themselves authentically, this retreat helped me connect with my authentic self.
In 2016, I wrote a blog called #LoveWins to respond to the election of Donald Trump. I was very careful not to offend Trump supporters in that blog. For the last four years, I’ve been silent about my own feelings about Trump because unity is very important to me. I believe Trump’s language is divisive and unprofessional. But there were enough people expressing their disdain for Trump. I didn’t feel the need to come out about my dislike for the man’s rhetoric.
However, I have been uncomfortable with how the news media covered the last four years of the Trump presidency. I haven’t engaged in news coverage throughout Trump’s entire presidency for this reason. The fact that Biden’s election needed to be called by a for-profit news organization, instead of a credible, unbiased source is just one demonstration of how our political system is deeply broken.
I am committed to creating a space for healing in this country. This requires me to be authentic and create a space for others to express themselves authentically. After Biden’s election, former GOP Governor John Kasich said, “Now is the time for Democrats to listen to what the other half of the country has had to say.”
I couldn’t agree more. That’s why Spirit Uncensored is hosting “America: Unity & Civility” on Sunday, 11/8 at 5p PT. My uncle Gary Goch is a white male Trump supporter and I am not. The two of us will be leading a discussion on healing the division in our country. This morning, I asked my uncle what his objective was for this event. He said, “To create an example for people with different world views to unite behind a common ground.”
I believe that it’s incumbent on ALL of us to lead with love and demonstrate the power of love. It is our responsibility to express ourselves authentically, practice radical acceptance, and participate in creating a world that works for everyone. Are you inspired to do your part to change the world? Join us this Sunday at 5p PT.
