I woke up early today worrying about the near future. Specifically, I was thinking about the elections coming up.

With so much emotion and hatred being generated, is there any room for people to pause and Think?

To me, it seems that like never before we the people in America are being bombarded with non-stop, dooms-day rhetoric; and most of it is a pack of lies.

An afraid people is one that is easy to control. It doesn't matter whether or not the fear is real - just that people think it is!

One of the things I look for in these people running for office is "Are they Leaders?" When I use that word, I mean these things:

• Do they seek to create calm and encourage people to understand each other?
• Do they personally stand up for those who are being abused?
• In time of crisis, define the problem and communicate it?
• Even more important in crisis, do they think deeply and be a part of the solution, instead of making scapegoats?
• Are they willing to try to do what is right for all people even when it isn't popular, even standing alone and risking being ousted?
• And do they help the people that follow them to become better than what they were, or do they feed off of them?

A leader cares for all of the people they are responsible, not just some of them.

During the recent Covid-19 lockdowns I noticed an interesting side effect; it showed just how poor many politicians were at being good leaders. When called upon to calm the people and help them understand, many of them worked on increasing people fears instead. Some of them tried to sieze powers that were not theirs to take.

Now in this election, many of the same things are going on!

It's time to take a break from the fear and focus on thinking. Forget the religious crusades - who knows? Look at someone the wrong way and you may be on the receiving end of that which you wish on others.

Ask yourself the question that I outlined above about the candidates you support. What do you really know about them? How likely are they to measure up to even one or two of those things? Most importantly, are they, to put it Biblically, feeding their flocks - or feeding on them?

On Comfort and Peace

A year ago I was going through a tough time, and I wrote the words that follow in my journal. They reflect what I've learned about Peace. Please read them and see if they say anything to you. Like today, I was feeling restless and unsettled, trying to understand. (P.S. I often write in third person.)

October 31, 2023...

  "I think that is the real of things; wanting to escape where he is
  and come to a better life by doing. It is that struggle to escape
  past woes and move into the light that drives him.

  To mourn the dead,
    To forgive the dying,
      And to live at peace is the goal.

  How to understand and cope with the restlessness of my Soul? It is in
    me to want these things, but I don't know how.

  When the demons of regret, frustration, and pain howl at my door - 
    How do I stop fighting them and let them pass?

  That is the core of Life, I think.
    Eyes open, straining to *see*
      Loving, accepting, knowing what faults me has
      and accepting others behavior too;
            In Peace."

I hope and pray that those words may bring someone else peace during these turbulent times.

Till next time,

Duane