On January 20, 1961, the first Catholic President of the United States took office. In his Inaugural Address, John F. Kennedy shared his vision for our country and the world we share with billions of other people. His speech included these memorable words:
“And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.
“My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.
“Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God’s work must truly be our own.”
It’s easy to read inspirational messages such as the excerpt above, but not always so easy to follow the advice given. What exactly can we do for our country? If you are one of the 65,844,610 Americans who voted for progress and Hillary Clinton’s platform, you may be feeling too sucker-punched to do anything more than sign petitions to hold Donald Trump accountable for his actions and his extreme right-wing nominees, and demand the release of his income tax returns (Mr. Trump: “I don’t pay income tax—I don’t have to!”).
But there is always something we can do, and when we individually do good things on a regular basis, then steadily we uplift the collective vibration of our nation to the frequency level where good things can continue to be attracted into our experiences.
In one of Agatha Christie’s mysteries, Murder at the Vicarage, her famous sleuth Miss Marple says, “For sheer primitive rage, commend me to a thoroughgoing humanitarian when you get him well roused.”
Let’s harness the power of our rage and make a commitment that we won’t back down to the Trump administration. Together, we can be well-roused directly into righteous action.
“The horror of the Hitler Experience was not that he perpetrated it on the human race, but that the human race allowed him to. The astonishment is not only that a Hitler came along, but also that so many others went along.” ― Neale Donald Walsch
It is never too late to begin creating change, and moving towards a better way of living. When we create progress for ourselves, we can’t help but create it for others at the same time, because we are all connected.
It is the misuse of power that produces tyrants and bullies—they don’t know how to share and they don’t want to learn. They strut through life, heedless of how many others they trample and destroy, but they will not escape scot-free. Perhaps it appears they will not get any “payback” but the soul memory will always be there and they will have to reconcile the damage they cause against the potential they had for creating greater goodness instead.
We choose our lives. We create them with our everyday actions, those small decisions and the larger ones as well. Primarily, we build up our life resume in the way we act under stress.
We’ve seen how Mr. Trump handles stress. He has a hair-trigger temper, and is volatile. But that doesn’t mean we have to react to everything he does, because in our reactions we become puppets, leaping at his command. A narcissist thrives on that kind of control, where by a mere glower, he can make others scurry into action.
He cracks the whip, and we’re supposed to stampede toward the slaughterhouse? I don’t think so. Don’t play into his hands by becoming fearful of what he’ll do next, or anxious about what is to come. Even though worry seems like a sign of caring, actually it is a misuse of our incredible powers of creation. Your attention to him increases his power.
If you were in a train wreck, once you were stabilized physically and had helped others in need, you would probably do your best to salvage what you could of your luggage and belongings. And then you would rebuild your life from that disaster. You wouldn’t feel that the accident had to define you from that point forward. It’s unlikely you would look at the disaster and decide you might as well make it total, so why bother to salvage anything. You wouldn’t pick up a sledgehammer and destroy what was still standing or useable, or toss your suitcase over the nearest bridge.
And yet with a shock like the 2016 election results, it can feel so devastating that it seems life will never be the same, just as if we were indeed in a virtual train wreck, and one where instead of ending, the destruction is going to continue at the hands of the very person elected to supposedly guide the country toward prosperity and security as our Commander-in-Chief.
In writing my book America’s New Breed of Freedom Fighters, my intention is to create a safe and empowering landing space for everyone who feels hurled out of their normal orbit by the election of a hate-based extremist to the highest office in our country.
About 13,000 years ago, hunters from northeastern Asia crossed the Bering Land Bridge (which no longer exists, having melted) and entered what was later called “North America.” From that time forward, this land we call the United States has been a magnet for explorers, adventurers, prospectors, those seeking freedom of religion and personal expression, and many others seeking opportunities to build better lives for their families and friends.
In my own family, we have two precious letters written in 1862 by an ancestor who was the wagon train secretary on the way to Utah, having come from England to Kansas, and then across the Great Plains. The letters were to his parents back in England, and described the same sort of thing we would write home in such a situation: a wagon wheel broke and they were delayed in the fixing of it, a little girl fell in a stream and was drowned, they were looking forward to reaching their destination.
Today, we are so used to our instant communication that it can be difficult to think of waiting months if not years to hear from our loved ones who have set off for far off lands. But what about the far off lands of our imaginations? Can we travel there while taking a walk in the park or relaxing beneath a favorite shade tree? And when we imagine what we want, can we bring back those ideas and by picturing them strongly and steadily, make them materialize for the growth of our country? Yes, yes, yes. Yes, we can.
We are faced with a challenge: if Trump gets his way, walls will be built, people will be deported according to their skin color and religion, and the back of the middle class will be broken by financial burdens while the super-wealthy celebrate their tax breaks. That’s just a short list. I don’t want to depress you by listing the whole array of devastation he has planned for the environment and just about everything else you could think of. This man is such an extreme narcissist that all he sees is a bigger opportunity to inflate himself with power.
Ask yourself what you can do to help this country survive the next four years—not only to survive Trump’s administration but to thrive in spite of him and his cronies.
Allow the question “What can I do?” to settle itself quietly in your heart. Walk around with the question, get curious about the feelings you have when you think about getting more involved in your community and in issues of importance to you. You’ll recognize the answers, because you’ll feel warm in the region of your heart, and you’ll know that, perhaps for the first time in your life, you’ve discovered the purpose you came for.
For years I have been coaxing my readers and clients to get their emotions up on the Joy Channel, to tune in to that feeling of joy even before it arrives so that you are in harmony with everything you want. All the good things are of a higher finer vibration—loving relationships, fulfilling work and hobbies, vibrant health, financial abundance, and a wealth of creativity. By being grateful and happy in advance, the law of attraction brings us those happy experiences.
Keep your focus on positive change, and when you do, the ideas for what you can do next will begin flowing…and will continue to come into your life on the wings of love and hope.
I’ll get into all of this in greater detail in my new book America’s New Breed of Freedom Fighters—coming on Inauguration Day.
Are you in? Okay, then put aside the panic, breathe mindfully, and realize this is an incredible opportunity for all of us to “fight” for the freedom and justice we desire. More to come in the rest of this blog countdown to Inauguration 2017, and in my new book which will be released that day: America’s New Breed of Freedom Fighters: With Liberty and Justice for All
Pre-order now on Amazon at: http://bit.ly/NewBreedFreedomFighters
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