by Robert Wilkinson
Hi everyone. I’m writing this short piece because I’ve been inundated with questions and more than a few people freaking out and having an extremely stressed time right now. Today we will address these things.
First, an old piece of wisdom I realized many years ago when I realized I was stressed about something I couldn’t do anything about. Stop worrying about things which can’t be solved by your worrying. You will find this helps you detach from the tendency of the hamster mind to run in circles.
Yes, it really is that simple. We are all doing what we can to make our lives and world a better place. That’s pretty much all we can do. We cannot change certain parts of the bigger picture, and certainly not by being stressed out, freaked out, worried, grinding our teeth, yelling at the tv or road signs, or verbalizing bad things about the system, its players, and the process, even if our future and our nation’s future are at stake. So the next time you start to feel anxiety, take a breath and see it all as a passing spectacle which will soon fade to more important urgent business.
This is the time to back off and back down from the drama. The coming weeks are going to be a time of high stress and anxiety, just as past weeks have been. The current government is in “high drama” mode right now, and every day brings more extreme claims and blames, with nonstop ads blaring on our televisions screaming about how bad for America all the candidates are. These constant nonstop attacks are wearying to anyone who is in contact with their Soul.
We mute just about every ad on the tv these days, since the extremely negative ads are usually not true. I have noted that for the most part, Democratic candidate ads are more focused on the issues and some of the failures of the Republicans in power. The Republican ads are a nonstop attack on the character of the Democratic candidates, who of course are never as bad as the attack ads claim.
Given the blatant misrepresentations in some of the attack ads, it’s clear that a group of wealthy self-serving authoritarians are trying to sell America that its cities are all being burned to the ground and we’re on the way to becoming a second world nation, even though that’s obviously not true. This is where the sheer screaming of lies and misrepresentations about Democrats would weary any sane person. I am looking forward to election day, if for no other reason than the end of the attack ads.
The print media isn’t much better, since the news is filled with stories of white supremacists stating they are locked and loaded and want to shoot Democrats, racist cops shooting people with mental health issues (or even in the privacy of their own apartment), and the occasional riot which breaks out when these happen. A long time ago I realized that ALL media, both legit and illegit, sane and insane, are looking to sell their message, and portraying any election as a close race sells more tickets than a one-sided blowout. The problem is that legit media attempts to offer facts in even-handed and unbiased ways, and the right wing media screams that it’s all a misrepresentation and only they are telling you the truth, even if that’s clearly not the case. There’s a far distance between the integrity of Reuters or CBS and what is offered on Infowars or Fox.
This nonstop drumbeat of misrepresentations and polarizations perpetuated in the media have created a ton of stress in all our relationships. My loved ones, friends, and clients are agitated and moving between hope and despair, and it seems that Republicans have doubled down on being nasty to everyone who doesn’t agree with them. I’ve noted several times in the past few days that Republican friends of mine and my friends who previously were reasonable with a sense of humor now are on the attack and challenge anyone who doesn’t immediately agree with them.
So I’m recommending to everyone to take a breath and remember this is all a passing scene inside the gold mine of human existence. Back off from the drama for the next few weeks while remembering that there are millions who have mobilized to stop the insanity, cheating and duplicity. While I understand the future of our nation is at stake, I also know that ultimately justice and human decency always overcome injustice and hatred, in that good always overcomes evil, even if it never quite eradicates it in the dualistic reality we call human life on Earth.
If you’ve done all you can do, relax. If you feel you still need to do something, volunteer to do what calls your heart. We do our best when we are centered and aware of our part to play, and if there is no direct part to play, then we do our best to strengthen our hearts and minds, find joy and happiness where we can, and be a light to others who are in distress.
As for my predictions, they’re pretty much the same as before. I estimate Democrats will pick up anywhere from 4-10 seats in the House. I estimate Democrats will pick up anywhere from 4-6 seats in the Senate. And I estimate Democrats will pick up hundreds of seats on the state level, from local to legislatures and governorships, with a likelihood of flipping the power in at least 4 states to achieve a more fair reapportionment in the future.
Joe Biden will easily win the presidency in a blowout unless one of two things happen. The first is the possibility that a foreign or domestic bad actor will in some way hack into the national vote database and mess with some numbers. While unlikely, it’s still a distinct possibility since it’s already established that Russia, Iran, and China all want to meddle in our election. Given past Republican cheating through installing “patch codes” in unverifiable touch screen vote machines which flipped votes, that also could play a factor in some tallies. (Yes, this is all established by a lot of evidence assembled these past 16 years.)
The only other way Biden loses is if somehow enough legal challenges are filed that this election makes it to the House or the Supreme Court. In the first case, that can only happen if the electoral vote count is tied at 269-269. In the second case, as unlikely as either of these scenarios are, it could wind up that because of late tallies and court challenges by Republicans the vote could be stopped or stolen as it was in Election 2000.
I’ll close by reminding you that unless you occupy a very special position in our society, you probably have NO ability to influence any of this beyond voting and encouraging your friends and loved ones to vote. If you still have the urge to make a difference, volunteer at the local level to help the election move forward smoothly or get out the vote. Relax and detach from the nonstop stress of this election season, and remember that at the end of the day, you are an Eternal having a human experience, and “the love you take is equal to the love you make.”
We will outlast and outlive this miserable time of authoritarians attempting to destroy all that is good in our nation and our world. We’re moving into a new long term reality, regardless of whatever the propagandists throw out there. While the violent ones won’t entirely go away, they most certainly will not prevail. America is better than that.
Aum and blessings
© Copyright 2020 Robert Wilkinson
True words of wisdom and peace.
Spirit acting on the environment with a detached and clear headed big picture outlook. This is what the current situation calls for.
Thank you Robert.
Blessings be to all.
Posted by: Nic | October 29, 2020 at 09:24 AM
Thank you. I would have said the same thing. Vote and be calm after the election.
Posted by: Lalia Rae | October 31, 2020 at 12:02 PM