Originally posted at Writeindependent.org on January 8, 2012
Politics can be a downer. Here’s the way I’m going to handle it today. First, I’ll post a “Male” segment. It’s logical, it makes sense, it’s all left-brain. Then I’ll follow with a healing “Female” segment that is meant to erase the negativity of the first segment. It’s soft, it doesn’t follow logical reasoning, but it is nonetheless effective. If you’re an alpha male, you can skip the second half of this post. But if you’re like most people, you’ll need it.
WHAT WORRIES AMERICANS THE MOST about the national economy? Here’s the top 10 answers and the percentage who said it, according to an early January Gallup survey.
1. Jobs/unemployment 26%
2. National debt/Federal budget deficit 16
3. Continuing economic decline/economic instability 10
4. Outsourcing of jobs overseas/creating jobs in U.S. 6
5. Obama not doing a good job/no plan/lack of leadership 5
6. Political bickering/Congress 4
7. Healthcare/Medicaid 3
8. Corporate corruption/corporations run the government 3
9. Housing crisis 3
10. The future of our children 2
11. Eight other responses also checked in at 2 percent
Thinking ourselves somehow separate from life, we conclude that our safety and well-being are dependent upon our ability to control our circumstances. Trying to control circumstances, we actually separate ourselves from the rest of life to such a degree that we end up bringing to ourselves and others misery instead of the promised safety. Lao-tzu teaches us to let go. We let go of the belief that control is possible, that our efforts at control will keep us safe. We let go of the countless conditioned beliefs that have promised safety and happiness, only to deliver anxiety and suffering. We eventually let go even of the ideas of who we are as a separate ego.
It’s ironic that only by letting go can we find peace.