Blessings for No Kings Day

Transforming hate is the way forward. It's not as hard as it sounds.

We live in divisive times and it is easy to get caught up in the spirit of us versus them. It feels justified. Kinda good. Righteous, even.

But it’s not. Us v. Them is never a winning hand, and I bet it doesn’t even represent the world you want to inhabit. Because it’s not only about replacing one “party” with another, or one person with someone else. Show up today for a more harmonious way of being. Show up because you get how interconnected we are. Show up to transcend this divide-and-conquer world where nonstop conflict benefits a very few.

The radical thing to do? Name – and love – the common ground below our feet. How we cherish our children. How we hope for their (and our) future. This sacred earth that gives us everything we need to live. The animals and plants who live here too. We have so much more in common than not.

Bless one another with compassion. It doesn’t require any special skills. In fact, it’s as simple as wishing “us and them” well. In Buddhism, this is called Metta, loving kindness, and it is a game changer.

Wish that the police on duty – each one – be safe, happy, free from suffering. This might be difficult. Do it anyway. Don’t let the haters win. Don’t become a hater in the process.

Wish that everyone out there today be heard and respected. May they, too, be safe. Free from suffering.

Be sure to bless yourself, too. You, whose heart is so vast that its love is unlimited.

May you be happy. May you be at ease, safe and happy. May the actions we take today benefit all, and help the world calm the fuck down.

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Jean Shields Fleming is the founder and editor of Certain Age Magazine. Read an excerpt from her newest novel, All the Reasons Why.

Artwork by Dawn Furstenberg (@settledawn

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