It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.-Alfred Adler
I wonder if anyone involved in campaign efforts this year is suffering from separation anxiety. As I drove down the highway yesterday I wondered about the disbanded sign wavers and the thousands who gathered and celebrated on election night. Will they just go back to life as they knew it?
Obversely, the world is watching every move our president-elect makes. A November 6 article in The Economist had this to say about post-election America:
The next ten weeks give Mr Obama a chance to recalibrate the rest of the world's hopes. He could use part of his transition to tour the world, certainly listening to friends and rivals alike but also gently making clear the limits of his presidency. He needs to explain that, although his America will respect human rights and pay more heed to the advice of others, it will not be a pushover: he must avoid the fate of Jimmy Carter, a moralising president who made the superpower look weak.(1)
The British magazine said that in electing Obama, America has once again shown its unrivalled capacity to renew itself, but that our new leader will soon have to start deciding whom to disappoint. The macrocosm of what we as individuals face when we try to reinvent, heal or improve ourselves.
I thought about this a few nights ago as my yoga teacher prescribed specific health remedies to me, his image transmitted to my computer screen through multiple time zones. The practices will require a commitment of time, energy and thought but the results could be miraculous. Those for whom the remedies are intended, will have to decide. In our quick fix time zone, we tend to zero in on the annoying symptom and try to beat it into submission. In my teacher's reality, the entire organism is treated, treated with respect and heart-centered guidance. Healthcare can only mean self-care with that mindset.
I love the facial expressions I see in my yoga classes and on my massage table when folks discover how connected their bodies are to their actions, thoughts and feelings. There's a look of amazement that lights their eyes when they recognize the tremendous amount of power in their own hands. Pivotal, are the decisions and actions that follow.
I was so inspired by the hour long conversation (thank you Skype) as it reaffirmed my own sense of connectivity. Not only the connectivity within myself, but with my loved ones, my work, community and beyond. I am moved to create my own manifesto and also hope to inspire those in my care to reach their health goals. Wish me luck in also avoiding the fate of a moralising president who made the superpower look weak, I have promises to keep.
Obversely, the world is watching every move our president-elect makes. A November 6 article in The Economist had this to say about post-election America:
The next ten weeks give Mr Obama a chance to recalibrate the rest of the world's hopes. He could use part of his transition to tour the world, certainly listening to friends and rivals alike but also gently making clear the limits of his presidency. He needs to explain that, although his America will respect human rights and pay more heed to the advice of others, it will not be a pushover: he must avoid the fate of Jimmy Carter, a moralising president who made the superpower look weak.(1)
The British magazine said that in electing Obama, America has once again shown its unrivalled capacity to renew itself, but that our new leader will soon have to start deciding whom to disappoint. The macrocosm of what we as individuals face when we try to reinvent, heal or improve ourselves.
I thought about this a few nights ago as my yoga teacher prescribed specific health remedies to me, his image transmitted to my computer screen through multiple time zones. The practices will require a commitment of time, energy and thought but the results could be miraculous. Those for whom the remedies are intended, will have to decide. In our quick fix time zone, we tend to zero in on the annoying symptom and try to beat it into submission. In my teacher's reality, the entire organism is treated, treated with respect and heart-centered guidance. Healthcare can only mean self-care with that mindset.
I love the facial expressions I see in my yoga classes and on my massage table when folks discover how connected their bodies are to their actions, thoughts and feelings. There's a look of amazement that lights their eyes when they recognize the tremendous amount of power in their own hands. Pivotal, are the decisions and actions that follow.
I was so inspired by the hour long conversation (thank you Skype) as it reaffirmed my own sense of connectivity. Not only the connectivity within myself, but with my loved ones, my work, community and beyond. I am moved to create my own manifesto and also hope to inspire those in my care to reach their health goals. Wish me luck in also avoiding the fate of a moralising president who made the superpower look weak, I have promises to keep.
Sources:
(1) Great Expectations, The Economist.com
Photo: Alex Barth