No longer ''just politics''

Most of my life, I admit I have been notoriously uninterested in all the gossip of the world in the form of lies, scandals and other drama on the political scene. In my early twenties, I remember vividly writing down in my journal during a road trip across the United States that politicians, especially those at the head of a nation, were fundamentally untrustworthy because their status could only be the culmination of opportunism and thirst of power. In other words, the role of president or prime minister naturally selects for those who tend to do this for the ego, under the surface of good intentions, putting the cause at the service of their ego, while people working on the trenches of social messes learn to put their ego at the service of the cause in the form of advocacy. I felt rather disillusioned in politics.

As a responsible citizen, I did vote while in Canada, despite being young and generally uninformed. I tried to select a candidate based on their promises rather than the party they belonged to (''vote for the man, not the party''). I made sure I read the question of the provincial referendum carefully, as it was rather ambiguous. But I was intentional in exercising my duty as a constituent, making sure I would select a candidate or scenario that would work towards the greater good.

Priorities differ: some will support a candidate who cares about education, another will care about tax decrease, or supporting small business, or the health care system. A relationship between two people with different priorities of policy agenda might still survive and thrive. It's like having different preferences for ice cream flavors. You end up buying both flavors if they are both available, or you tolerate strawberry if the parlor is out of vanilla for a while, and vice-versa.

But the recent battle which the rest of the world had its eyes on was mostly not about such collateral issues. Navigating the conflict around ice cream flavors become irrelevant when suddenly one is in favor of not having electricity or hot water anymore. Without ''utilities'' or basic comfort, the relationship might fall apart. Because of the trajectory announced by the recent election, it seems like the foundation of civilization is highly threatened. And when I say foundation, I am referring to human rights.

Like others I met recently who are concerned about the impact of the upcoming administration's policies on populations who are still predominantly victimized (such as women, undocumented immigrants, LGBTQ communities), my emotional state oscillated between dissociation and anger for the past two weeks. I tried to gather my thoughts and transform my despair into awareness-raising during my most recent vodcast recording (I touched upon patriarchy as my co-host Christopher and I discussed the societal expectations towards different genders).

I am angry when I think about all of those who didn't support the candidate who is obviously, and by far, trustworthy: her whole personal, professional trajectory, including her cultural background and her core, humanistic values made her the most competent for the job. Not to mention that her campaign, with the disadvantageous position of running on a short notice, was phenomenal. A tour de force, in my opinion.

So those who went the opposite direction, the path of further dishonesty, corruption, divisiveness generated a mixture of hopelessness, numbness and grief in me and millions of others.

But the apathetic ones, the ones who chose not to choose triggered the most intense rage in me. It is one thing to hear that some people are egregiously making the same mistake twice, but you can blame it on collective delusion, or severe programming from brainwashing. But finding frivolous motives to not vote for the most fit for the job shocked me to a degree that surprised me and that was also validated and echoed by other women I spoke with. In my opinion, it is bad enough that mothers are still held to a higher standard than fathers (a mother taking the kids to a fast-food place is labeled as lazy, while a dad doing the same is a hero). It hit me that women are still held to a higher, not to say impossible, standard on the political realm as well.

When I imagine those who voted for a severely disturbed individual, I wonder how we can co-exist moving forward, because in doing so, they basically endorse and support a complete disregard of fundamental human rights. And for those who didn't vote, well, I feel wounded and threatened in my womanhood just the same, through what I would call a ''betrayal by omission''.

And personally, whether it is in this adoptive country or anywhere else in the world, it just doesn't feel safe anymore to mingle with people who don't care about human rights or vote for leaders perpetuating human rights violation.

Until we overcome this disconnect between greed at the source of extreme materialism and our divine nature that protects the planet and each other (because we are part of Mother Earth), until we realize fully the duality between the illusion of our separatedness and the truth of our interconnectedness, I will have deep gratitude for the safe discussion spaces to discuss and share ideas to protect the most vulnerable, to ensure a sustainable life for all living beings. Those of you who have voiced their outrage and started boycotting the corrupted corporations, saying no to ''blood money'', I see you and I commend your courage. I have gratitude for the people who honor who they are and those who listen to me when I need to vent rather than hiding behind some invalidating, not to say shaming, pseudo-optimism. A soothing warmth emanates from the fireplace as I reflect on the past few weeks. I lit it for the first time this season. Usually it doesn't really kindle easily, but I was able to keep it alive for several hours that evening. Maybe I was able to keep the flame alive because I am determined to examine every way in which I can facilitate an expansion of consciousness.

I will not deny my emotional experience. I agree that dwelling on negativity won't help me, but I can't go from shock to utter bliss. My goal at this time is to transition from overwhelmingly fearful to specifically concerned. From disempowered to intentional. And in the interim, making sure I stay informed by judicious exposure to less skewed media, connecting with genuine and caring people, being proactive and brainstorm. And in the meantime, I will continue to be a voice for the disenfranchised.

And of course, we should all be dancing. Dancing is a manifestation of the energy of the Divine, the precious, sacred in all of us. I did just that earlier before lighting my fireplace, alone in my house. We should all sing, too. It will stimulate the ventral branch of our vagal nerve, and therefore help us feeling safe, connected. 

Plus, have you ever been able to stay angry or fearful for very long once you start singing, drumming, humming or dancing ?

Wishing you all peace. Namaste.