While on retreat this past weekend at Deer Park monastery (I took the picture of the flowers you see above at the retreat), I listened to Sister Mai Nghiem’s dharma talk about climate change and our ecological crises. She said that loving action (nonviolence!) is "the antidote to despair," advice we could apply to the US elections.

Between the hateful rhetoric, reports of voter fraud and influence of money, it’s not surprising that many of us feel despair, regardless of where we fall on the political spectrum. But despair doesn’t get us anywhere.

Can we evolve our fear, anger and frustration into loving, nonviolent action? Can we carry the momentum of political organizing into transforming society for the better? Can we heal political divides and connect, as Soneile Hymn suggests?

Taking loving action, together, is our greatest hope.

In metta,
Stephanie Knox-Cubbon, Director of Education