Spiritual Defense Against Bullies.

It's been hard to avoid. The social media feeds, the national and local news channels, and national and local print media have all carried the image of the President of the United States and the President of Ukraine, war hero and the newly understood leader of the Free World, in a full-throat argument.

There he is, mouth open as he spews a fire hose of talking points from the President/Resident Dictator of Russia, his right hand attempting to stop any rebuttal or counterpoint. And, there is President Zelensky, appropriately dressed for combat, back straight, hands folded, pushing right back.

Off camera is the Vice President who started the argument - something about President Zelensky not showing gratitude  (Seriously?) - and the Secretary of State, who was sinking into the sofa, looking like he could think of six places he'd rather be in that very moment. And then, there was the Ukrainian ambassador who sat in her chair, hunched over with her head in her hands.

It was almost immediately clear that this was a staged ambush. It was a setup, designed to show the President of Russia that we - strike that,  they - are on his side. There were almost immediate calls from the Right for President Zelensky to apologize and express his gratitude for the rare privilege of signing over rare mineral rights as payment for the billions of dollars in support of Ukraine's defense against the Russian invasion of their country.

Mind you, no other country has been required to do this. Indeed, on 9/11, when the countries of the United Nations sent their armies in to defend the attack on our country, no one demanded that America repay any of them for their support - which included the death of their soldiers in combat.

That's just not the way it works. Or has worked. Ever.

Transaction - tit-for-tat, quid-pro-quo - works in business, not peaceful geopolitics.

The reaction from the world stage was also immediate. A flood of enthusiastic endorsement of solidarity with Ukraine and its president was overwhelming. Mr. Zelensky was embraced by the Prime Minister of Britain, and invited to tea with the (actual) King of England. All around the world, our allies in Canada, France, Belgium, Australia, Italy, Mexico, Denmark, and Norway not only pledged billions of dollars in financial support, but also promised to boycott American-made products and, instead, buy Canadian. Even Turkey and the Baltic Countries have sent supportive messages to Ukraine.

The Turning Point

I've been looking at that picture of that historic moment in the Oval Office. I've come to realize that this is an image of the state of this country in that moment. And, that moment was a turning point not only in the early history of this administration, but also in our history and the history of the world.

Six weeks into this new administration, some of us (47%, according to most polls) are sitting on the side like Vice President, actively supporting and, in fact, cheering on the President.

Others of us are sitting on the couch, like the Secretary of State, stunned and sinking deep into our seats, embarrassed and paralyzed and not knowing what to do. And, a few of us are, like the Ukrainian Ambassador, holding our heads in dismay and despair.

But other pictures - important pictures - are emerging of some of the other 53% of us who are rising up and resisting the direction of this administration. The Vice President's getaway family weekend ski vacation in Vermont was marred by protestors on the slopes as well as along the route back to the airport. There are demonstrations at Tesla Dealerships - the company owned by the co-POTUS, Elon Musk.

Protestors flooded national parks to protest cuts to jobs and services. Rallies and demonstrations are popping up in unlikely places, some with a specific focus against Musk and DOGE, or the reckless immigration policies, or Gaza or Ukraine. 

During the Congressional break, GOP leaders have found that their traditionally "informational, check-in, feel-good" town halls have become raucous events packed with their Republican constituents loudly voicing their objections to the policies of this administration in general and Elon Musk in particular and demanding and chanting, "Do. Your. Job," as they stopped their feet and clapped their hands.

This is exactly what is taught in anti-bully classes. There are three actors in a bully situation: the bully, the victim and the bystanders. The best way to deal with a bully is for the bystanders to stand up to the bully, letting them know that their behavior is not allowed.

Good on them. Good on us. There is no question in my mind that this is a time when Evil is being allowed the opportunity to grow and for acts of brutishness and vulgarity and cruelty to become normalized. Resistance and Resilience are the order of the day in an American culture which has become ripe for bullies to flourish as the earliest manifestation of the presence of Evil.

Taking to the streets, organizing meetings and rallies and public protests are all very important. There is a spiritual component to our movement, which we ignore at our own peril.

There are several approaches to strengthen our spirituality in the fact of these challenges which include an active acknowledgment of our interdependence, the exercise of our capacity for compassion, and the practice of mindfulness. 

Religions that teach and promote a spirituality of interdependence are healthy organizations. In the human family - the "human race" - no one is really separate from anyone else. Reminding ourselves that we are all interconnected assists us in cultivating empathy, wisdom, and compassion.

In a spiritual context, compassion is a feeling and action that involves being moved by the suffering of others.  It's a way of opening your heart to others and caring for their needs. Yes, this includes our adversaries and enemies.

Listening to "the other" is a critically important component of devising a way to defeat them. Deep, spiritual listening helps us to hear what it is our adversaries want and what makes them so willing to compromise their own souls in order to achieve. This does not mean that we give them what they want. It does mean that we will be better able to defeat them in their own efforts by developing effective strategies, while also defending and protecting the state of our own souls.

Tai-Chi Posture

In the ancient Chinese martial art of Tai-Chi, there is a movement that stops and then takes the negative energy and moves it aside. It is highly effective when you understand the nature of the negative energy you are rejecting because it not only moves it away from you but it also comes from a place of the deep understanding of our interconnection and interdependence as well as compassion for the effects of the negative energy on the soul of your adversary.

You do not have to actually do Tai-Chi in order to accomplish deeper spiritual understanding and compassion. It is important to keep this body posture in mind when you listen to the news or scroll through social media posts. Do not take on the negativity. Move it aside. Allow your curiosity to be awakened. Wonder about the cause(s) of this abhorrent behavior. Allow this to engage your creativity and imagination.

Finally, mindfulness is an important spiritual component which is especially critical at this moment in time when there is a veritable firehose of information and misinformation coming at us in a 24/7 news cycle. Mindfulness is a state of an awareness of the present moment that involves paying attention to thoughts, feelings and bodily sensations without judgment. It is about being fully engaged in the present moment, observing one's experiences with acceptance and curiosity.

This is the best of the Tai-Chi movement. Mindfulness leads to an awareness of our interdependence which helps us find compassion within ourselves. This then allows that compassion to extend to others which stops the negative from taking to our souls and turns it into curiosity and creativity. 

A word of caution: While these practices are helpful and healthy, they rarely lead to an immediate solution. This is not "spiritual fast food". It does, however, make for a healthier body, mind and soul, capable of resistance and resilience, which are the pathways on which we will find the road to peace.

In this country, whenever there has been a sudden, abrupt cultural change, violence to body, mind and spirit, has always been present. History teaches us that, in those situations, were not able to turn the tide until we found our own spirituality, our own moral core.

What has become crystal clear since the most recent historic debacle in the Oval Office is that we are beyond political rhetoric. We are now deeply engaged in a moral struggle that affects the very soul of our country and every American citizen.

The present occupant of the Oval Office is not the problem. He is a symptom of a moral problem that has been part of the very DNA of this country which was built on the immorality of slavery. That immorality  has surfaced from time to time as Manifest Destiny, McCarthyism, and White Christian Nationalism. And now, it has resurfaced in the movement known as MAGA.

I have become deeply persuaded that we will not find resolution much less peace in this country or the world until we engage our souls along with our minds and our hearts.

I hope something good happens to you today.

Bom dia.