Turn of the Tide

 

“…the wrong shall fail, the right prevail, with peace on earth, good will to all..” 

 

At the Lexington Airport, the Christmas carols were playing days before the turkey even went into the oven. Not a fan of the excessive consumer side of the Season, but I’m all for the above sentiment and the general celebration of wise people, the innocence of babes, the humble habitat of a manger in company with animals, the silence of night and looking to the stars, the benevolence of gift-givers, children with visions of sugar-plums dancing in their heads, chestnuts roasting on a roasting fire and all the rest. Listening to the songs that will be dominating the airwaves the next four weeks, I was prepared to be disgusted by the hypocrisy of it all in light of what’s been going down in this country. But not now.

 

In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been astonished by the news. The Texas Supreme Court decision, the House vote to release the Epstein files, MAGA supporters throwing their hats in a bonfire protesting their pedophile-in-chief, 30,000 students in Charlotte walking out in protest of ICE, the perpetual enabler Marjorie Taylor Greene surprisingly turning on her boss, refusing to kiss his ring and stepping out of the whole shitshow and most astonishing of all, the man-child at the center of that clogged toilet being cordial and almost human to the newly elected New York mayor. The Repugnitan enablers and supporters finally with their hand on the chain, ready to flush it all down. Of course, not from any awakening of genuine Christian charity and simple human decency. They just see that in the wake of the recent elections and the No Kings protest, the voters are going to take them down. 

But no matter what the reason, I’m hopeful. The tide is turning, there’s a shift in the wind, there’s an invisible momentum that is gathering strength, as if the world is finally agreeing, “We’ve made you suffer enough. Time for a change.”

 

We can see these invisible forces at work in sports competitions. There is an unplanned, impossible-to-prepare, invisible sense of momentum that is suddenly in the air, that buoys up one team like the wind at their backs and the spectators can just feel that energy—and add to it with their own steadily increasing roar. The same thing can be felt in a good concert, that presence of benevolent forces behind the musicians. 

 

Many cultures would call this the presence of the ancestors. One of my favorite Irish sayings is that what’s wrong in the other world can only be healed by those in this world and what’s wrong in this world can only be healed by those in the other world. In other words, the undigested grief and failed hopes of our ancestors needs us, with our physical bodies, voices, hearts and minds, to do the work they no longer can do to bring some peace to their wandering ghost souls. And we need their presence and silent encouragement to help fix the mess they left us. And this is true both individually, in our own spiritual journeys, and collectively, in our attempt to live a sustainable life together on the planet. 

 

And so all the people finally speaking up from both sides of the blue/red divide, getting out the votes and voting, running for office, showing up at protests, speaking truth to power, are doing all they can and it seems it finally attracted the attention of those in the other world who are sending down signals that the time is ripe. And we need that shift in momentum. 

 

So whether you celebrate the victory of light over darkness through the Hindu Diwali (this year, Nov. 8^th), enlightenment over ignorance on Buddha’s enlightenment day (Dec. 8^th), the miracle of light lasting beyond the oil’s normal duration on Hanukkah (this year beginning on Dec. 14^th), union with the Beloved over rampant hate on Rumi’s Wedding Night (Dec. 17^th), a gospel of love, forgiveness and charity with the birth of a babe on Christmas (Dec. 25) or a summary of some of the highest values of human beings (unity, self -determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity and faith) drawn from diverse African practices on Kwanzaa (beginning Dec. 26), let’s keep that momentum going to turn toward the new year with renewed hope, determination and dare I suggest, new leaders while the rest are carted off to jail. My advance Holiday wishes!

 

But first, it’s time to prepare for the Thanksgiving feast and I’m so happy to be writing this at my kitchen table with my 10-year old grandson writing his long story (14 chapters already!), my newly-turned 14-year-old granddaughter eating her favorite SF Tartinne bread for breakfast, one daughter out hiking with my wife and my sister, the other picking up a U-haul to move into her new house with her boyfriend. Much to be thankful for. The winter festivities have begun!