Stop Obsessing Over Polls and Do Something

OK. I admit it. I keep paying attention to the polls in this crazy election. They are not, as some aver, "all over the place." Most show that the race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is extremely close, within the margin of error. That means that the election could go either way. Most polls show Harris with a slight lead.

For some, this isn't good enough. "But what about the money she's raised? What about the huge number of volunteers who've signed up? What about the endorsement of Taylor Swift that brought scads of her fans to the Harris campaign?"

"Yeah. But what about the Black Men for whom she shows no fire? What about all the Arabs that are pissed at the Biden administration for the treatment of Palestinians by Israel? What about....?"

I get it. The polls have misled the pollsters and the American people before. And, as my father often said, "A burned child is scared of fire." We've been badly burned and gravely disappointed. Once. In 2016.

I had a session tonight with Jonathan's Circle Live, a monthly conversation on various topics touching on the spiritual and sexual lives of men. Our topic was "Living In Absolute Uncertainty." Much of our conversation focused on what the uncertainty of the election outcome is doing to us emotionally, spiritually, and erotically. The impact is not minimal. Living in uncertainty, according to neuroscientists, is much more stressful than the sure knowledge that something bad is going to happen.

That is precisely where spiritual practices come into play. All the meditating we do, the intercessions we pray, the breathing exercises we undertake, the singing, scripture reading, social justice work, creative endeavors that we use to center and ground our lives are precisely what we can draw on in times of uncertainty, anxiety, and dread.

All those practices I just named are about doing something in the present. Doing, yes. I have another sermon about how doing is often an escape from being. But the other side of that coin is that living in a situation of high emotional tension, whether ushered in by anxiety, fear, rage, despair, or even hope calls for converting all those raw emotions into positive action here and now.

Really, all the anxiety and fear churned up by uncertainty is fear about the future. If the past is frequently dominated by the twins nostalgia and regret, the future is dominated by expectations and fear. The answer to the resulting dilemma is scattered all through the wisdom traditions. Buddhists know that meditation is about staying in the present moment, which is hard work. Marcus Aurelius wrote, "The present is the only thing we have and therefore the only thing of which we can be deprived." Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, "Why are you anxious?...Take no thought for tomorrow, whether you will eat or drink, or what you will wear; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. Seek first God's reign and justice, and all this other stuff will be yours as well."

I've learned a huge amount about getting to work instead of wringing my hands from Jess Craven in her daily Substack "Chop Wood, Carry Water." Stay focused on the task. Nothing helps like doing something productive. Stick with the task you can do today.

One of the reasons I'm writing this blog is precisely that writing and communicating are my "lane," my natural strength. I'm claiming that and using that strength to do my bit to bring about what I fervently trust will be a renewal of democracy, "a new birth of freedom" in Lincoln's words.

There's plenty you can do. There's still time to write postcards and letters to voters in swing States. There's time to volunteer in the election process. And most of all, you can talk to your circle of family and friends. Support and encourage them. Since it is true that people respond better to non-partisan encouragement to vote than to pitches for a party or a candidate, make sure that the approach you use it to motivate people to vote rather than to support a particular party or candidate that they might not agree with or support. Use your judgment.

When you've voted, call at least three other people who know you personally and remind them to vote, congratulating and thanking them if they already have. If you can, offer rides to the polls. If they're unmotivated to vote, have a very short "elevator speech" telling them why you vote, such as "I'm really concerned about climate change and the way it's wreaking havoc on the whole world now. I want to elect people who'll take it seriously and get us on track to leave our kids a future that will support their life and health."

It's good practice to get crystal clear about why you care about any of this. Be honest. Don't be argumentative, dismissive, or supercilious. Don't be defensive. Those are principles that guide me.

For further action

Check out Vote Forward to write short personal letters to voters.

Go to Activate America to write postcards to voters.

Check out The Movement Voter Project, The States Project, and Run for Something, all organizations that are doing creative work with an eye towards the future, not just this election.

Subscribe to "Chop Wood, Carry Water

Carolyn Bluemle Responds:

Yes, do something. Don't-know mind is an important Buddhist concept and has been very helpful to me -- i used to hate the word "Faith" because it seemed to mean thinking things would turn out the way we want-- and then i understood faith as "all shall be well" whatever happens-- this, combined with yogic concepts of Santosha (contentment) with what is, and Tapas (burning effort) for what can be -- must be practiced simultaneously, and i am grateful for this deeply entrenched practice. Polls are NOT NEWS, and i have not paid them any attention--- but i do know the outcomes i think are best and keep an open mind, and i do what i can to help-- each letter i write for Vote Forward is not only one more letter, each one is a prayer-- i use Facebook as a place of reason and compassion and do my best to bridge divides -- confrontation does not work-- and i have yet to sign up for Loretta J Ross courses in calling in -- but i do need to do that --- Don't-Know Mind and Mindful Consumption of the news and Doing What i Can are the only things keeping me sane.

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