Discordant and tumultuous sky – Photo: L. Weikel

Empathy and Listens

The two words that stood out to me the most tonight as I watched the Virtual Democratic Convention were ‘empathy’ and ‘listens.’

Throughout the evening, these words – and many others, to be sure – were used to describe attributes Joe Biden brings to the table that differentiate him from the current occupant of the White House. The way Joe Biden embodies the essence of these two words in particular was very effectively conveyed in photo after photo as the night progressed. I have to admit it: I’ve always taken for granted the genuine affection for and interest in people that he has so readily displayed all these years.

Of course, Michelle Obama knocked it out of the park when she drove home the indisputable fact that we yearn for a leader who not only listens – to experts, to scientists, to advisors, to warnings, to facts, to the people he governs – but also has the inherent ability to imagine walking in the shoes of another and can imagine their pain, their fear, their sorrow, and their needs.

It is painful to witness this president’s lack of empathy. It is virtually impossible to dispute that there is something deeply, inherently damaged in him. And oddly, it is hard not to feel sorry for him (if only fleetingly) and his obvious inability to feel sorry for anyone other than himself. (That’s quite a pretzel – feeling empathy for a person who has none himself.)

New Moon

I’m glad this virtual convention is taking place this week. Tomorrow evening is the new moon. It is, in truth, the time when the moon is darkest, which serves as a decent metaphor for the very dark times we find ourselves in as a country and, in an unprecedented number, individually.

It’s sort of that ‘darkest before the dawn’ scenario. This is the time when we plant the seeds of new beginnings, new ideas, new approaches to life. This is when we realize that what we’ve been doing isn’t working, what we’ve had isn’t cutting it.

So what do we do? We dream our world into being. We collectively envision what it is we want to create in our country, in our government, in our lives, and we paint that image for all to see. We paint it for others through words and actions so they, too, can add their energy to the collective imagining or dreaming-into-being of the world we wish to create.

And there’s no better time than to do that planting, painting, and envisioning than at the new moon. So I feel this virtual convention was well-timed.

Virtual Convention

And I for one found the format of this ‘convention’ made it far easier to hear the speakers and grasp their ideas and passions. Interestingly, it made it easier, for me at least, to connect with the speakers, get a sense of who they were and listen to what they were saying. While I’m sure those who would have been delegates to the convention are lamenting the restrictions imposed by the pandemic, it seemed to me that if people are truly valuing the quality of listening, then this format was perfect for this unique time in our lives and the life of our country.

I’m looking forward to engaging in more listening this week. I yearn to believe there’s reason to hope we can reclaim the soul of our country.

And I have to admit, as a shamanic practitioner, I feel the concept of reclaiming (retrieving) the soul of our country could not be a more perfect metaphor for what is needed.

After the storm – Photo: L. Weikel

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